WHAT IS #ASEFYLS?
The ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS) is a Youth platform that connects young people across Asia & Europe, applying a 360 degree approach on leadership development and community engagement: 1) self-leadership (you), 2) team leadership (we) and 3) societal leadership (all).
The ASEFYLS Capacity Buildings 2024 is a youth leadership programme focusing on ‘Leadership in Society 5.0’, with collaborative programme elements taking place both virtually and physically.
The Society 5.0 concept describes a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space. ASEFYLS will explore what kind of leadership is needed for Society 5.0 and how young people can prepare with ethical, inclusive and sustainable values.
The Programme will consist of three phases, with the aim to give participants the opportunity to learn, to collaborate and to turn theory into action:
- Knowledge Building Phase: July 2024, Virtual
- In-person Trainings: August/October 2024, China/Hungary
- Action Phase: August-December 2024, In local communities
WHAT WAS THE ASIA-EUROPE TRAINING SEMINAR ON YOUTH, DIGITALISATION AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE?
Between 6-12 October 2024, the Asia-Europe Training Seminar on Youth, Digitalisation and Intercultural Dialogue took place in Budapest, Hungary.
The Training Seminar is one of two In-Person Trainings organised as part of the ASEFYLS Capacity Buildings 2024 on the topic of ‘Leadership in Society 5.0’, with this training held in partnership with the European Youth Centre Budapest (EYCB).
We brought together 38 participants from 35 countries from Asia and Europe to Budapest for them to engage in people-to-people dialogue exchanges and networking, as well as learning in a local context
ORGANISATION AND SUPPORT
We are grateful to have been working with the Council of Europe and the European Youth Centre Budapest for this training and for the financial support of the European Union and the People’s Republic of China, and Denmark. Thank you to Mr Bálint MOLNÁR, Director, European Youth Centre Budapest (EYCB) and Ms Ida KREUTZMAN, Educational Advisor at the Youth Department of the Council of Europe at the European Youth Centre Budapest, for helping us welcome the participants to Budapest and the for encouraging the them to make the most out of their stay at the European Youth Centre Budapest.
THE PROGRAMME
The programme was filled with a variation of topics, and using a mixed-methodology approach, the trainers guided the participants through discussions on themes such as sustainable leadership and intercultural learning, sensitivity, and understanding, to technology and digital citizenship and ethical implications of AI.
Sessions consisted of workshops, panel discussions, leadership dialogues, simulation games, group work and plenary discussions.
The week started with creating a safe space for the participants to learn in, through exercises designed for them to get to know each other and to understand each others’ perspectives.
During the following days, they were led through a number of panel discussions, workshops, dialogue sessions and even a simulation game where they had to simulate a referendum in a fictional town – prompting the participants to imagine the implications of technology and AI for different members of society.
The participants also had the opportunity to join parallel skill-building workshops. Facilitated by the Trainers, the workshops explored ‘Content Creation for Social Issues’; and ‘Using Digital Tools to Develop and Manage community Projects’; and ‘Critical AI’. We also want to express our gratitude to Ms Keiko IKEDA, Professor at Kansai University and Executive Project Lead at Japan Hub for Innovative Global Education (JIGE) for joining us and for her excellent workshop in ‘Interpretation of Digital Tools in Intercultural Settings’.
See the full programme here.
LEADERSHIP DIALOGUES: SENIOR-JUNIOR LEADERSHIP DIALOGUE AND LEADERSHIP AND YOUTH WORK
In the beginning of the week, the participants were welcomed to the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) for the ‘Senior-Junior Leadership Dialogue’, which brought together Ambassadors and Diplomats from across Asia and Europe to engage with the participants in a dialogue – discussing the role of young leaders in Society 5.0 from different national and regional perspectives and what youth can do to engage on political and civil society levels to prepare for and lead in the next stage of society.
Thank you to H.E. Frank R. CIMAFRANCA, Ambassador of the Philippines to Hungary; H.E. Sebastian KĘCIEK, Ambassador of Poland to Hungary; H.E. Asif Hussain MEMON, Ambassador of Pakistan to Hungary; H.E. Ákos MERNYEI, Ambassador for Global Public Diplomacy Engagement of Hungary; Ms CHU Minh Thao, First Secretary, Embassy of Viet Nam to Hungary; and Mr. SUGIMOTO Oki, First Secretary, Embassy of Japan to Hungary for taking the time to meet with our young leaders and providing your insights on the topic.
We express our gratitude to Mathias Corvinus Collegium and to Dr Noémi KISS, Head of Office for International Projects, for their generosity in hosting us for this evening.
In addition to the Senior-Junior Leadership Dialogue, we were grateful to welcome Ms Enikő VARGA-VÉGVÁRI, Youth Department, Ministry of Culture and Innovation; Mr Péter SIMON, Vice President, Youth Work and Volunteering, National Youth Council, Hungary; and Mr Bendegúz DIBUSZ, Foreign Officer, National Union of Students in Hungary, for a Dialogue Session on ‘Leadership and Youth Work’ – an opportunity for our participants to learn more from different stakeholders in the Youth ecosystem within Hungary.
We also want to express our thanks to Mr Gergely BÖSZÖRMÉNYI-NAGY, Chairman of the Board of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME), Founder of Brain Bar, Head of Design Terminal for joining us at the European Youth Centre budapest for the Leadership Dialogue session on ‘Envisioning Society 5.0’, discussing how society is impacted positively and negatively by technology, and what kind of leadership is needed to navigate this disruptive process of change.
STUDY VISITS AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE
In addition to the non-formal educational sessions, the programme offered opportunities for the participants to engage with local actors and learn more about the Hungarian perspective on the topics being discussed during the course of the training.
During the week, we visited Ludovika University of Public Service and were welcomed by Dr. Bernát TÖRÖK, Director of the Eötvös József Research Centre at Ludovika University of Public Service, and Mr András PÜNKÖSTY, Senior Researcher at the Institute of the Information Society at Ludovika University of Public Service.
During the Dialogue Session on Digitalisation, Innovation and Regulation, Mr Pünkösty shared with us examples of regulatory considerations in regard to technological innovation and advancements, and what the EU is doing to safeguard its citizens relating to these topics – highlighting important questions such as ethical implications of technology, data privacy, and different regional approaches to regulations of technology and AI.
The ‘Cultural Evening’, hosted again by Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), started out with students from MCC teaching the young leaders some traditional Hungarian Folk dances – a new learning opportunity for many of them which provided insights into the local culture.
Continuing the evening, participants came together to share their own cultures with each other – showcasing their traditional wear, sharing snacks, playing music, and also teaching each other national and local dances. The evening was filled with movement and joy as they created memories and deepened their understanding of each other’s cultures.
Interested in learning more about the Asia-Europe Training Seminar for Youth, Digitalisation and Intercultural Dialogue? Have a look at the full programme here.
A special thank you to our Trainers Elizabeth KASA, Mato HM, and Ron SALAJ for your facilitation of this great programme!
NEXT STEP: ACTION PHASE
Following the In-Person Training, the participants will continue their ASEFYLS journey in the Action Phase. The participants will take their learnings and bring them back home to their local communities – creating a multiplier effect where more people get to learn about ‘Leadership in Society 5.0’.