Four-day Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative workshop will provide training and mentorship to 80 young leaders engaged in NGO communities across the region from November 16-19 in Cebu, Philippines
CEBU, Philippines – Eighty young Southeast Asian leaders between the ages of 18 to 35, representing NGO communities in all 10 ASEAN member states, will come together for four days during the “YSEALI Generation: Go NGO!” workshop to be held in Cebu, Philippines from November 16-19.
The workshop and exchange initiative, funded by a grant through the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines and administered by Cultural Vistas, is part of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI).
The focus of the YSEALI Generation Go NGO! workshop is to provide this corps of rising leaders with professional training and mentorship in all aspects of growing, maintaining, and measuring the effects of their organizations.
U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN Nina Hachigian will be the featured speaker at the workshop’s opening ceremony, on Wednesday, November 16. On the evening of Thursday, November 17, workshop participants will take part in a special ‘Governor’s Night’, hosted at Cebu’s Provincial Capitol Building by the Governor of the Province of Cebu Hilario Davide III.
Combining hands-on activities, lectures, and simulations, the four-day workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of what’s necessary to make a difference in ASEAN’s NGO sector in the 2020s, with a focus on the core function areas of: capacity building, governance, organizational development, community engagement, financial management, and outcomes-focused evaluation.
Over the course of the week, the workshop will provide participants with meaningful information and resources to help them advance their NGO careers, build an ASEAN identity, and develop civil society in their home nations through:
- Hands-on training and direct mentorship from a mentor corps comprised of 20 Southeast Asian and U.S. professionals working with NGOs or social enterprises
- Exercises to identify their strengths and weaknesses in a variety of management areas
- Practical examples of different roles NGOs play in civil society
- Guidance in developing partnerships with other NGO and public and private sector offices
- Case studies of responses to challenges and opportunities from around the world
- The opportunity to apply for a small grant to build their skills in a specific area of NGO management they most need to develop as identified during the workshop
The final group of workshop participants was selected from more than 600 applicants from all 10 ASEAN member states. Each of them have either started their own NGO, or they are rising leaders in existing NGOs or social enterprises. Together, the participants will represent more than 75 different organizations across the region.
The YSEALI Generation: Go NGO! Workshop is one of several workshops and programs that have taken place in the region centered on one of the four YSEALI themes – environment and natural resources management, economic development, civic engagement, and education.
Launched in 2013, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is the U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia.
Through a variety of programs and engagements, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture an ASEAN community of leaders who work across borders to solve common issues.
Learn more about the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative and follow workshop updates in real time at #YSEALIGoNGO.