Young leaders address community challenges at 2021 YSEALI Summit

This four-day virtual summit gathered nearly 150 young leaders from 10 ASEAN member countries, plus Timor-Leste. It enabled participants to study and observe the latest challenges and opportunities in education sectors and learn about innovative educational approaches to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) and cutting-edge technology to empower the economic development of the region and beyond.

The summit consisted of panel and roundtable discussions, keynote speeches, interactive experiences, and team pitching around an identified community problem. The team pitches were judged by a group of higher education professionals, innovators, and leaders within the STEAM field, with representation from Intel, Amazon, and local, leading universities in Vietnam.

Fourteen seed grants were awarded to teams, with one first place Ú$15,000 grant, four second place grants at Ú$10,000 per team, and nine third place grants at Ú$5,000 per team.

Sessions highlighted the current challenges and opportunities in STEAM fields, notable experiences and forecasts for the future of these industries, and in-demand qualities possessed by future leaders to strengthen and lead organizations through Industry 4.0.

They were provided by speakers representing various educational technology companies and change makers, such as Google, Coursera, CoderSchool, Generation Girl, Microsoft, and Intel.

“The future will be shaped by innovations in the STEAM fields and young leaders have a stake in shaping that future, making sure we can harness new ideas, new discoveries and new technologies to power a more peaceful and prosperous world,” noted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his opening remarks on October 16.

Launched in 2013, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is the U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia. Through a variety of programs and engagements, including U.S. educational and cultural exchanges, regional exchanges, and seed funding, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture an ASEAN community.

Prior to this four-day summit, the participants attended two Masterclasses provided by ASU experts to develop their leadership skills and learn about the instructional design process.  

The nearly 150 participants formed multinational and interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions that address community challenges related to STEAM education and workforce innovation.

Using the skills acquired during their Masterclasses, participants worked in groups of four to six people to identify the challenge, design the solution plan and pitch the solution idea at the Summit for a chance to win funds to implement their projects.

The YSEALI projects focused on three main themes: Digital Learning in the Era of COVID-19, STEAM Curriculum and Instruction, and STEAM Workforce Development Innovation.