ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteer Corps

OPEN FOR APPLICATION 1. Introduction ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteers Corps (AYPVC) is an initiative is 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 ASEAN Youth Ministers Meeting (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 national of an ASEAN member country. 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 Aged between 18 to 35 years old Working professionals in relevant fields

As participants will be working in rural areas where facilities are very limited, we encourage potential applicants to conduct a medical check up before applying. 7. How to Apply Fill in Application Form Send application form to aseanypvc@gmail.com with the subject "AYPVC Application" followed by the country you are applying to, together with your resume/CV. 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 This is a fully-funded programme where the following costs will be covered: Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) Local transport Return flight tickets from home country to the volunteer location 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: Ms Fatin Arifin (+673) 8890020 Ms Khairunnisa Ashari (+673) 8626588 Programme Managers ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteers Corps Email: aseanypvc@gmail.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aypvc

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

Focal contact: Mr Reaksmey THY, Founder and Executive Director. Beneficiary: Community needs: Activity: Villagers in Samrong Tong District and Lvea Aem. English Language education Agricultural development Health service

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 General volunteers who will support in delivery and implementation

Volunteer criteria:

Monitoring & Evaluation (post programme):

Project report will be submitted to relevant government agencies for evaluation. Where possible, the Project Manager will conduct a site visit after six months to check on progress of the project. Projects success will be evaluated on several criteria such as English language ability of the students, interest of the students to the language, schools adoption to the teaching method and et cetera Improvement in agricultural practices of the farmers around the area and relevance of the crop introduced Improved hygiene and sanitation lifestyle 24 August to 8 September 2013

Period:

Project 2: Country: Host: NGO/Partner: Beneficiary: Community needs: Indonesia 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

Monitoring & Evaluation:

Mercy Relief, in collaboration with the Government of South Sumatra, shall continue to monitor the progress of disaster preparedness curriculum implementation at other communities of OKI Regency and will also

follow-up on the operations of the local special needs schools in Palembang. Expected project impact includes: Better prepared communities equipped with the skills and knowledge to cope with fire disasters and haze pollution; A one-stop facility that not only provides specialized care for children living with varied disabilities but also provides resource and training for other caregivers in the regency. Note: MR has been implementing various humanitarian programmes in South Sumatra since 2011 and the above proposed activities are complementary to MRs existing developmental efforts with its local partners. Period: 24 August to 8 September 2013

Project 3:

Country: Host NGO: Beneficiary: Community needs:

Philippines (Manila) Urban Poor Associates and Kabalikat Urban poor community at the informal settlement (slum) of Baseco 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.

Activity:

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; Any other professionals with relevant backgrounds are welcomed to apply.

Volunteer Criteria:

Monitoring & Evaluation:

Mercy Relief, in collaboration with Urban Poor Associates and Kablikat, shall closely follow-up with the management of the social enterprises and provide additional support whenever needed. Environmental health education shall also continue to be reinforced in partnerships with local schools and health workers. Note: Mercy Relief has been implementing various humanitarian programmes in Manila since 2011 and the above proposed activities are complementary to MRs existing developmental efforts with its local partners.

Period:

21 September to 6 October 2013