Empowering ASEAN Youth: Fostering Collaboration, Shaping the Future

The 1st ASEAN Youth Dialogue (AYD): Engaging Youth in Policy Discourse

As part of the 9th AKFF’s activity and in alignment with Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2022, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat and with the support of the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) jointly organised the 1st ASEAN Youth Dialogue (AYD) under the theme “Youth in the Era of IR 4.0: Opportunities and Challenges in Post-Pandemic Recovery”.

The dialogue was attended by ASEAN and ROK Ministers, representatives of international agencies, youth delegates, government agencies, NGOs-civil society, research institutes, entrepreneurs, private sectors, observers, ASEAN entities, UN agencies and relevant partners.

In 2020, ASEAN counted 224.2 million young individuals, where 53 percent belonged to Generation Z (aged 15-25) and 47 percent fell into the Millennial category (26-35 years old). Projections reveal that the proportion of youth within the total population will reach its highest point in 2038,[1] thus, marks the importance of youth population as a driver of change in ASEAN.

During the period of 2020 to 2022, the Asia Exchange Association (AEA) and the ASEAN Secretariat co-implemented the 9th iteration of ASEAN-Korea Frontier Forum (AKFF) with the support of the ASEAN-ROK (Republic of Korea) Cooperation Fund (AKCF). The 9th AKFF highlighted “ASEAN-ROK Youth Community Initiative” as its overarching theme. It was initiated with the Model ASEAN Korea Summit (MAKS) in Busan, South Korea and culminated in a Social Gathering held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2023, bringing together representatives from nine AKFFs’ Alumni and the 22 ASEAN-Korea Youth Ambassadors.

Participants reported their high level of satisfaction of the dialogue in an anonymous survey. Most of them claimed that the change they experience the most is increased skills in cross cultural communication and negotiation skill.

“I had a [good] time to make friends or communicate with delegates of other countries,” said one participant. Related to the discussion to produce youth’s policy recommendations, a participant stated, “Among all, the round table discussion was an efficient way to have the voice of every Youth Delegate included in the policy recommendation paper.” Based on the post event survey result, they seem to enjoy the discussion on policy recommendation so much. One participant indicated that it will be great to have a longer time, “I would like to suggest to allot longer time for the discussion of the policy recommendation.”

Reconnecting and Building Bridges: The Alumni Gathering

As the last activity, AEA organized a social gathering that served as a fitting finale to the forum, providing a platform for like-minded youths representatives who had participated in the AKFF (from the 1st to the 9th) and ASEAN-Korea Youth Ambassadors (AKYA) to share their ideas and experiences in fostering collaboration among young people in ASEAN countries and Republic of Korea.

This event was especially meaningful for the participants as it gave them a great opportunity to broaden their network with youths from various countries with the same spirit of collaboration.

Duc Viet Nguyen, a participant from Viet Nam, found the event to be a valuable opportunity to rekindle connections with friends from earlier AKFF events while forging new friendships with those from other editions. He remarked, “The alumni event was [a] great [opportunity] to reconnect with my friends and making relationship with new friends from ASEAN Member States and Republic of Korea. The series of AKFF created a great alumni board which opens multiple opportunities for the collaborations between ASEAN and ROK.”

Nguyen further expressed his keenness to participate in future events organized by both the AKFF alumni community and AEA, demonstrating a strong desire to continue the networking opportunities fostered during the gathering.

Daeyong Song, representing the Republic of Korea, echoed Nguyen’s enthusiasm for sustaining friendships and connections beyond AKFF. She expressed gratitude for the forum’s ability to not only strengthen ties with individuals from other countries but also provide a platform to discuss the AKYA action plan.

“Upon writing my reminiscence of Social Gathering for the 9^th ASEAN-Korea Forum Alumni, it seems there is no other word than ‘family’, or a reunion to describe our friendship. It was an honour for me to discuss the upcoming action plan of AKYA and had a nice field trip together,” said Song in her remark on the event.

The 9th AKFF holds special significance for Song, as it marked her first sectoral forum within the ASEAN-Korea Political-Security Forum (AKPSF). She credits the forum for boosting her confidence to speak up in front of large audiences, a feat partially attributed to the support she received from fellow participants.

“I still remember I slightly feel chaotic and lost when I participated in the 2021 AKPSF, which was my first official MUN (Model United Nations). However, I was able to have the courage to speak up because of the people I met throughout the forum,” Song elaborated.

The gathering also effectively amplified the voices of the youth, ensuring that their perspectives were heard and valued. Crizelle Joya, one of the AKYA from The Philippines, expressed her gratitude to the organizer, AEA, for creating a platform for youth engagement. “Thank you for making this event possible,” she remarked. “We are pioneering this Ambassador program and AEA really did great on making everyone feel heard.”

Chansamone Sonemanivong, an Ambassador from Lao PDR, expressed in her essay the expectation that every project related to her role as an Ambassador will effectively promote ASEAN-Korea community building and foster sustainable engagement with AKFF alumni. Chansamone emphasized the crucial importance of teamwork in ensuring the success of every Ambassador’s project following the conclusion of the 9th AKFF.

Chansamone Sonemanivong, an Ambassador from Lao PDR, expressed in her essay the expectation that every project related to her role as an Ambassador will effectively promote ASEAN-Korea community building and foster sustainable engagement with AKFF alumni. Chansamone emphasized the crucial importance of teamwork in ensuring the success of every Ambassador’s project following the conclusion of the 9th AKFF.

“I hope we can work together without any obstacles so that we can achieve our goals because it cannot happen if we do not work as a team.” Her unwavering commitment is amplified by another Ambassador, Leslie Tagguid Rendon from The Philippines. Leslie highlights the critical role of the Ambassador as the “Access and Key of Youth for Advancement,” which acronym, AKYA, is strikingly similar to ASEAN-Korea Youth Ambassador.

From Leslie’s perspective, as a fledgling organization, AKYA faces significant challenges. “As a newly established organization, the challenge is to strategically layout a resilient and sustainable comprehensive youth plan for its operations to be productive and effective,” Leslie stated. In addition, Leslie stated that the goal of ensuring AKYA’s success is to guide as many youths as possible toward identifying key elements for development, not only in their careers but also in their passions.

The Way Forward: A Commitment to Youth Empowerment

The 9th AKFF and its associated events have played a pivotal role in fostering mutual prosperity between ASEAN and Republic of Korea by empowering young leaders from both regions. This initiative has facilitated meaningful policy discourse between ASEAN and Korean youth, enabling them to explore how relevant stakeholders can collaborate to address the challenges and harness the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Particularly on the engagement with the Ministers, AYD also served as a critical platform for exercising youth participation in the policy making initiatives as well as government and stakeholders engagement with the youth. The sustained momentum of the AYD signifies an enduring commitment to involving and empowering the youth in shaping the future landscape of ASEAN. Moreover, the impact of the 1^st AYD echoes beyond its conclusion and has set the precedent for subsequent annual AYD convening

Furthermore, the tangible impacts of the AKFF are also becoming increasingly evident. Notably, the ASEAN-Korea Youth Ambassadors have taken to social media, establishing platforms on Instagram and Facebook to foster mutual understanding between the ASEAN and ROK regions, with more than 1000 followers to date. Their initiatives have culminated in organizing ‘The First ASEAN-Korea Frontier Forum Community Webinar’ on September 23, 2023. This event highlighted the pivotal roles of youth in strengthening the ASEAN-ROK relationship, demonstrating the ambassadors’ ongoing commitment to facilitating meaningful interactions among AKFF alumni and the broader ASEAN-ROK community.

The success of these initiatives, especially the social gathering, has significantly bolstered the alumni’s dedication and expanded their network. This not only underscores the importance of maintaining momentum but also highlights the necessity for ongoing efforts aimed at youth empowerment and fostering collaboration between the young populations of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea. As we move forward, it is very crucial to keep the momentum going and initiating further actions in the future, concerning further youth empowerment and collaboration between ASEAN and Republic of Korea’s young people.

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