Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative

The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, also known as YSEALI (pronounced /waɪˈsiːli/), is a highly-competitive cultural exchange program for Southeast Asian emerging leaders sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. YSEALI programs are known to have 1-2% acceptance rates and are usually awarded to emerging leaders with outstanding work and potentials in their chosen fields or advocacies.

YSEALI
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative
YSEALI's 5th year anniversary logo in 2018
Awarded forOutstanding work and potentials as emerging leader from Southeast Asia
Sponsored byBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (U.S. Department of State)
LocationUnited States of America
Eligibility18-35 years old from Timor Leste or any ASEAN country
MottoNever Too Young To Lead
EstablishedDecember 2013
Websitehttp://yseali.state.gov
RelatedYoung African Leaders Initiative, Fulbright Scholarship, United States Cultural Exchange Programs

The initiative was launched by President Barack Obama in Manila in December 2013[1] as a way to strengthen leadership development, networking, and cultural exchange among emerging leaders within the age range of 18 to 35 years old[2] from the 10 member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Timor Leste. YSEALI's programs include prestigious exchange fellowship programs to the United States, professional short courses and diplomas, virtual and on-ground workshops within Southeast Asia,[3] and seed grant funding opportunities.

The programs fall under the key core themes of civic engagement, sustainable development, economic development, governance, and the environment.[4]

Alumni of YSEALI programs later assume key positions in government, civil societies, and corporations after their programs. Notable alumni of YSEALI include Vico Sotto,[5] Syed Saddiq, Carrie Tan, and Lee Chean Chung. As of September 2020, the program has more than 5,000 alumni and 150,000 members across member countries.[6]

In 2021, Texas representative Joaquin Castro filed a bill in the US House of Representatives to strengthen YSEALI as a law.[7]

YSEALI Academic Fellowships

The YSEALI Academic Fellowship Program which brings the participating delegation[8] from each Southeast Asian country to study in an academic institution in the United States for six weeks to learn about their chosen advocacy,[9] comparable to the Young African Leaders Initiative's Mandela Washington Fellowship program.

Institutions that have hosted the Academic Fellowship Program are the following:

YSEALI Seeds for the Future

The YSEALI Seeds for the Future is a small grants competition for youth-led innovative projects in Southeast Asia established by the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, as implemented by Cultural Vistas. Since its establishment in 2017, the YSEALI Seeds for the Future has provided funding to 100 youth-led projects within the ASEAN region and Timor Leste funding at most US$15,000 for each successful winner.[13]

2021 Grantees
  • Accessed Educators
  • ActivateGov
  • Bebas Sampah ID
  • Dayadik
  • #DisasterBusters
  • #FEMNIMITR
  • Hub R Sar
  • InPsychOut
  • Kilang ReRoot
  • LEAPS
  • PantiCT
  • Pongo Academy
  • Project Kayamanan
  • Project TURO
  • Purrfect Writers Club
  • Real Money Real Youth
  • Right Thing to SEA
  • SMAYL
  • Sokola Tengger
  • Technify
  • The Green Dots
  • TrailX: #LifeGoals
  • Project YEA
  • WEGO
  • Youth in Action for Youth Budget
  • Yowana Subak
2020 2019 2018 2017
  • Aku Mampu
  • A Better Vietnam
  • Buzz Talk Cambodia
  • Etam Impact Academy for Sanitation Heroes
  • Eureka Hub
  • FemaLEAD
  • Fonik Asyik
  • Future Deaf Teachers
  • #GrowASEAN
  • IProcure Youth Procurement Fellows Program
  • JourneyPH: Stories Across
  • LatihID
  • Edujobs
  • Miles
  • Play Naturally
  • SAYA
  • Smile Space
  • Start Me App
  • SULUT Semangat
  • Sureplus
  • Teach4Future
  • INpaktu Youth Timor-Leste
  • VIGA
  • Yes to VOW
  • The Xiang Miang Project
  • 3L Education
  • 4All
  • #BreakTheFake Hackathon
  • Cahya Abisatya Innovation Lab
  • CoMap
  • (E)thical
  • eTOWN Academy
  • I Love My Body, I Love My Environment
  • MaKTSED+
  • Pinkcollar Community
  • RISE Impact Scaling Incubation Program
  • SCALE+ Sea and Coastal Learning
  • SKAI Sangguniang Kabataan Academy Initiative
  • SMILE
  • Sport for Development Rugby and Life Skills in Laos and Vietnam
  • Teens and Dreams
  • Tesdopi
  • The Creability Movement
  • The OCTO Mission
  • TRASH Alive
  • Tune Map
  • Teach for ASEAN
  • CCEducare
  • She Talks Asia
  • SHero
  • Reef Stakes
  • Youth-Setter Community
  • Tonkar Learning
  • Ur-Farm
  • Rubic Collaborative
  • Fine Arts Major Organization
  • Schoove
  • Financial Literacy of Micro and Small Businesses
  • Viet Children's Picture
  • After Mining Project
  • Lao film academy
  • Coffee Warriors Empowerment
  • FIBERS
  • AMPLIFY
  • SHE Community Business Incubator
  • Participatory Environmental Education for Indigenous Youth
  • KID Plus
  • Arus Academy
  • Bikes in Yangon
  • Borneo Eco-Warriors
  • Dress the Dream
  • EcoFunGo! ASEAN
  • Eco-Life Cambodia
  • EcoLead
  • Ecomentary
  • EduPlant3
  • The Floating School
  • Food SECURE
  • Future Green Thumb Leader
  • Green Lady Cloth Pads
  • Let's Include All
  • MYReaders
  • #Startathon ASEAN+
  • Viet Youth Pro Bono
  • Y-Farm
  • Youth Peacebuilders for Climate Action
  • XX+XY

Notable alumni

Philippines

Singapore

Malaysia

References
  1. "FACT SHEET: The President's Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative". Obama White House. Office of the Press Secretary. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  2. "About YSEALI". U.S. Mission to ASEAN. U.S. Mission to ASEAN. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  3. "Asia Foundation Announces Participants of YSEALI Regional Workshop on Future Workforce". The Asia Foundation. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  4. "Institute Themes". YSEALI Professional Fellows Program. Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  5. "Vico Sotto chosen as one of 12 global anti-corruption champions". SunStar Philippines. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  6. "[FACT SHEET] Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI)". U.S. Mission to ASEAN. 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  7. "Reps. Castro and Tenney Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative | U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro". castro.house.gov. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  8. "UTM Postgrad Student Sole Malaysian Representative at the YSEALI Academic Fellowship Program". Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. UTM NewsHub. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  9. "Thai Fellows of Spring 2019 YSEALI Academic Fellowships Visit the Embassy". Royal Thai Embassy, Washington D.C. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  10. "ASU hosts 2018 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative fellows". Arizona State University. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  11. "YSEALI at Brown University". Brown University. Swearer Center. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  12. Miller, Emily. "Swearer Center, UConn to foster leadership skills in Southeast Asian fellows". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  13. "YSEALI Seeds for the Future". Cultural Vistas. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
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