ASEAN+3 Youth Festival

The inaugural ASEAN+3 Youth Festival (AYF), a celebration of youth engagement, empowerment and expression, brings together 150 youth leaders from the ASEAN countries, China , Japan and Republic of Korea . The AYF aims for youths from the ASEAN+3 countries to forge closer bonds and build long lasting friendships, where the youths from different nations will understand one another better and sow the seeds of a better future.

2. The AYF is a youth-for-youth event organised by youth leaders and volunteers from various youth sector organisations and programmes. The AYF is supported by the National Youth Council, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Singapore Tourism Board. The AYF will be held in conjunction with the 3rd East Asia Week and the Shine Festival from 28 July to 3 August 2008 in Singapore .

3. The AYF, hosted by Singapore, will be a one-week programme, comprising various activities such as a youth forum, a film showcase, a photography competition and exhibition, institutional visits, visits to Singapore's attractions and a cultural fiesta displaying the vibrant & diverse cuisines, costumes, cultural performances of ASEAN+3 countries.

4. We would like to invite young people, like your students, to participate in the various activities leading up to and during the AYF. The AYF will be an invaluable opportunity for our youths to widen their horizons through their interaction with their counterparts in the ASEAN+3 nations and to enhance their knowledge, skills and experience through their involvement in this regional event. The following are the various ways youths in your institution can participate in the AYF.

A. Liaison Officer As the first point of contact to the AYF delegates, liaison officers are Singapore 's ambassadors, tasked to provide delegates with a pleasant experience during their time here. Details on application and liaison officer's duties can be found at Annex A. We would appreciate it if you could nominate interested youths/students from your institution who would like to play host to our ASEAN+3 friends.

B. Youth Forum "Growing ASEAN: At what expense?" is the theme for the Youth Forum. A portion of the youth forum will be open to the public. To find out more on how youths from your institution can participate, please log on to aseanyouthfestival.org.

C. Capture Nature Photography Competition and Exhibition Capture Nature is an annual environmental digital photography competition. The theme for this year is on "Global Warming" and the competition is open to all youths from the ASEAN+3 countries. For more information, please visit aseanyouthfestival.org/capturenature.

D. Welcome Board The delegates' Welcome Board is a 30-piece collage of Singapore 's landmarks. We are inviting 30 institutions to digitally transform each piece into a montage of youth-related pictures. For more information on how your institution can participate, please refer to Annex B. A CD with your piece of the collage will be sent to your institution shortly.

If you're interested to help out, do indicate your interest on our GCC TAGBOARD (it can be found on the left column of this page).