Southeast Asia Youth Say `Yes` To Change

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Nearly 180,000 youth throughout Southeast Asia already have registered their support for change in the run-up to the inaugural Youth Engagement Summit (YES 2009) November 16 and 17, 2009, at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here.

"By YES 2009, we expect more than one million young people, ages 15 to 35, from across the region will have contributed their opinions online to the Southeast Asia for Change Youth Report (www.yes2009.asia/seaforchange.html), whose results will be shared with political, business and cultural leaders," said Harmandar Singh, Organizing Chairman and Director of Strategy of YES. "Our movement is apolitical and non-religious, certainly heartfelt, and, as one of our youth so eloquently put it, definitely ‘aprotocol!‘"

The survey will culminate with YES 2009, whose theme, "South East Asia Youth for CHANGE," was inspired by U.S. President Barack Obama‘s call for change during last year‘s election campaign. The first of its kind in Asia, the conference will unite an anticipated 6,000 representatives of youth from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Brunei. YES 2009 also will bring together some of the most motivational global change icons from around the world, who have pledged to help Southeast Asia‘s new generation of young leaders cope with, overcome, and rise above the many challenges of the 21st century.

The landmark two-day event, expected to kick off with an opening address by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Sri Najib Tun Razak, will feature a world-renowned line-up of speakers from various fields, including Sir Bob Geldof, the founder of Live Aid; world chess legend Garry Kasparov; Biz Stone, co-founder of the micro-blogging network Twitter; Nando Parrado, whose miraculous survival of a plane crash in the Andes became the basis for the critically acclaimed movie Alive; and Malaysia‘s own Tony Fernandes, who pioneered the domestic and international low-cost carrier phenomenon in Asia by spearheading AirAsia and AirAsia X.

Mr. Singh said, "Everybody needs a hero, and President Obama‘s charismatic approach has undeniably influenced a dynamic shift in long-held perceptions, particularly where Southeast Asia‘s multi-ethnic young people are concerned. We must give our youth--bonded through their idealism and increasingly dedicated to sharing and eliciting opinions amongst their peers regardless of appearance, location or vocation--the right tools to define a direction for change only fresh eyes can instigate."

YES 2009 supporters and participants can proactively share their needs, motivations, expectations and ideas with the world, while guiding political and thought leaders in policy-making decisions, plus inspire businesses to engage more effectively with the youth market, Mr. Singh said. Sponsors of the event will fund more than 500 scholarships to YES 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, including airfare, accommodation and delegate passes. For more information, visit www.yes2009.asia.

Source: http://www.reuters.com
Photo: http://youthsays.com

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