Deadline: 21-Jul-23
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to develop and implement a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Regional Workshop titled “YSEALI Plus: What Comes Next?” The goal of this workshop is to strengthen and empower YSEALI alumni over the age of 35 in the ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste, pending the availability of funding.
Program Objectives
- The recipient will design a regional workshop that focuses on leadership and advances the YSEALI theme of civic engagement and the U.S. Mission to ASEAN strategic goal of delivering results for the combined 1 billion people of the United States and Southeast Asia.
- The recipient will organize a workshop that will gather up to 50 YSEALI alumni over the age of 35. YSEALI leadership programs are usually designed for youth ages 18 to 35. This gathering will be an opportunity for YSEALI alumni over 35 to re-energize and expand their ties to the U.S. government and the YSEALI network. This four-day workshop will enable this group of YSEALI alumni to:
- Develop ideas and plans for post-YSEALI engagement with U.S. missions and young Southeast Asian leaders, including mentoring programs;
- Hone leadership skills;
- Network with likeminded professionals.
- The proposal should include details regarding an in-person workshop and virtual activities before and after the workshop. Follow-on mentorship activity should be included in the monitoring and evaluation plan. Virtual pre-workshop sessions should start around three months before the in-person workshop takes place, followed by a post-workshop session.
- Recipient would also organize a site visit during the workshop at an organization that employs one the YSEALI alumni, providing that individual an opportunity to showcase accomplishments.
- Recipient will create a new YSEALI mentorship program that will leverage these YSEALI alumni. These YSEALI alumni will dedicate around six or more hours per month for a whole year to mentor a YSEALI alumni under 35.
- Recipient will be responsible for creating a system for mentor and mentee sign up and mentor matching. Throughout the year, recipient will check in with mentors and mentees on their mentorship progress and provide a reporting system in order to track the progress.
- Post-workshop, recipient will work to create a monthly webinar for YSEALI that will feature these YSEALI alumni as speakers/facilitators.
- The proposal should include a pre- and post-workshop survey to measure the overall effectiveness of the workshop as well as any changes to the participants’ knowledge of the workshop topic.
- The concepts of leadership, giving back, and strengthening a Southeast Asian/ASEAN identity based on shared values and shared challenges should be integrated into the program.
- Workshop speakers/facilitators/mentors should be citizens of the United States, an ASEAN member country, or Timor-Leste.
- The recipient is expected to develop syllabus materials and an event program with participant and speaker biographies, as well as design banners, backdrops, and other printed materials. The recipient is expected to design a digital engagement strategy for workshop participants and social media audiences, including live video or live online engagement during the program.
- The in-person workshop should have an ASEAN Secretariat representative come in to join. Funds should be set aside for an ASEAN Secretariat representative to join the workshop if ASEC representative is available.
- No new website specific to the event should be created or launched. Domain, hosting and build costs will not be covered.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: award may range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $250,000
- Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 16 months or less. The workshop must be a minimum of three full days not including travel days.
Priority Region: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste.
Participants and Audiences
- The recipient will coordinate with the U.S. Mission to ASEAN and with the U.S. embassies in ASEAN and Timor-Leste to recruit and select up to 50 participants. Participants are YSEALI alumni who will be more than 35 years old and are working in any of the four YSEALI themes.
- Recipient should provide a diverse range of applicants from inside and outside capital cities, as appropriate. Application criteria should include the name of the city from where the applicant originates.
- All participants must be proficient in written and spoken English. All programs must include participants from all ten ASEAN member countries and Timor-Leste.
- The workshop will be conducted in English.
- The recipient will be responsible for arranging and using cooperative agreement funds to cover all elements related to participant and staff travel including international and domestic flights, visas, travel to and from airports, visas, accommodations, per diem, meals during the program, insurance, etc.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- S. public and private educational institutions
- S. not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks
- Foreign public and private educational institutions
- Foreign not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks.
For more information, visit YSEALI.