Launched in 2013, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is US President Obama’s signature programme to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia.
STORY: The event attracted the participation of 1,000 students from different universities in HCM City. At the event, President Obama delivered a speech on critical topics identified by youth in the region, including civic engagement, the environment and natural resource management, entrepreneurship and economic development.
US President Barack Obama said: “The US President unveiled that when he was young, he started out as a community organiser, ensuring that people in his community received job training and help in getting a university degree. Thus, he wants YSEALI to carry on his legacy by fostering community leadership among youth in ASEAN member countries”.
The YSEALI community consists of 67,000 young leaders, aged between 18 and 35 years old, from 10 Southeast Asian countries. There are 13,000 YSEALI members from Vietnam.
After the speech, President Obama held a Q&A session with the young students.
