HANOI – The Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI) Seeds for the Future Small Grants Competition is thrilled to announce the funding of 25 grantee projects as part of its sixth and latest program cohort.

The grantees, which include teams of young leaders representing all 11 YSEALI member countries, will receive grants ranging from USD $6,000 to USD $15,000 to implement projects across the themes of civic engagement, sustainable development, education, and economic growth.

This year’s Seeds for the Future winners officially started their participation in the 2020 program by attending a recent kickoff workshop in Hanoi.

Attended by two representatives from each of the winning projects, the workshop kicked off a year-long program during which grantees will receive mentorship and coaching to help support the success and sustainability of their projects.

The workshop was officially opened by the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink. During the workshop, participants learned best practices in project management, budgeting, cultivating awareness, and messaging strategies. They also had the chance to learn directly from members of the 2019 class of YSEALI Seeds for the Future grantees, who shared their stories and experiences with the assembled group.

During the closing day, Chargé d’Affaires of U.S. Mission to ASEAN, Melissa A. Brown, reminded the participants of the importance of their work and the impact that they will contribute to a better future for Southeast Asia.

The YSEALI Seeds for the Future program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is funded through a grant from the U.S. Mission to ASEAN. This is the fourth year Cultural Vistas will administer the program.

Launched in 2013, YSEALI is U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia. Through a variety of programs and engagements, including U.S. educational and cultural exchanges, regional exchanges, and seed funding, 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.

The YSEALI community consists of bright young leaders, 18–35 years old, from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam who are making a difference in their communities, countries, and the region.

YSEALI Seeds for the Future 2020 Grant Recipients

Aku Mampu (Indonesia)

Means “I Can” in Bahasa Indonesia

Promoting inclusive workspaces in Indonesia by empowering jobseekers with disabilities and supporting prospective employers with educational materials.

A Better Vietnam (Vietnam)

Connecting native English-speaking volunteer teachers with Vietnamese students for online, one-on-one, free English lessons.

Buzz Talk Cambodia (Cambodia)

Breaking the stigma on LGBT+ in Cambodia through constructive dialog and storytelling by aspiring journalists.

Etam Impact Academy for Sanitation Heroes (Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia)

Leading youth-driven impact accelerator for innovative ideas on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) to combat children stunting and mortality in East Kalimantan.

Eureka Hub (Malaysia)

Helping communities in Sabah by providing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to improve their vocational projects and equipping them with skills in digital technology and pitching.

FemaLEAD (Vietnam)

Empowering female Vietnamese students to become leaders in their future workplaces through mentorship programs, public lectures, and seed funding for small projects.

Fonik Asyik (Indonesia)

Means “Fun Phonics” in Bahasa Indonesia.

Promoting literacy in Papua by providing Bahasa Indonesian phonics program as a fun and comprehensive reading method suitable for all learners.

Future Deaf Teachers (Vietnam)

Improving social inclusion and creating career opportunities for Deaf people in Mekong Delta through Sign Language Teaching.

#GrowASEAN (Philippines)

Activating a new breed of farmers in the Philippines by training them in digital agriculture.

IProcure Youth Procurement Fellows Program (Philippines)

Tapping into the collective talent of university students around the Philippines to solve government challenges in procurement through technological innovation.

JourneyPH: Stories Across (Philippines)

Brining together communities in the Philippines by shaping and sharing developmental stories through journalism and service-learning.

LatihID (Indonesia)

Means “PracticeID” in Bahasa Indonesia.

Creating online learning opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to grow their talents, succeed in the global market, and improve Indonesian economy.

Edujobs (Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand)

Matching micro-education courses with full time and freelancing job opportunities through an online platform, aiming to upskill the workforce in developing countries.

Miles (Malaysia)

Providing academic mentorship and equipping high school students with soft skills necessary for the labor market to improve economic conditions in low-income communities in Penang, Malaysia.

Play Naturally (Brunei)

Connecting Bruneian youth with nature and indigenous communities of Tasek Merimbun, an ASEAN Heritage Site, through a conservation theater program.

SAYA (Myanmar)

Empowering self-learners from Myanmar to improve their English through app-based interactive contextual learning.

Smile Space (Thailand)

Helping the people of Bangkok build resilience and overcome mental barriers through guided one-on-one mental exercises in a co-creative space.

Start Me App (Philippines)

Teaching people in the Philippines how to start a business through an online app anywhere, anytime, and with any budget.

SULUT Semangat (Indonesia)

Improving conservation education in North Sulawesi by creating fun teaching materials and engaging capacity building opportunities.

Sureplus (Philippines)

Reducing hunger and food waste in Davao City through an online platform that connects farmers and restaurants with charities and communities in need.

Teach4Future (Indonesia)

Training Indonesian teachers to promote eco-consciousness and providing small grants to help incorporate environmental issues into their curricula.

INpaktu Youth Timor-Leste (Timor-Leste)

Empowering Timorese youth leaders to build sustainable future through pilot grants, podcast series, and a capacity-building bootcamp on social innovation and development.

VIGA (Vietnam)

Connecting Vietnamese high school students to lead the gender equality movement through an incubation initiative.

Yes to VOW (Myanmar)

Providing accurate information about reproductive health, education, and rights for youths in low-income communities in Myanmar.

The Xiang Miang Project (Laos)

Educating high school students in Vientiane about emerging technologies to prepare them to become future tech entrepreneurs and inventors.