ASEAN Youth Fellows Aspire to Build a More Innovative and Connected ASEAN

The programme is co-organised yearly by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and National Youth Council (NYC) Singapore. 

AYF 2024 took Fellows to Singapore as well as Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos. During the programme, Fellows discussed topics such as digital transformation, inclusivity, and sustainability in the region with prominent thought leaders from diverse sectors. They shared perspectives on possible solutions to address common challenges in these areas.

ASEAN Youth Fellowship 2024 kicked off with a welcome dinner at PARKROYAL on Beach Road in Singapore, where Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Singapore Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health was the guest-of-honour. The event was also graced by the Ambassadors of the ASEAN member states to Singapore.

The Fellows also had the opportunity to engage in various conversations with Singapore’s Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing in Singapore, and Deputy Secretary General of the Lao Youth Union, His Excellency Thongly Sisoulith in Vientiane. Both Mr Chan and Mr Thongly highlighted the importance of strengthening connectivity, resilience, and regional cooperation within ASEAN.

In both Singapore and Laos, the Fellows gained insights from visits to organisations at the forefront of innovation and future-readiness. In Singapore, the visits included the Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm, the country’s first inland floating solar photovoltaic system. The visitors also witnessed first-hand how the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) leverages technology to supplement border control management at Woodlands Checkpoint. It is one of the world’s busiest land crossings, accommodating an average of 400,000 travellers daily.

In Vientiane, the Fellows visited Makerbox Lao, a community workspace which leverages state-of-the-art digital fabrication facilities for experiments on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) projects. Makerbox Lao’s founders spoke about how its collaborative environment has helped to foster innovation in the community. This echoed Laos’ call as ASEAN Chairman in 2024 to strengthen cross-border collaboration for a more connected and innovative ASEAN.

ASEAN Youth Fellows toured around Singapore’s first inland floating solar farm by Sembcorp on a solar-powered boat. Its 122,000 floating solar panels (in the background), built across 45 hectares, contribute to Singapore’s goal of quadrupling solar energy deployment by 2025.

The Fellows also visited Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of their cultural immersion experience. They tried their hand at making handicrafts at Ock Pop Tok, an organisation dedicated to preserving Laos’ traditional textiles and crafts.

To encourage Fellows to further their collaboration after the programme and create greater impact in the region, the AYF Impact Fund was introduced to support ground-up initiatives which promote youth development, community building, and other related causes. It provides S$5,000 for each Fellow’s initiative, or up to S$20,000 for each project that Fellows organise as a team.

One such project was the ASEAN Women Empowerment Portal. AYF alumni from Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Philippines created the platform for women across ASEAN to exchange ideas and experiences and learn from one another on issues unique to the region.

Inspired by the AYF Impact Fund, Mr Janu Muhammad, a Fellow from Indonesia said: "Many young farmers in Southeast Asia are facing challenges related to low interest in agriculture, economic instability as farmers, lack of capacity to deal with climate change, and limited access to resources. Through the AYF Impact Fund, I hope to promote agripreneurship using Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to increase the income of young farmers in the hydroponics and aquaponics sector in Southeast Asia so that they can be more prosperous. I am looking at implementing this pilot project together with other Fellows from Indonesia and Cambodia."