The Philippines 21 Young Leaders Initiative

I.BACKGROUND / RATIONALE

Building on the principle that as Asia undergoes rapid change, its younger
generations should shoulder greater responsibility in shaping the region’s
future, the Asia Society established the Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative in
2006. The cross-sectoral and cross-national engagement leadership program
brings together a select group of Asia’s most dynamic young leaders with the
aim of developing imaginative ways to address the region’s most pressing
issues and drawing up innovative approaches to solving global challenges. It
identifies leaders from all sectors – business, politics, civil society, media,
arts & culture, and the academe – and all major countries in the Asia-Pacific
region. The 2006 Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit in Seoul was attended by
some 180 delegates, while the 2007 Summit in Singapore had around 220
participants.

The Philippines 21 Young Leaders Initiative, an offshoot of that larger

program, was founded by the Asia Society Philippine Foundation, Inc., in
collaboration with Asia 21 2006 Fellow Harvey Keh. Our local initiative seeks
to identify a multi-sectoral network of Filipino young leaders who will take up
the challenge of developing projects to address national issues. Regular
programs will be conducted throughout the year to provide them with a
venue to learn from field experts and from each other, as well as share their
experiences and best practices. Such programs will also facilitate the
selection of future Philippines 21 Fellows, and ensure an impressive
Philippine representation at the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit.

II.PROPONENT DESCRIPTION

A.About Asia Society

Founded in 1956 in New York by John D. Rockefeller the 3rd, the Asia Society
is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to strengthen
relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and
institutions of Asia and the United States. We seek to enhance dialogue,
encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of
policy, business, education, arts and culture. We believe that the Asia
Society is a unique organization because of the breadth of our charter --- in
the US, we have offices in New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Los
Angeles and Houston, and in Austral-Asia, we have offices in Hong Kong,
Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, and Manila.

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 B.About Asia Society Philippine Foundation, Inc. (ASPF)

The Asia Society Philippine Foundation, Inc. was founded by Washington

SyCip in 1999 and is the only Asia Society office in Southeast Asia. Our
mission mirrors that of the Asia Society – that is, to promote good relations
between the US and the Asia Pacific region, but with a particular focus to
build understanding between and among the countries of Southeast Asia.
We feel that this is a part of Asia that is “overlooked” and struggling to find a
common identity. ASPF provides its members with a variety of programs,
including lectures on newsworthy issues such as international political
affairs, trade and policy concerns, as well as educational and cultural events
pertaining to Asia and the US.

III.PHILIPPINES 21 YOUNG LEADERS INITIATIVE

A.Description of the Activity

Over the course of 10 years, from 2006 to 2015, the Philippines 21 Young
Leaders Initiative will identify 100 of the country’s top young leaders
between the ages of 25 and 40 to represent the country to the annual Asia
21 Young Leaders Summit. A year-round programming of roundtable
discussions, lecture series and community service projects will allow ASPF
not only to identify the country’s most promising young leaders but also help
them realize their potential with significant opportunities for learning and
sharing experiences. The Fellows Class of 2006 attended the inaugural
Philippines 21 Young Leaders Forum in September 2006 in Manila, and later
participated in the Asia 21 Summit held in November 2006 in Seoul, Korea.
The Class of 2007 attended the Philippines 21 Forum in August 2007 in
Manila, and joined the Asia 21 Summit in October 2007 in Singapore.

B.Objectives

1)To identify and develop a network of the most dynamic young Filipino
leaders under the age of 40, representing business, politics, civil
society, media, arts and culture, and the academe;

2)To prepare the selected young leaders for the Asia 21 Young Leaders
Summit, organized by Asia Society New York, by first participating in
the Philippines 21 Young Leaders Forum involving roundtable
discussions on key issues facing the country;

3)To give Filipino young leaders the opportunity to engage fellow young
leaders across the Asia Pacific region and the US through the Asia 21
Young Leaders Summit, allowing them to develop into the country’s
future leaders with a global outlook; and

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 4)To encourage the group to meet regularly post-Asia 21 in order to
develop specific public service projects that will address national
societal challenges.

C.Activities

1) Philippines 21 Young Leaders Forum – The main program of the

Philippines 21 Initiative, this Forum will identify 10 Filipino young
leaders annually who will represent the country to the Asia 21 Young
Leaders Summit. The Fellows will engage in roundtable discussions
on key issues concerning the Asia Pacific region, in preparation for
their participation in the international program, with the ultimate
goal of developing projects to address these issues.

2) Future Leaders of Asia Fellowship Program – Aims to identify

100 of the most promising student leaders between the ages of 17
and 22, from colleges and universities across the country. A lecture
series designed for these student Fellows will give them the
opportunity to interact with accomplished leaders from different
sectors of society, and provide them with an invaluable venue to
gain significant extra-curricular learning.

3) Young Professionals for the Philippines Program – A lecture

series that aims to inculcate a sense of social responsibility among
young professionals aged 23 to 35 years old. Speakers will be
invited from different foundations, institutions and organizations
that are currently engaged in efforts toward social development.
We foresee an average of 80 to 100 young professionals attending
the monthly lecture series. Possible venues are the Ayala Museum
and the AIM Conference Center. This program will enable Asia
Society Philippines to identify potential Fellows for the Philippines 21
and Asia 21 initiatives.

IV.Timetable of Activities

DATE ACTIVITY

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January-March 2008 Post-Summit activities
March-April 2008 Development of Forum Agenda and Schedule of
Activities
Meeting with possible sponsors for the Forum
Identification of possible mentors
Formation and initial meeting of the Selection
Committee
April-June 2008 Initial call for nominations
Finalize Forum Agenda and Schedule of Activities
Send Letters of Invitation to Forum speakers
Invite prospective mentors
Deadline of nominations
Jun 20 Finalize Forum sponsors
Confirm Forum speakers
2nd run of the Young Leaders Cocktail Series
Official launch of Future Leaders of Asia Series
Apr 18

Jun
July-August 2008 Pre-screening
• Internal
Jul 4 • Shortlist
Interview of short-listed participants; final selection
Jul 11 Confirm Forum Participants
Reconfirm Forum Speakers
Jul 25
Finalize Venue preparations and other logistical
matters
Send formal letters of invitations to the participants
Forum proper
A
ug 28-29
September-October Preparation for participation in Asia 21 Young
2008 Leaders Summit
November 2008 Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit

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