PANO – US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius participated in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) workshop, themed “Little Things Matter”, on December 2 in Hanoi, to kick-start 16 activities of Vietnam’s YSEALI YOUnified Campaign, and celebrate the 3rd founding anniversary of YSEALI.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius speaking at the workshop

The ambassador discussed with YSEALI members about volunteerism and the power of youth in bringing positive changes.

“Vietnam’s YSEALI members are among the most active and dynamic in all of Southeast Asia. With over 20,000 members throughout the country, they are also the largest group in Southeast Asia. We are proud to support these young leaders and their great work in not only Vietnam, but throughout the region,” Ambassador Ted Osius said.

The ambassador also pledged to support the initiatives and projects of young leaders in Vietnam, and help call attention to the feasible and sustainable projects bringing seeds for the future.

Ambassador Ted Osius and YSEALI members celebrating the 3rd YSEALI founding anniversary

The campaign will be conducted by 16 YSEALI teams in nine cities and provinces across the country on December 3 under motto “Never too young to lead”, which is the most far-reaching YSEALI event in Vietnam, attracting a thousand participants.

These YSEALI activities in Vietnam are part of the bigger YSEALI YOUnified campaign in the 10 ASEAN countries. 103 teams of YSEALI members will hold youth-led community projects across ASEAN in a move to encourage young people to be civically engaged and to demonstrate the power of youth to develop solutions to pressing local, national, and regional issues.

Over the past two years, 900 young leaders in the region have had chances to go to the US by various programs, and about 1,500 active YSEALI members have participated in 16 different events in the country and in the region. YSEALI has provided USD 465,000 for 36 “Seeds for the future” projects.

Reported by Thuy Duong