VIENTIANE: The Asean Youth Fellowship (AYF), a leadership development programme aimed at connecting and developing emerging young leaders, took place in Singapore and Vientiane recently.
The programme is co-organised annually by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and the National Youth Council (NYC) Singapore.
The Asean Youth Fellowship was inaugurated in 2018 to mark Singapore’s chairmanship of Asean. This year saw the sixth edition of the programme.
AYF 2024 took place from Nov 3-10 as an in-person programme, beginning in Singapore (Nov 3-7) and continued with an overseas component in Laos (Nov 7-10).
This year, AYF 2024 brought Fellows to Singapore as well as to Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos, marking the first time AYF has included Laos as part of its overseas programme. In previous years, AYF has brought Fellows to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Hanoi.
AYF 2024 was attended by 44 young leaders from across South-East Asia, representing the 10 Asean member states, with Timor-Leste being represented for the first time.
Inspired by the theme of Laos’ Asean chairmanship in 2024, “Asean: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”, this year’s AYF focuses on innovation and creativity as key drivers of regional growth.
Fellows had the opportunity to engage with senior policymakers, prominent thought leaders, and changemakers from Singapore and Laos on Asean-related issues.
They also took part in learning journeys to organisations at the forefront of areas such as electric vehicles, food security, and digital transformation. - Vientiane Times/ANN
