Wanted: Youth Leaders for the Seas of East Asia

 

Manila, Philippines — The East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2012 Secretariat launches the Call for Youth applicants for the Third EAS Youth Forum to be held in Changwon City, Republic of Korea, from July 9-13, 2012.

 

The Third EAS Youth Forum (YF3) carries the theme, “Young Champions for the Oceans.” It is a regional platform that aims to enhance the awareness and to develop the leadership potential of the youth of the East Asian Seas region as future managers and practitioners in coastal and ocean management and governance.

 

The YF3 is open to nationals of the countries of the East Asian Seas region (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, RO Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam). The youth applicants must be 18 to 22 years of age, college students or young professionals and active members of youth organizations/institutions in their respective countries. Preferably, the youth applicants should have the following background: natural sciences (environmental, fisheries, chemistry, marine science, etc.), social sciences (communication arts, journalism, mass communication, multimedia, etc.); or international relations.

 

The Youth Forum is one of the key events of the EAS Congress, which was first launched during the EAS Congress 2006. From 45 youth participants in 2006, the number increased to 99 in the 2009 Youth Forum. In 2006, the YF adopted the Youth Agenda for the Seas of East Asia, which includes a plan of action focusing on informing, inspiring and involving the youth of the region. In 2009, the YF declared their commitment to the sustainable development of East Asia through the Youth Statement and country work plans which, include sets of simple environment-related activities. The results of youth activities will be shared at the YF3 in 2012, together with new and exciting workshops and outdoor activities.

 

All applications will undergo a pre-screening process. Applicants from the PEMSEA Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) sites will need to secure recommendations from the respective Project Management Offices (PMOs). The Youth Forum provisional programme, as well as application and endorsement forms, are already available online and may be downloaded from the EAS Congress 2012 website (http://eascongress.pemsea.org/yf3). Deadline for applications is on March 2, 2012, and the selected youth participants will be announced on April 2, 2012.