Events

Past Event

Tibetan Entrepreneurship in the Diaspora: A Roundtable

November 8, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
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School of International and Public Affairs, 420 West 118th Street, Room 918, New York, NY 10027

For non-Columbia affiliates, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. Registering will generate an email with a QR code which must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either 116 Street & Broadway or 116 Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register by Nov. 7, 4 pm for campus access.

Moderator: Ms. Yanki Tshering, Founder and Executive Director of Accompany Capital (formerly Business Center for New Americans)

Columbia University 2024 Rural Green Business Exchange Program Fellows

Dawa Dolma, Tibetan Women's Micro-Entrepreneurship Project (wool production)

Tenzing Palmo, Center for Pastoralism researcher supporting sheep-wool related business. Focused on Changtang (nomadic) area.

Tashi Lhazom, Community-owned sustainable tourism project in remote area

Tenzin Zomkyi Lama, Team member for the "Mountain Harvesting" project initiated by the Tibetan-led NGO Drokpo Nepal

Gangchen Dolma, Business Analyst and Studio Manager of Tibetan architectural preservation & planning office

Tsering Yangchen, Architect and Planner focusing on sustainability  in Tibetan architectural preservation & planning office

Tsering Dolden, Founder of Tibetan-run pashmina business engaging nomads in remote area of Ladakh

Jamphel Dhondup, Owner of an architectural studio specializing in solar-power and Tibetan design

Ringzin Tsering, Enterprising organic farmer and advocate/trainer for sustainable practices

Jamyang Sherab, Barley Farmer seeking to establish innovative and productive farming practices and to attract youth back to their nomadic home region

Tenzin Dorje, Owner of the only Tibetan-owned travel agency in Ladakh

Kunsang Tenzing, Founder of innovative and successful (7 years) Hope Cafe cum artist and storytelling space

The roundtable will feature nine exchange fellows from Ladakh and Dharamsala, India, and two fellows from northern Nepal. All are in NYC for an international exchange visit coordinated by Columbia's Modern Tibetan Studies Program and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State.

The fellows will discuss their businesses in wool and fiber production, organic farming, green architecture, and tourism.  The panel will explore issues related to the challenges and opportunities of Tibetan entrepreneurs in South Asia: citizenship, land and business ownership, taxes, online networks, distribution, cultural preservation, the flight of youth from remote areas, and other current trends.

This event is part of the event series on “Cultural Production in the Tibetan Diaspora" and is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and cosponsored by Modern Tibetan Studies Program.

Registration:

  • To attend this event in-person, please register HERE.
  • To attend this event online, please register HERE.

Contact Information

Julie Kwan