YSEALI Regional Workshop: "Enhancing ASEAN Human Capital in Health"

U.S. Embassy Hanoi announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to design, plan, and implement a three-day workshop (not inclusive of travel dates) in Hanoi, Vietnam for the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), pending the availability of funds. The three-day workshop in May 2021 will gather approximately 50-80 participants between 20-30 years of age from all ten ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste around the theme, “Enhancing ASEAN Human Capital in Health.” YSEALI is the U.S. government’s signature initiative to strengthen partnerships with emerging leaders in ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and Timor-Leste. Program participants are encouraged to work across national borders to solve regional challenges, encompassed by the four pillars of YSEALI – economic growth, sustainable development, education, and civic engagement – and to strengthen the U.S.-ASEAN partnership. 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. Program Objectives: This Human Capital-focused YSEALI Regional Workshop will bring together approximately 50-80 YSEALI members who have economic, educational, or health care-related backgrounds, as well as leadership potential and a commitment to improve their community. This workshop will develop human capital not only for those working directly in the health care field, but also educators of health care professionals, those involved in the economics of health care, young people pursuing a career in public health, and those working for health-related non-government organizations (NGOs), and Community Service Organizations (CSOs). The focus will be building bridges between the health care institutions in each country so that the ASEAN nations and Timor-Leste can work together not only to handle pandemic diseases like COVID-19, but everyday shared challenges in the area of public health, such as chronic diseases, good nutrition, tobacco use, occupational health, etc. The participants will also address inclusive distribution of services in their societies, which is essential to achieve a higher standard of living, boost economic inclusive economic development, and create conditions for self-reliance. This workshop will examine human capital development as a powerful tool for economic empowerment with an emphasis on healthcare for the labor force and for the community as a whole. This regional workshop entitled “Enhancing ASEAN Human Capital in Health” will advance the YSEALI theme of Economic Growth and strengthen people-to-people ties between the United States and ASEAN member nations. It will also strengthen the bonds between U.S. and ASEAN member health care and health policy communities. This workshop seeks to empower a new generation of emerging leaders in ASEAN and Timor-Leste, who are not only committed to empowering their societies as a whole through efforts that enrich their communities’ human capital, but also well positioned to bring new ideas and critical thinking to tackling some of the most pressing social issues in regional human capital that stem from issues related to clean water, food safety, and access to affordable healthcare options. The workshop will also incorporate examples of U.S. government and U.S. private sector human capital investments in the regional health sector. This workshop will also empower young leaders in ASEAN and Timor-Leste with the knowledge and skills necessary to create practical solutions to overcome hindrances in healthcare services that impede human capital development. Listed below are several components that the workshop could include: • Improve regional healthcare systems under normal circumstances and in the event of a crisis; • Tackle infectious and non-communicable diseases for a healthy workforce; • Fight against malnutrition and ensure food safety for laborers; • Ensure affordability and accessibility of essential and quality healthcare system; • Provide clean water ; • Foster a healthy workplace; • Promote social entrepreneurship in healthcare services; • Regulate private and public sectors to deal with a health crisis and maintain the sustainable economy; • Provide examples of U.S. government and U.S. private sector in healthcare improvement and human capital investment in the region. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with other young leaders, guest speakers, facilitators, and mentors who represent different sectors from the United States, the ASEAN region, and Timor-Leste. As a result, these intercultural interactions will set the stage for long-term engagement and transnational cooperation. The workshop will incorporate a number of activities, including: • Informational sessions and inspirational speeches designed to provide best practices from USG Alumni, U.S. and ASEAN business and civic leaders, and other young leaders from the ASEAN region and Timor-Leste; • Interactive group activities to encourage young leaders to initiate social solutions; • Networking events among participants, speakers, facilitators and mentors; • Training to strengthen necessary skills in the workplace; • Site visits to enable the participants to have practical viewpoints on the issues; • Small grants competition to launch participants’ initiatives; • Cultural activities and a reception. The proposal should include workshop follow-on activities such as virtual collaborative work, projects funded through small seed grants, and/or ongoing mentorship. These follow-on activities should be included in the monitoring and evaluation plan. Furthermore, the proposal should include pre- and post-workshop surveys to measure the overall effectiveness of the workshop as well as to gauge how much their knowledge base expanded vis-à-vis their understanding of human capital development. The concepts of leadership, reinvesting in one’s community, and fostering a shared ASEAN identity rooted in a commitment to tackle regional issues should be integrated into this program. Workshop speakers, facilitators, and mentors should be citizens of the United States, ASEAN member states, and/or Timor-Leste. The recipient is expected to develop bespoke syllabus content and an event program with participant and speaker biographies, as well as design, print, and position banners, backdrops, and other printed materials. The recipient is also expected to craft a strategic digital engagement campaign geared toward engaging both workshop participants and social media audiences through live video and/or live online interactions during the program. No new website specific to the event should be created or launched. Domain, hosting and design costs will not be covered. Participants and Audiences: The recipient will coordinate with U.S. Embassy Hanoi and with the U.S. embassies in ASEAN and Timor-Leste to recruit and select approximately 50-80 participants. Participants will be registered YSEALI members and between the ages 20-30, who have experience relevant to healthcare industry, such as nutrition and food safety, healthcare services, water, and sanitation. Participants should demonstrate their leadership and active engagement in effecting change in their home communities and in the region. Participants should be racially, ethnically, religiously, and experientially diverse. A premium should be placed on recruiting a geographically diverse group of participants, with an emphasis on participants who hail from provincial regions outside the capitals of their respective nations. Participants must be citizens and residents of an ASEAN member country or Timor-Leste. The recipient will create an online application process and work with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and other U.S. Embassies/Consulate Generals in the region to advertise the opportunity. The selection of final participants will be made by the recipient in consultation with the U.S. Embassies in each of the 10 ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste to ensure the diverse background of participants in terms of ages, gender, fields of working or studying, living or working places. All programs must include participants from all ten ASEAN member countries and Timor-Leste. During the application process, candidates will outline a problem that their community is currently facing related to human capital development and the obstacles that they see as impeding its advancement. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be required to utilize what they have learned during the workshop to propose a multi-pronged solution to their identified problem. The workshop will be conducted in English. As such, all participants must be proficient in written and spoken English. The recipient will be responsible for arranging and using cooperative agreement funds to cover all elements related to participant and staff travel including, but not limited to: • International and domestic flights • Visa-related fees • Travel to and from airports • Accommodation expenses • Per diem • Insurance • Meals and incidentals during the program. Application form and templates are available at www.Grant.gov as well as the U.S. Mission to Vietnam Website at https://vn.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-and-scholarship-opportunities/ under the announcement title YSEALI Regional Workshop: “Enhancing ASEAN Human Capital in Health”, funding opportunity number 20-VNM-NOFO-02.