ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteer Corps

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 1. Introduction ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteer Corps (AYPVC) is an initiative designed to bring together young professionals from ASEAN member states to undertake voluntary community work in areas of their expertise in various locations. AYPVC was officially endorsed during the Eighth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (8th AMMY) in May 2013. Brunei as the host of the ASEAN Summit this year will pioneer this project with the help and support from various agencies. AYPVC is run under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Darussalam. The programme will involve selected participants taking part in volunteer projects in different ASEAN member countries to help tackle some of the issues surrounding the region. The programme will run on a 3-year period consisting of projects in Cambodia, Indonesia and Philippines in the first year. It is hoped that the involvement of young professionals through this initiative will not only contribute to the socio-cultural and economic development of the region, but also bring ASEAN people closer together. This in turn will contribute towards realising the ASEAN Community by 2015. 2. Background Volunteerism has gained recognition and popularity today because of its noble concept of helping people by providing aid to the community in need. It benefits both those who receive assistance as well as the volunteers themselves. In this initiative, young professionals are targeted to undertake volunteer work because of their dynamism, and most importantly, because they are the future generation and leaders of the region. It is also believed that developing and empowering these young people through community work and social entrepreneurship, nationally as well as regionally, will contribute to nation building. ASEAN has limited channels/ forums / avenues for young professionals to be involved in community development efforts over short periods. This initiative can become one.

There are only a small number of organised platforms for youth particularly young professionals to take part in regional volunteer activities across ASEAN member countries. Volunteers keen to take part in helping societies in different places will be able to explore different situations faced by different communities. This will help improve their own skills that will be useful for their future leadership opportunities. The idea of AYPVC is to work with partner organisations in each ASEAN country to identify projects that meet local needs. Volunteers will find a variety of service projects, with most lasting two to three weeks. AYPVC offers invaluable opportunities to explore grassroots leadership opportunities, strengthen the ability to communicate among diverse groups, and build cultural understanding and connections across ASEAN countries. These skills will contribute to developing effective future leaders, promoting solidarity among ASEAN volunteers and fostering deeper understanding of each country. 3. Participation Participation is open to anyone between the ages of 18 to 35 who is a citizen of an ASEAN member country (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam). 4. Goals To gather young professionals to provide assistance in areas of their expertise; To develop a sense of responsibility, obligations and duty towards ASEAN among young volunteers; To develop and empower the young volunteers with leadership, entrepreneurship and other skills; To promote awareness of ASEAN among the communities through exchange of knowledge and understanding of culture; To share the skills and expertise of young professionals / volunteers through volunteer work and training; To develop ways to improve NGO management capabilities while encouraging and promoting integrated community involvement.


5. Projects (1) 1st AYPVC Cluster: Education, Agriculture, Healthcare Date: 24 August 8 September 2013 Location: Samrong Tong District & Lvea Aem District, Cambodia (2) 2nd AYPVC Cluster: Disaster Risk Reduction and Special Needs Care Date: 24 August 8 September 2013 Location: South Sumatra, Indonesia (3) 3rd AYPVC Cluster: Social Entrepreneurship and Healthcare Date: 21 September - 6 October 2013 Location: Manila, Philippines 6. Criteria for Application Citizen of an ASEAN member state (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) Aged between 18 to 35 years old Working professionals or students in relevant fields Have a passport that is valid at least 6 months after the programme Mentally and physically fit to volunteer in rural areas

(kindly refer to Annex A for further information on volunteer criteria) 7. How to Apply

Fill in Application Form (http://bit.ly/16qxrfe) Send form and CV / resume to aseanypvc@gmail.com Subject line should be: "AYPVC Application project country", Format of files should be: o CountryofApplicant_NameofApplicant.doc o CountryofApplicant_NameofApplicant (resume).doc Deadline for application is 19 July 2013.

8. Selection Process The Secretariat will review your applications and the organisers will contact you should you are accepted or otherwise. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit letter of consent from their employers/institution and go through a Skype interview before being officially selected.

9. Funding The programme will cover the following costs: Round-trip tickets for international participants (maximum USD650) Accommodation Meals Local transport Insurance

The programme organisers will not cover the following: Local transport from the participants' home to the airport Any other expenses not directly related to the programme Enquiries

10.

All enquiries concerning this programme should be addressed to: AYPVC Secretariat Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Brunei Darussalam Email: aseanypvc@gmail.com For more information and updates, participants can go to: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aypvc


ANNEX A: Overview of Programme Activities in Year 1 Project 1 Country: Host NGO/Partner: Beneficiary: Community needs: Cambodia (Samrong Tong and Lvea Aem) Organisation for Building (OBCR) http://obcr.org/ Community Resources

Villagers in Samrong Tong District and Lvea Aem. English Language education Agricultural development Health service

Activity:

Volunteers will teach English in the identified schools and promote productive exchange of teaching knowledge and skills with local teachers. working with villagers to set up a more sustainable farming crop in one identified land as pilot Conduct health and hygiene workshop and check up Professionals with teaching background and knowledge of English language Professionals with medical background Professionals with agricultural background Professionals with technical background Professionals with business/ corporate background Photographers and videographers General volunteers who will support in delivery and implementation

Volunteer criteria:

Period:

24 August to 8 September 2013


Project 2: Country: Host: NGO/Partner: Beneficiary: Community needs: Indonesia (South Sumatra) Government of South Sumatra Mercy Relief (MR) Communities vulnerable to Fire Disasters & Haze Pollution; Children with Special Needs at Palembang Activity: Disaster preparedness against forest fires and haze pollution; WASH (Water and Sanitation, Hygiene) awareness; Expertise and technical support in care provision for children living with special needs.

Volunteers will: Develop and implement curriculum on community safety and preparedness against forest fires and haze at identified school as a replicable model for other communities in different sub-districts of OKI Regency; Conduct School and Community Fire Evacuation Drill Exercise; WASH promotional activities; Provide special needs caregivers with technical training on speech therapies; Installation of infrastructural improvements to existing therapy facilities; Conduct Psychosocial activities at special needs school. Fire-fighters; First-aiders; Engineers (civil/environmental); Healthcare workers; Speech therapists; Physiotherapists; Occupational therapists; Psychologists; Counsellors; Special needs teachers; Photographers and videographers; Any other professionals with backgrounds are welcomed to apply .

Volunteer criteria:

relevant

Period:

24 August to 8 September 2013


Project 3: Country: Host NGO: Partner Beneficiary: Community needs: Philippines (Manila) Urban Poor Associates and Kabalikat Mercy Relief (MR) Urban poor community at the informal settlement (slum) of Baseco Activity: Expertise and technical support in managing the operations of social enterprises for livelihood; Environmental health awareness; Lack of knowledge and awareness on sanitation and hygiene-related diseases; WASH (Water and Sanitation, Hygiene) awareness.

Volunteers will: Conduct Environmental health awareness workshops and environmental health hazard mapping with local community; Reinforce environmental health education through the promotion of recycling via interactive hands-on session (e.g. recycling art using waste materials found in Baseco); Medical intervention for sanitation and hygienerelated diseases such as lice, intestinal parasites, scabies etc; Provide health information to community during mobile health screening sessions; WASH promotional activities. Public health officers; WASH specialists; General Physicians; Nurses; Nutritionists; Environmental Engineers; Healthcare workers; Photographers and videographers; Any other professionals with relevant backgrounds are welcomed to apply.

Volunteer Criteria:

Period:

21 September to 6 October 2013