“Be a man.” “Toughen up.” These are phrases women often hear. From everyday life to the professional realm, we are reminded more often than needed to be equal to men. This has set us up to a fallacy that men and masculine qualities are the benchmarks for excellence and success in life.
Minister Ing Kanthaphavi talks about ASEAN’s major achievements over the past five years and explains the priorities and plans of the sector in the coming years. She also reflects on the changing employment landscape and how it impacts women in the workplace.
DSG Kung Phoak reflects on the rationale for producing The ASEAN, the challenges of getting it off the ground, and what it has achieved so far. He also discusses the future prospects of the magazine in light of ASEAN’s community-building and communication goals and the trend towards digitalisation.
Josefa is a member of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Steering Committee, representing indigenous and local youth. GYBN is the official youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). She was named a National Geographic Youth Explorer (Fall 2020 Cohort) and awarded a grant for youth-led activities and materials on biodiversity and indigenous people’s rights. She majored in Biology and is working on her Master’s Degree in Wildlife Science.
Josefa talks to The ASEAN about finding her voice as a woman, youth leader, and indigenous person.
In 2013, Gibran Huzaifah introduced eFishery, a smart-feeding technology that modernised the feeding method for fish and shrimps, and in the process, transformed the lives of fish and shrimp farmers in Indonesia.
Once a fish farmer himself, Gibran says that feeding management is an essential factor in the aquaculture industry.With the help of technology, the farmers can ensure an efficient and effective feeding management.
For his innovation, Gibran, who studied biology at the Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia, has received numerous recognition, including the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2017, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (innovation category) 2018, and MIT Technology Review’s 2020 Innovators Under 35.
At four years old, Angelo Casimiro constructed his first light bulb switch. At 14, he built a “fighting” robot that won first place in a national robotics competition.
At 15 years old, he developed an electricity generating footwear that became a local winner and a regional f inalist at the 2014 Google Science Fair—a prestigious international competition for promising young scientists.
Now at 22 years old, Angelo has over a hundred science and engineering projects under his belt, ranging from water-powered calculator to portable solar powerbank. Many of these are posted as do-it-yourself tutorials on Instructables, YouTube, and TikTok, designed to inspire creativity and resourcefulness in other people.
On the verge of completing an engineering degree at the De La Salle University, Angelo dreams of contributing to the Philippines’ technological progress by forming his own research and development (R&D) company and developing cutting-edge technologies in the fields of renewable energy and transportation.
Like many teenagers who grew up with technology, Seng Rothsethamony, or Mony, finds her passion in the digital world. Mony majors in Global Affairs at the University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia but she is pursuing her interest in digital technology. Mony has participated in several coding and IT training programmes, including the ASEAN Digital Innovation Programme (ADIP), to better equip herself in the digital era.
In March 2020, Mony and her college friends established Bamnang Creative Innovation, a digital marketing company aiming to help business owners in Cambodia go digital.
Brothers Audrey Maximillian Herli and Audy Christopher Herli co-founded Riliv in 2015 to help improve mental health services in Indonesia. The application allows people struggling with mental health issues to talk to licensed mental health professionals online. Riliv also provides other digital therapies that are designed for people seeking wellness and peace of mind.
So far, Riliv has attracted more than 300,000 users and over 100,000 people have used its online counselling service. Maxi, who studied information systems at the University of Airlangga in Surabaya, Indonesia, and his brother made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2020 List. In 2017, Riliv was named the best sustainable start-up by a national newspaper and won in the Google Business Group Stories Search.
Right To Play Thailand Foundation Country Director Phunyanuch Pattanotai says it was not easy for the youth leaders to plan and implement projects in their communities. ”We are proud of all the youth who continued to utilise what they learned to create a greater change in their communities despite the challenge caused by the COVID-19,” she adds.
The ASEAN talked to three youth leaders who spearheaded sports projects in their respective communities after participating in the ASEAN S4DPL project.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forcibly accelerated digitalisation in almost all aspects of human life in ways we never imagined. Physical distancing measures require a shift to digital technologies, with the amount of time we spend online surging to new heights. Nearly nine out of 10 youth in ASEAN reported increased reliance on digital tools in the past year, while almost half (42 per cent) have picked up at least one new device.
