In a first, Avenues CEO to represent M’laya at Australia India Youth Dialogue

SHILLONG, May 6: Award-winning serial entrepreneur and Founder-CEO of Avenues, Mark Laitflang Stone, has become the first person from the state to represent Meghalaya at Australia India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) 2022 from May 31 to June 4.
According to a statement, Mark, who is also the lone representation from the North East, will join 14 other Indian delegates for the event that will take place in Sydney and Melbourne.
“North-East India, at large, has witnessed a growing number of young leaders venturing into the entrepreneurship space, and building teams from local and regional talent. Having a delegate from Meghalaya representing the entire region at the conference this year may be seen as an opportunity to showcase the enterprising nature of its youth, and a catalyst for prospective collaborations with the region’s own network of home-grown youth leaders, resulting in the mutual prosperity of the two countries,” the statement said.
Established in 2012, AIYD is a Track II bilateral dialogue that brings together 30 young leaders from Australia and India each year to confer about issues important to both countries.
A key objective of the youth-led conference is to foster people-to-people links, embrace cultural and multidimensional diversity and encourage a youth leadership community, thereby bolstering the bilateral relationship.
The annual dialogue has also received letters of support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.
In over last 10 years, the conference has seen the participation of close to 300 youth leaders from both the countries.
It may be mentioned that Mark is also the recipient of the Northeast Young Heroes Award for Education 2020 and the Asian Youth Empowerment Leader Award 2021.