Trainings & Workshops
Grassroots and Participatory Capacity Building
ALTSEAN has evolved, in response to activists from Burma, from a regional advocacy initiative to one that also delivers a range of capacity‐building and strategic initiatives.
While we are mainly focused on Burma/Myanmar, we also work with activists to defend human rights in ASEAN and beyond.
We have contributed to the establishment and work of key stakeholders in the region, and beyond. In our work, we prioritize the political participation and leadership of women, as well as young people of ethnic, religious and social minorities.
We are known for speaking truth to power while being solutions‐oriented and fact‐based, our commitment to linking grassroots movements with other stakeholders, and our innovative responses to challenges.
Left: States and Regions of Burma where ALTSEAN has physically delivered workshops (orange). ALTSEAN participants have come from all States and Regions of the country. We are prepared to provide workshops and capacity development sessions anywhere in the country that is accessible to our team.
On-Site Training Programs
WOB - Women of Burma Internship Program
Started in early 1997, the program uses a “fish out of water” strategy to bring diverse women activists out of their comfort zones to Bangkok, to help participants transcend ethnic and religious differences while developing their knowledge, skills and leadership qualities.
This innovative program has produced a significant number of young women leaders who continue to transform their societies through inter-ethnic and feminist activism.
ALU - Alumni Refresher Courses
The refresher courses aim to continue building on the knowledge and skills of the alumnae. Each Refresher Course is designed according to “capacity gaps” personally identified by the participants through the application process.
Women-specific trainings since 1997*
39 WOB Batches for 182 people
19 ethnic groups
52 organizations
8 ALU Refreshers for 65 Participants
* as of April 2020
Off-Site Training Programs
TAV - Advocacy
The trainings cover various aspects of advocacy that are easily replicable and modified to suit different contexts. These dynamic trainings are molded to suit the needs of participants, and/or intended outcomes of organizations: the sessions can range from outlining general advocacy skills, to narrowing down on advocacy techniques suited to specific topics or campaigns.
ELT - Economic Literacy ELTb - Business and Human Rights
The ELTs are designed to enable activists to develop a general understanding of macroeconomics in the context of human rights and development in Burma/Myanmar so that they can use economic arguments to promote human rights, and propose democratic economic policies.
The ELTb trainings focus on empowering communities to use Business and Human Rights frameworks to defend their rights in the context of a fast‐growing economy that lacks rule of law, and human rights and environmental safeguards.
CAP - Capacity Building
CAP trainings cover topics not specifically covered in other ALTSEAN workshops, and are customized to fit the particular interests and contexts of participants or host organizations.
TRJ - Transitional Justice TRJa - Atrocity Prevention
Transitional Justice Training develops the capacity of participants to discuss and propose measures for truth-seeking and memorialisation, accountability, reparation, and institutional reforms to prevent recurrence. The TRJ were first delivered under TAVs in 2012-2014 and became a separate category in 2015.
The TRJa workshops, which focus more strongly on atrocity prevention, were developed in 2017.
WWW - Women Writers Workshops
The WWWs are vibrant workshops for women who would like to develop their creative writing skills and strengthen their ability to use story-telling for advocacy. Many participants contribute to the ALTSEAN Burma – Women’s Voices books, a series of published written stories and experiences penned by women of Burma/Myanmar and beyond.
491 Workshops since 2005*
70 TAV Trainings
111 ELT/ELTb Trainings
62 CAP Trainings
77 TRJ/TRJa Trainings
18 WWW Trainings
Nearly 8,800 Participants worldwide.
Over 59% Women.
* as of May 2022
New Women of Burma Interns join ALTSEAN
