2025 U.S.-ASEAN Women's Leadership Academy for YSEALI

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YSEALI (yseali.state.gov) is the U.S. government’s signature initiative to engage emerging leaders in Southeast Asia. The program aims to create a network of young Southeast Asian leaders who work across national borders to solve common problems. Through a variety of programs and engagements, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture a community of leaders who work across borders to solve shared issues. YSEALI is open to young leaders ages 18 to 35 who are both citizens and residents of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) or Timor-Leste. Responding to priorities from youth in the ASEAN region, YSEALI programs focus on four themes (i.e., Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship, Education and Environmental Issues). The 2025 YSEALI WLA: InnovateHER will advance all of the YSEALI themes and the U.S. Mission to ASEAN’s strategic goals: Sub-objective 3.2.1. ASEAN recognizes the contribution of women in the economic recovery of the region and strives to promote DEIA principles across its economic community pillar. Sub-objective 3.2.2. The United States creates a program to promote the role of women across ASEAN in contributing to peace and security across the region. The 2025 YSEALI WLA: InnovatHER will be designed for 50 to 60 female participants who have professional experience working in the tech industry. Possible fields include artificial intelligence technology, clean energy, cybersecurity, software development, medical technology research, and tech start-up incubators. The participants, age 20 to 35, must represent all 10 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and Timor-Leste. The Academy will have pre-workshop virtual activities and an in-person four-day or five-day workshop located in Southeast Asia. The purpose of the pre-workshop and workshop activities will be to: (1) create a network of Southeast Asian women making advances in technology who will design future activities and workshops for women in the YSEALI network; (2) explore how technological advancements, including artificial intelligence, could improve the daily lives of women ; (3) discuss political and governmental policies that are affecting women’s access to the digital economy and technological advancements; (4) develop general leadership skills, including self-awareness of personal professional strengths. FULL NOFO is on the U.S. Mission to ASEAN website here .