eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN Cohort 6 Launches in Bangkok with Focus on Regional Resilience
- Ikmal Fahmi
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
BANGKOK, July 3 2026— In a major step toward regional integration and youth leadership, the eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN (eYAA) Programme officially launched its Cohort 6 Regional Capacity Building Workshop on July 3, 2026, at Chulalongkorn University.
The event drew over 150 high-profile attendees, including executive representatives from the ASEAN Foundation, the Maybank Foundation, civil society organizations, and 110 youth volunteers hailing from across the region. Notably, Cohort 6 marks a historic milestone as the first year to include youth volunteers from Timor-Leste.
Shaping the Future of Southeast Asia
Delivering the opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Thailand's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, commended the joint initiative by the ASEAN Foundation and Maybank Foundation. He emphasized that the program directly serves the strategic blueprints of the region, aligning with the current Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairship theme, “Navigating Our Future, Together,” as well as the long-term goals outlined in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
“Thailand is fully committed to supporting our youth as they build a resilient, innovative, and people-centered ASEAN,” Isarabhakdi remarked, noting that this momentum will carry forward into ASEAN's 60th anniversary in 2027 and Thailand's upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2028.
Grassroots Impact across 8 Nations
Following the capacity-building workshop in Bangkok, the 110 chosen youth volunteers will deploy directly to community development projects across eight ASEAN Member States. Armed with grants of up to $25,000 per project, these young changemakers will collaborate with local grassroots organizations over a six-month period to address critical regional challenges.
The upcoming initiatives will target five core areas:
Climate Resilience & Environmental Diversity
Waste Management Systems
Intergenerational Inclusion
Sustainability Education
Agri-tourism Development
The launch event also featured a localized look into regional governance during a "Fireside Chat on ASEAN101," which included panel insights from H.E. Ms. Prinat Apirat, the Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN in Jakarta.
Since its inception on ASEAN Day in 2018, the eYAA program has empowered 482 youth volunteers to successfully pilot 50 community initiatives, impacting the lives of over 114,000 citizens across Southeast Asia. Cohort 6 looks to expand on that footprint, positioning the youth not just as the leaders of tomorrow, but as active partners in regional growth today.
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