ASIA PACIFIC

YOUTH EXCHANGE
January 9-20 2018 | Asian Development Bank, Pasig City, Philippines

PROGRAM DESIGN
 I. PROGRAM CONTEXT

Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition of the value of the
youth's participation in economic, social and political processes. Governments,
international agencies, and civil society and private sector organizations have
realized that young people are powerful agents of change who, if supported and
empowered, can meaningfully contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG).

The youth sector’s immense potential is especially critical for the Asia and the
Pacific region where 1.1 billion young people reside – making it the most youthful
region in the world 1 . The Asian Development Bank (ADB) identifies these
demographic changes in Asia and the Pacific as one of the key factors that shape
regional development in its long-term strategic framework, Strategy 2020 2. Faced
with these realities, there is a need to recognize the youth sector as more than just
beneficiaries. The youth must also be viewed as formidable leaders who can be
genuine partners of change.

II. ASIA-PACIFIC YOUTH EXCHANGE

The Asia-Pacific Youth Exchange (APYE) is a program that responds to the global
necessity of meaningfully including young people in SDG activities. By simulating
policy formulation and project execution centered on SDGs, youth delegates have a
unique opportunity to learn and hone the skills necessary to participate in sustainable
development. Moreover, APYE is also an avenue for the youth sector to skill up and
participate in the formal economy. To achieve this, the APYE has four main phases:
(1) Leadership Development Training, (2) Local Immersion and (3) Asia Pacific
Youth Symposium and (4) Fellowship Program.

After seven successful APYE programs in the Philippines, Thailand and Korea,
the Urban Youth Academy, Asian Development Bank, United Nations and several
other partners come together once again to make the program better! The fifth
iteration of the APYE in the Philippines aims to become more action-oriented.150
delegates from the Asia and the Pacific region are expected to participate. For more
information about the program, please don’t hesitate to check out
www.apyemanila.org and to follow our Facebook page at Asia Pacific Youth
Exchange and Asia Pacific Youth Exchange Manila (APYExMNL).

1
. United Nations. 2015. World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision. Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, Population 
Division. Geneva. Accessed March 8, 2017.
. 2 Asian Development Bank. 2008. Strategy 2020. Mandaluyong. P.7
III. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of APYE Manila in January 2018 are to:

A. Improve young people’s understanding of the SDGs and their role in

achieving them;

B. Build the capacity and skills of youth in implementing projects and activities
aligned to the SDGs;

C. Facilitate increased cooperation among young people across Asia and the
Pacific through cross cultural dialogues, networking and partnerships;

D. Strengthen global and regional partnership for the SDGs and youth
development in Asia and the Pacific;

E. Identify opportunities for inclusion of young people in decision-making and

implementation of the SDGs;

F. Promote youth volunteering as a tool to support achieving the SDGs;

G. Contribute to the body of literature about youth’s contribution to sustainable

development with a focus on the SDGs; and

H. Pilot SDG initiatives based on past APYE proposals in close collaboration

with local Philippine partners, specifically TeaM Energy Foundation, Inc., City
of Santa Rosa, Provincial Government of Laguna and Enderun Colleges.

IV. LEARNING METHODOLOGIES

A. Leadership Development Training – This component consists of a two-day

intensive leadership workshop aiming to achieve the following objectives:
i. Improve the self-awareness of the participants – provide spaces to
have necessary conversations and self-assessments, in order for the
youth to discover their full-potential.
ii. Understand the context – Participants will be able to understand the
role of youth in achieving SDGs, and also the context of the challenges
faced by the local communities to achieve sustainable development.
iii. Improve design thinking – Through workshops on designing solutions
 (surveying, mapping ideas, feasibility analysis, action planning etc.),
youth will obtain the necessary skills and knowledge to provide
sustainable solutions to the challenges in the communities.
iv. Team building and networking – Provide opportunities for youth from
various sectors to work in teams and network with each other to build a
community of young leaders for sustainable development in the region.

B. Local Immersion – Participants will be immersed to the local communities

for a period of one week as teams to enhance the solutions for the existing
challenges based on the SDGs. Through this component following objectives
will be met,
i. Immersion to local reality – Participants will be hosted by the local
communities, which will allow them to gain a first-hand experience on the
situation faced by the communities.
ii. Put theory on practice – Youth will get the opportunity to work with the
local communities gathering data, ratifying ideas in order to provide
feasible solutions for the existing challenges.
iii. Improve cultural understanding – Through the immersion to a local
community as a diverse team, participants will have a journey of
discovering new cultures, norms and the way that they live and work,
which enable them to understand and respect each other.

C. Asia Pacific Youth Symposium – Through this 2-day symposium following

objectives are proposed to be met
i. Validate solutions and seek resources to sustain them – Solutions
which developed by youth delegates will be comprehensively evaluated
(e.g. finance, logistics, knowledge etc.) to identify possible opportunities
to support its execution. APYE Storytelling the the avenue of delegates to
share their experiences and formulated solutions.
ii. Meet the demands of the future – Expert Panel discussions, Keynote
Speeches pack the 2-day symposium which inspires and equips the
delegates on their journey after the two week program. The SDG Festival
will be the youth’s space to share these solutions to fellow youth,
development practitioners, Local Government, NGOs and CSOs.
iii. Planning for next steps – To enhance the long lasting impact of the
entire program youth will plan for their next steps based on the existing
structures or programs. This is where the 4th program component, the
Fellowship Program will be introduced.
 V. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Each day, participants are required to submit session evaluation forms that aim to
measure the effectiveness of each program component. In addition surveys and
action learning reflections will be administered by Learning Circles Leaders to
expand APYE’s data source.

Action learning data will be used to generate knowledge on youth leadership in SDG
initiatives. This will be administered before, during and after the APYE.

VI. PROGRAM TIMELINE

Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jul.

Launch of the program
Engaging partners
Developing the program components
Engage local communities
Promotions for participants and selection
APYE 2017 program
Evaluation and reporting
 VII. PROGRAM TIME FRAME AND SCHEDULE

DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5 DAY 6 DAY 7 DAY 8 DAY 9 DAY 10 DAY 11 DAY 12
TIME
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Evolution: The Youth From What’s up with
THEME: Youth at Work! Depart
Beneficiary to Leader YOUth?
7:00 7:30
BREAKFAST
7:30 8:00
8:00 8:30 Exposure with
8:30 9:00 Arrival in Local Community Members
9:00 9:30 Pasig, Leadership Travel to Asia Pacific Youth Depart
Manila Local Final
9:30 10:00 Development Training Service Presentation
Symposium from
(Key Note Lectures) Community Service (Knowledge Session) Manila
10:00 10:30 Activity I
Activity Survey Opportunities
10:30 11:00 III
11:30 12:00
12:00 12:30
LUNCH
12:30 1:00
1:00 1:30
Local
1:30 2:00 Survey
2:00 2:30 Free Time
2:30 3:00 Orientation
Local Survey
3:00 3:30 about local
Validation Opportunities Asia Pacific Youth
Leadership Community Service
3:30 4:00 Depart for Symposium
Development Training Activity
4:00 4:30 Manila (Showcase of APYE
Program (Action Sessions) II
4:30 5:00 Outcomes)
Orientation
5:00 5:30
5:30 6:00 Community
6:00 6:30 Welcome Research Community Night
6:30 7:00 Dinner opportunity
VENUE: ADB Santa Rosa, Laguna OR Padre Burgos, Quezon3 ADB

3 Local Immersion location depends on the SDG choice of the delegate.