The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues recently wrapped up its Spring 2024 program in May. The two participants from Laos aim to bring new leadership strategies from their YSEALI experiences to their environmental sustainability projects in Laos.
The Spring 2024 cohort of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues included 25 participants. We follow two fellows from Laos, Leephing Souliyo and Nathim Saetern, who are eager to bring their experiences in Hawaiʻi, California, and Washington, DC to environmental projects in their home provinces following their return to Laos in May 2024.
The YSEALI Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues is a US government-funded program administered by the East-West Center and implemented by the University of Montana’s Mansfield Center. The Fellowship's goal is for participants to explore climate change and environmental issues in the context of a globalized society. Over the Spring 2024 program, YSEALI fellows lived and studied at the East-West Center campus adjacent to the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa for almost one month, at the University of California, Berkeley, for one week, and concluded with workshops at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.
This year’s programming included small-group discussions, lectures, and trainings led by a variety of environmental actors, including early career academics, civil society, government, and private sector leaders. The fellowship encourages participants to bring their own experiences with regional environmental issues to group-led programming. The “YSEALI Leadership Stories” activity, for example, asks participants to prepare a case study on their respective country’s history, culture, and personal leadership on environmental and social issues for small group discussion.
Photo Source: 2024 EWC YSEALI Program Book Digital
Amalina Ariffin, former Program Manager at the EWC, highlighted the important role of problem-based learning in the program. This involved providing fellows with problems which involved “real life stakeholders” and asking them to brainstorm action plans together. This process allowed fellows to work collaboratively, consult involved stakeholders, and take the time to fail, pilot, and experiment with different ideas and action plans.
When reflecting on the collaborative activities, Leephing (Phing) Souliyo felt that she had “received valuable different leadership strategies from the diverse backgrounds" represented in the cohort. The other fellow from Laos, Nathim (Nai) Saetern particularly appreciated the diversity in programming, as activities ranged from pre-professional skill building to cultural and social events. Nai enjoyed the cultural night, where fellows “could show off their abilities in cooking ASAEN food for host famil[ies]” and the lecture hosted by Dr. Ryan Longman, Research Fellow at the East-West Center on how to write a project proposal. Another highlight for Nai was the program’s bus tour around Hawaiʻi beaches. By bringing together a diverse cohort and allowing them the opportunity to learn and collaborate on the topics of climate change using a variety of lenses, fellows come away with new perspectives and skills. Phing noted that she "gained more leadership skills and brought back ideas to his home community in Laos,” such as “creating trash bins to separate bottles and cans.” Nai, an assistant English teacher, gained “lots of knowledge and experiences,” which she aims to share with her co-workers and her students.
The fellowship extends far beyond just the spring programming. The YSEALI Academic fellowship alumni community remains highly connected, and most alumni “reported that relationships formed through YSEALI have contributed positively to their academic, professional, or personal outcomes.” Alumni remain connected via 19 formal and informal networking groups, maintaining the “strong ties forged” during their respective programs. Further, the YSEALI Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues is just one of numerous US programs for students and young professionals in Southeast Asia. YSEALI hosts various regional workshops and programs alongside the Fulbright Student Fellowship Program, Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, and the Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP) also support exchanges between the United States and Laos across a wide range of educational and professional aims.
The YSEALI program is an important facet of US diplomacy in Southeast Asia and promises continued opportunities for young leaders to learn about and collaborate on intersectional and interdisciplinary solutions to climate change.
The author would like to thank Amalina Ariffin, Lance Boyd, Saw Thinn, Leephing Souliyo (Phing), and Naithim Saetern (Nai) for their time and valuable insights to this article.
Alana Ballagh is a Summer 2024 Young Professional at the East-West Center in Washington. She is an incoming M.S. student in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia.