Bringing young people closer to purpose – and to one another
Through the ASEAN Youth Fellowship, these three Singaporeans found new ways to think about impact, community and their place in the region.
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The alumni of the ASEAN Youth Fellowship, or AYF, read like a who’s who of changemakers across the region.
Ms Serene Cai, 33, co-founder and commercial head of telehealth startup Speedoc, recalled meeting public sector leaders, activists and community organisers. “Every one of them wanted to make a positive impact,” said Ms Cai, a 2025 AYF fellow. “It was humbling and healing in equal measure.”
A SHARED PURPOSE
That sense of shared purpose runs through AYF, which was launched during Singapore’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018. Co-organised annually by National Youth Council and Singapore International Foundation, the programme fosters collaboration among young leaders across sectors and borders in Southeast Asia.
“We need young leaders who can think and work together beyond borders, and AYF builds that connection and trust across ASEAN,” said Ms Cai. “It brought us a community of young people who might otherwise have never met and helped us realise what we can achieve together.”
Through a week-long residential programme in Singapore and another major ASEAN city on a rotational basis, AYF fellows take part in dialogue sessions with senior policymakers and thought leaders. Visits and learning journeys offer a closer look at issues, while networking sessions help build ties across borders.
ACTION BEYOND WORDS
That focus on regional partnerships drew Mr Edward Yee, 31, who heads growth and strategy at Far.AI, an artificial intelligence safety organisation. He also co-founded ventures such as Givfunds, which offers low-cost loans to social entrepreneurs in Asia.
A 2024 AYF fellow, Mr Yee said the programme helped turn cross-border collaboration from an ideal into something more practical by connecting him with peers tackling shared challenges in the region.
“Too often, cross-border collaboration sounds good in theory but is hard to sustain in practice,” he said. “AYF helped create that foundation and made it easier to find others to build something with regional relevance rather than a purely local lens.”
Mr Yee later co-developed his own initiative, AI for Asia Fellowship, with a Philippine co-founder, Mr Saje Miguel. The pair met as 2024 AYF fellows and tapped the AYF Impact Fund to launch a yearly programme that helps young leaders in Southeast Asia build skills in AI, policy and digital transformation. The fund is available to fellows pursuing ground-up initiatives in youth development, community building and related causes.
“I was just moving back to Singapore at the time and was hoping to do more impactful work in the region,” said Mr Yee. “AYF gave me not just a network, but a community of peers across Southeast Asia who care about real issues and are willing to work across borders to address them.”
TAKING A WIDER VIEW
The experience has also shaped how some AYF fellows approach their work.
For Ms Cai, it offered a different perspective on reaching communities beyond cities. Conversations with AYF fellows working in rural areas and public systems, she said, challenged how Speedoc approaches scalability and accessibility. “It made us reflect on how we could adapt the model beyond urban settings and possibly even contribute to rural healthcare, which has long been a personal goal.”
Mr Quah Zheng Wei, co-founder and CEO of digital trust startup Accredify, said the programme sharpened his understanding of cultural nuances in Southeast Asia – something he now draws on while running a regional business.
“I spoke to many AYF fellows on how best to navigate these differences,” said Mr Quah, 34, a 2025 AYF fellow. “Simple things, such as understanding when a ‘yes’ actually means ‘no’, can be intuitive for locals but difficult for outsiders.”
WHERE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE HOME
Still, the most enduring part of the fellowship may be the relationships it forges.
“This was what I looked forward to most,” said Mr Quah. “The experience was like an extended family coming together, with a good mix of fun and learning, and a strong focus on building relationships. Each AYF fellow was accomplished in their own way and generous in sharing.”
For Ms Cai, those ties have deepened with time.
“Till today, my batch mates remain a source of support and inspiration,” she said. “It’s comforting to know that wherever I go in the region, there are familiar faces that feel like home. We continue to celebrate one another’s wins.”
For those looking to make an impact in the region, the ASEAN Youth Fellowship offers both a starting point and a regional community to grow with. Learn more and sign up here.
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