International Conference on Social Enterprise (ICYL) 2015: Promoting ASEAN Youth

(Baonghean) - The International Conference on Social Entrepreneurship (ICYL) 2015 held in Kuala Lumpur last March was meaningful, opening up prospects for ASEAN youth in social enterprises, contributing to strengthening cooperative relationships and promoting sustainable socio-economic development among ASEAN countries. As the time for the establishment of the ASEAN Community is approaching, the conference has further strengthened the friendship among ASEAN countries, enhancing mutual understanding, especially among the youth generation of countries in the region.

The Vietnamese youth delegation took a souvenir photo with Mr. Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports of Malaysia. Source: Internet.

With the theme “Changing Communities through Social Enterprises”, ICYL 2015 is organized by the Malaysian Government through the Institute of Youth Studies Malaysia (IYRES) in collaboration with the youth agencies of the member countries and the ASEAN Secretariat. ICYL 2015 aims to study social enterprises as a new global economic model to open up opportunities for young people to participate in social enterprises. The message that ICYL 2015 wants to convey to 300 young leaders attending this program is the aspiration to form a sustainable ASEAN Social Enterprise Community. Therefore, promoting the spirit of cooperation and development among ASEAN countries, especially the interaction and combination between young people of countries in the region through the formation of this social enterprise community becomes the core task of ICYL 2015.

At the conference, through thematic reports, seminars and discussion sessions, ASEAN youth found a common voice and contributed many opinions on the topic of social enterprises in the context of global integration. Through that, it can be clearly seen that the youth of all countries have extensive knowledge about ASEAN, demonstrate a youthful spirit in their thinking, and actively propose solutions to develop diverse types of social enterprises in the region, expressing both their national identity and ASEAN identity, towards the milestone of the establishment of the ASEAN Community at the end of this year. The young generation is the future owner of the country, therefore, promoting the youth and strengthening the solidarity of young people in the region is a practical activity, contributing to the overall success in the process of establishing the ASEAN Community.

Participating in this event, the Vietnamese youth delegation of 10 young people demonstrated dynamism and creativity in activities. Many opinions of the Vietnamese delegation were enthusiastically acknowledged and highly appreciated by delegates from other countries, contributing to increasing Vietnam's position in the regional forum.

Phuong Thao