Youth Leadership Summit 2019 (YLS19) – Your Impact in the Making

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

5th Aug 2019 – 11th Aug 2019

Executive Summary

The one-week Youth Leadership Summit will bring together young leaders from all over Southeast Asia. Participants will take part in capacity building and skills training, and be made aware of social issues through talks and workshops. This is to equip them to be effective project leaders to address important development issues in their community.

Components of this Youth Leadership Summit 2019 are as follows:

  • Service leadership mindset cultivation and self-empowerment: This will be done through activities that push participants to reflect on their own strengths and areas of improvement, and practice empathy to be a good leader. 
  • Project planning and management skills training: this includes capacity building workshops on project development and management, needs analysis training, and use of evaluation tools. Participants will also be asked to pitch their project idea.
  • YLS as a Forum: Delegates will be given opportunities to share their insights from their own cultures and countries so that all delegates will be able to work together and learn from each other with their different backgrounds.
Objectives of YLS19
  1. To address important issues that is relevant to communities in Southeast Asian countries through sustainable and impactful projects organized by the youth in partnership with other stakeholders in their own community
  2. To empower and educate young Southeast Asian leaders to take social initiatives by equipping them with the necessary skills and attitudes,
  3. To bring together young Southeast Asian leaders for cross-cultural collaboration and strengthen the Southeast Asian identity among participants.
History of YLS
  • YLS 17: “Change is You” in Bangkok, Thailand at Thammasat University.
  • YLS 16: “Sustainable Service Leadership” in Singapore at Anderson Secondary School.
  • YLS 15: “Empowerment & Friendship” in Hanoi, Vietnam at RMIT University Vietnam.
  • YLS 13: Held at Singapore at National University of Singapore. YLS13 was SEALNet’s inaugural 10-day youth leadership summit, which brought together passionate youths from across the region for leadership workshops, open discourse on history, culture, politics, economics, and community building. It was also seen as a way to cultivate future project leaders. It was held in Singapore hosted at the National University of Singapore, and many alumni supported the efforts and also helped out on-the-ground. YLS13 resulted in 4 projects the following year: PB14 (first in Brunei), PV14, PM14-Batang Kali, and PM14-Kuala Selangor (both Ms for Malaysia). YLS has always been organized by youth volunteers of SEALNet. Since 2013, there have been 4 instances of YLS. 
What is the role of the participants? 

The whole program is dedicated to helping participants discover their strengths as a leader, discover and develop their leadership style and allow them to maximize their leadership skills through a series of workshops focusing on needs analysis and problem-solving, time management, team management and a whole lot more. The program also opens the participant’s doors to neighboring Southeast Asian countries allowing them to interact with youth from other countries and gain new perspectives on an international level. This gives participants a chance to work with a group of dynamic young leaders from diverse backgrounds and of course meet new friends and experience cultural exchange.

Why should you join YLS?
  • Learn new skills, knowledge, and attitudes with regards to community service
  • Be equipped to conduct your own community service
  • You can expand your knowledge of Southeast Asia and the world!
  • Work with a group of dynamic young leaders from diverse backgrounds
  • Be inspired and join the SEALNet community!
Who can join YLS?
  • Southeast Asian youth, preferably, aged 18-24 (at the time of application)
  • Has experience in project management/ volunteering activity/ community service programs
  • Has leadership experience
  • Good verbal and written English communication skills
  • Passionate about Southeast Asia and community development 
  • Has a community project idea and is committed to co-lead/be a project core team member in 2020. 
  • Is willing to fundraise USD 250 for the summit
What is expected of me after YLS19?

Participants of YLS19 are encouraged to carry out their community project idea and organize a SEALNet Summer Project in 2020. Participants may serve as a co-leader or core team member. Participants may also choose to organize a project in their school or community without having to follow the SEALNet model and schedule. 

Who will cover the cost?

All on-site expenses will be covered by SEALNet. However, you are expected to cover your own travel fare to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In addition, participants are encouraged to do fundraising towards the summit. Please note that this fundraising contribution is NOT a participation fee. In case of extenuating financial circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact us at sealnet.yls19@nullgmail.com for more details on financial aid.

YLS Application Process
  1. Read and understand this YLS19 Application Information. 
  2. Fill out the application form at bit.ly/YLS19ApplicationForm. The application includes short essay questions, short project proposal section, one-minute video introduction and attachment of CV/resume.
  3. Deadline of the application is on March 16, 2019.  
  4. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted and undergo an online interview. 
  5. Final participants list will be released in May. 
Applying with a Co-leader

Applicants may choose to apply with a co-leader, in which a pair of participants who have the same interest in organizing a project can submit the same answer in the project proposal component of the YLS19 application. However, all other answers must be done individually. Please note that applying as a pair does not guarantee that both applicants will be accepted. 

SEALNet YLS19 Application: Project Abstract Guideline

We would like to hear about your ideas for addressing pertinent issues in your community. These questions for the project abstract are found in the application form. To help you organize your thoughts, here are a few guidelines so that you can write your answers well.

Guiding Questions and Outline:

Purpose and Focus
  • What: 
    • What is the project’s theme (topic)?
    • What is the issue being tackled?
    • What are the project’s objectives/outputs/outcomes?
  • Who:
    • Who are the targeted local beneficiaries? 
    • Who are the local partners (organizations):
      • Who do you intend to contact and work with on the ground? 
      • How and when do you plan to reach out to them?
Methods
  • How: 
    • Approaches: 
      • How do you plan to carry this project out? 
      • How do you plan to involved people?
  • Why: 
    • Why do you want to pursue this project? 
    • What are your underlying reasons? Can relate to your personal experience/observation with backed evidence from researches (academic, NGO reports/publication, interviews, survey, etc.)

Again, these are guide questions to help you answer the questions in the google form. The questions here are not the exact questions in the application. You may check the exact questions at bit.ly/YLS19ApplicationQuestions.

SEALNet YLS19 Application: Tips on Attachments

Please make sure to prepare and upload your resume and a one minute video. For the resume, we will use this to get to know your experience and details better, so please make sure you include the relevant experiences you have and other information that might help us understand you better. Please ensure that the document is not too lengthy. 

For the video, please note that there is no need for it to look professional! The goal is for us to get to know you better. In the video, please introduce yourself to us and answer why you want to join YLS19. Again, it can be short and succinct. You may use your phone or laptop. Please just make sure that the audio of your video is good. Please upload this video to Google Drive/Youtube and make sure it is accessible by us. 

Should you have any concern, please reach out to our YLS organizer email at sealnet.yls19@nullgmail.com or send us a message at our facebook page, fb.com/sealnetyls