The Papua Mountaineering Association (PMA) has conducted a vital training program for indigenous Papuan youth, aiming to develop them into professional mountain guides. This training focused on essential basic skills for guides, such as how to use outdoor cooking equipment and techniques for pitching and dismantling tents, held on Friday afternoon, March 21, 2025. This initiative marks an excellent first step in preparing Papua's younger generation to enter the rapidly growing tourism sector.
The Carstensz Summit, one of the world's Seven Summits, has become a sought-after destination for international climbers. Recognizing the vast potential of this destination, PMA is working to ensure that Papuan youth are prepared to serve as professional guides ready to meet the challenge. The training provided by PMA focuses not only on hard skills-such as climbing techniques and equipment usage-but also includes crucial soft skills for guides, such as communication and team management.
PMA remains committed to offering comprehensive training. In the future, they plan to expand the curriculum to include an introduction to climbing gear, rock climbing techniques, foreign language instruction, and other soft skills that support the development of competent mountain guides. Through this ongoing training, PMA aims to produce guides who are not only technically skilled but also professional in delivering service to climbers.
This initiative by PMA forms a crucial foundation for Papuan youth to actively participate in the development of eco-tourism in their region. Beyond enhancing the quality of tourism, the program also creates greater economic opportunities for local communities. The Carstensz Summit and Papua's natural assets are now not only global icons of mountaineering but also represent a major opportunity for improving the future prosperity of Papuan youth. (PMA)
