Deadline: 29-Apr-22
The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division, of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for the FY 2022 Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP), pending the availability of funds.
Exchange activities will focus on civic education, leadership, diversity, and community engagement and address ways youth can unite around common goals and lead inclusive change in their communities. Individual or small group follow-on projects in the home communities of the exchange alumni will complete the program.
Purpose
- The Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP), launched in 2009, empowers youth and strengthens people-to-people ties, cultivating a more cohesive community identity in both the United States and Southeast Asia. The program brings 60 high school students and adult mentors from the ten ASEAN member countries together with approximately 15 competitively selected American high school students for a three-week U.S.-based exchange program focused on leadership, youth development, and the shared challenges faced by the United States and ASEAN member countries.
- These challenges are explored through the three pillars of the ASEAN community: political and security cooperation (through workshops and seminars), economic skills-building (through the exchange’s project development), and sociocultural leadership (through hands-on activities and site visits to foster greater communication). Participants develop projects to address one or more needs in their communities upon their return home. Approximately six participants each will come from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- SEAYLP aims to create and foster relationships among young people of ASEAN countries and the United States, instill an awareness of shared values to enable youth in the region to face global challenges together, and underscore Asia as a foreign policy priority for the United States. The program directly supports the strategic goals of strengthening people-to-people ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, engaging young leaders, and cultivating a more cohesive community identity in the region.
Mission of the Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program
- Instill a sense of civic responsibility, respect for diversity, and a commitment to cooperation;
- Foster lasting bonds among youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups;
- Promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and ASEAN countries; and
- Develop a cadre of young leaders in the region who will share their knowledge and skills with peers through positive action.
- During a successful program, participants will:
- Demonstrate an increased understanding of the shared challenges their nations face;
- Work together to identify and overcome misunderstandings and preconceptions;
- Develop leadership skills that empower them to become effective advocates in their home communities;
- Learn and apply the skills needed to effectively organize their follow-on projects; and
- Learn to network as program alumni.
Funding Information
- Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2022 (base year) $550,000, pending the availability of funds; FY 2023 (non-competitive continuation year one) $550,000, pending successful performance and the availability of funds; FY 2024 (non-competitive continuation year two) $550,000, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.
- Approximate Total Funding: $1,650,000. This figure represents base year plus two noncompetitive continuation years, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.
- Approximate Number of Awards: One
- Ceiling of Award Range: $1,650,000, pending the availability of funds.
- Approximate Average Award: $550,000, pending the availability of funds.
Eligibility Criteria
U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchangeof-persons, and other not-for-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit applications for this competition. Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application.
For more information, visit https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fy22_seaylp_nofo.pdf