HANOI, December 2, 2016 – U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius today attended the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) workshop “Little Things Matter” and discussed with YSEALI members about volunteerism and the power of youth in bringing positive changes to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of the founding of YSEALI.
The workshop is one of a series of community service activities to be conducted by 16 YSEALI teams in nine cities and provinces across Vietnam on December 3 under motto Never Too Young To Lead. This is the most far-reaching YSEALI event in Vietnam, attracting a thousand participants.
“Vietnam’s YSEALI members are among the most active and dynamic in all of Southeast Asia. With over 20,000 members throughout the country, they’re also the largest group in Southeast Asia. We’re proud to support these young leaders and their great work in not only Vietnam, but throughout the region,” Ambassador Ted Osius said.
These YSEAL activities in Vietnam are part of the bigger YSEALI YOUnified campaign in 10 ASEAN countries. One hundred and three teams of YSEALI members will hold youth-led community projects across ASEAN in a move to encourage young people to be civically engaged and to demonstrate the power of youth to develop solutions to pressing local, national, and regional issues.
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About YSEALI
Launched in 2013, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is the U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen partnerships with emerging leaders in Southeast Asia; to expand their skills as effective civic, economic, and non-governmental leaders in the region; and to encourage them to work together across borders to solve regional challenges.
YSEALI includes all ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and is open to young people ages 18-35. Responding to priorities from youth in the ASEAN region, YSEALI programs focus on four themes: Economic development and entrepreneurship; Environmental protection; Education; and Civic engagement.
YSEALI opportunities include professional and academic exchanges to the United States, regional workshops for networking and skills development, social media engagement, and a grant competition to support emerging leaders’ efforts to address regional issues. For more information, visit www.yseali.state.gov.
