How To Improve The Economic Performance Of Anan

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1 ASEAN Awareness and Civic Responsibility Among the Youth 1 Introduction The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by the five original Member Countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April The ASEAN region has a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers. In 2007, it had a population of about 576 million, a combined gross domestic product of around US$ 1,282 billion, and a total trade of about US$ 1,405 billion. The diversity of the region is apparent in the fact that the largest country in terms of land area is 2700 times larger than the smallest country; the country with the largest population has 570 times more people than the smallest country; and the richest country has a GDP per capita that is 160 times the poorest country. All the major religions are present in the region: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam; and ASEAN countries have various forms of government ranging from monarchy to presidential and parliamentary. Area and Population Country Land (1000 km 2 ) Population (million) 2007 Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Indonesia 1, Lao PDR Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam ASEAN 4, Keynote address delivered by Dr. Filemon A. Uriarte, Jr., Executive Director, ASEAN Foundation, during the 11 th SEAMEO INNOTECH International Conference on Transitions for Youth Success: Creating Pathways for Work and Life, held in Manila, Philippines, November

2 Economic Performance Country GDP per capita (in USD) 2007 GDP total (in billion USD) 2007 Brunei Darussalam 31, Cambodia Indonesia 1, Lao PDR Malaysia 6, Myanmar Philippines 1, Singapore 35, Thailand 3, Vietnam ASEAN 2,227 1,282 The ASEAN Declaration states that the aims and purposes of the Association are: (a) to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and (b) to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. In 2003 the ASEAN Leaders resolved that an ASEAN Community shall be established by In this connection, the Leaders adopted the ASEAN Charter during their Summit in Singapore in The Charter establishes the legal and institutional framework of ASEAN and defines its purposes and principles. The vision of ASEAN Leaders to establish the ASEAN Community by 2015 has given rise to the growing importance and increasing number of activities related to youth in the region. After all, they will be the ones living, working, managing, leading and raising families in a region of ten nations but one community. As a consequence, the issue of youth and civic responsibility has also gained great prominence. Youth and Civic Responsibility In 1916, John Dewey proposed two radical ideas. He stated that all citizens can have a life of the mind and that lives that are only of the mind are not adequate to meet the 2

3 demands of democracy. 2 At a fundamental level, Dewey declared that all citizens must be engaged both in thought and in action. He argued that education is the key to civic engagement. In an article he wrote in 1987, Ernest Boyer supported this view and stated that the goal of higher education is not only to prepare students for productive careers, but also to enable them to live lives of dignity and purpose; not only to generate new knowledge, but to channel that knowledge to humane ends; not merely to study government, but to help shape a citizenry that can promote the public good. 3 Then in a paper he published in 2000, Thomas Ehrlich affirmed that institutions of learning should be viewed as microcosms of society that should model community behavior. 4 Civic responsibility means active participation in the public life of a community in an informed, committed, and constructive manner, with a focus on the common good. 5 Civic responsibility exhibits some or all of the following characteristics: Addressing society s problems in an informed manner Showing respect as well as dissent for laws Recognizing the difference between legally defined and culturally defined citizenship Engaging in an active process that goes beyond passive citizenship Establishing a balance between rights and responsibilities Understanding the concept of the common good and who defines it Involving the community in decision-making process Determining ways to alter public policy Being able to negotiate differences Recognizing the value and human dignity of each person. The Constitutional Rights Foundation observes that there are four essential civic competencies and skills that young people need to acquire and nurture in order to effectively participate in the public life of their communities. 6 These are: intellectual skills, participatory skills, research skills and persuasion skills. Intellectual skills refer to: identifying criteria for making judgments; assessing involvement and identifying implications; and solving problems and taking action. Participatory skills refer to: influencing policies, negotiating and seeking consensus; identifying needs and resources and making decisions; and listening to others and learning cooperatively. 2 Dewey, John, Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education, New York (1916), Reprint, The Free Press (1966). 3 Boyer, Ernest, College: The Undergraduate Experience in America, New York: Harper and Row (1987). 4 Ehrlich, Thomas, Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, Phoenix: Oryx Press (2000). 5 Gottlieg, Karla and Robinson, Gail (eds.), Integrating Civic Responsibility into the Curriculum, Washington, D.C., Community College Press (2002). 6 Constitutional Rights Foundation, Fostering Civic Responsibility through Service Learning, (2000). 3

4 Research skills refer to: using libraries, Internet and other resources; tracking issues in the media; and learning about point of view and bias. Persuasion skills refer to: developing a rationale to support one s point of view; learning how to defend an argument; and getting others involved in civic action. In order to develop these skills among the youth in the ASEAN region, there is need to intensify regional cooperation and implement regional programs that provide opportunities for active participation of the young in the public life of their communities and in the political, economic and socio-cultural activities of ASEAN as one community of ten nations. ASEAN Cooperation on Youth ASEAN cooperation on youth is overseen at the ministerial level by the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth which meets once every two years. The implementation of the programs and activities for youth matters is carried out by the ASEAN Senior Officials on Youth (SOMY), which reports to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY). Youth cooperation in ASEAN is guided by the Work Programme on Preparing ASEAN Youth for Sustainable Development, which was adopted at the AMMY IV in September The Work Programme covers four priority areas: (a) policy development; (b) promoting ASEAN awareness and civic responsibility; (c) promoting employability of youth; and (d) information exchange and promoting partnership. The first ministerial-level statement on youth was the Declaration of Principles to Strengthening ASEAN Collaboration on Youth, which was signed by the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN countries in Bangkok on 24 June This Declaration affirms, among others, the creation of appropriate environments which facilitate the promotion and development of the creativity and responsibility of youth and the participation and integration of youth in national and regional development. On 17 November 1997, the ASEAN Ministers responsible for youth matters adopted the Kuala Lumpur Agenda on ASEAN Youth Development stating, among others, the priority areas of cooperation, namely, (a) strengthening of ASEAN awareness; (b) promotion of human resource development in line with the rapid economic growth of the region; (c) attainment of equitable and sustainable development; (d) enhancement of youth-related research and development; (e) preservation and promotion of ASEAN cultural forms and values; (f) promotion of youth development as an integral part of national development; and (g) promotion of the participation of the NGOs in youth activities. The Manila Declaration on Strengthening Participation in Sustainable Youth Employment, which was adopted at the 4 th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth held in Manila on 3-4 September 2003, provides, among others, to improve the availability and quality of human resources training and leadership development programs designed specifically for ASEAN youth so that they are better equipped to participate in the growth and development efforts of their respective countries. 4

5 Finally, the Cebu Declaration Towards One Caring and Sharing Community that was adopted by the ASEAN Leaders during the 12 th ASEAN Summit held in Cebu, Philippines in 2007 encourages greater institutional collaboration in promoting ASEAN awareness particularly among the younger generation, and promotes the increased involvement of ASEAN youth and students in national and regional activities to give them an opportunity to make valuable contributions towards the achievement of the ASEAN Community. During the Summit, the Leaders also agreed to support various programs and activities designed to prepare the ASEAN youth for regional leadership and to increase the competitiveness of the peoples of Southeast Asia through education. ASEAN Foundation and ASEAN Awareness In recognition of the fundamental importance of improving the well-being of the peoples of Southeast Asia and the need to promote ASEAN awareness and people-to-people contact, the ASEAN Leaders agreed to establish the ASEAN Foundation on 15 December 1997 during the 30 th ASEAN Anniversary Commemorative Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Its aim was to help bring about shared prosperity and a sustainable future to the entire ASEAN region. The Leaders also adopted ASEAN Vision 2020 foreseeing ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies as well as a community conscious of its history, aware of its cultural heritage and bound by a common regional identity. ASEAN Vision 2020 stipulated to use the ASEAN Foundation as one of the instruments to address issues of unequal economic development, poverty and socio-economic disparities. In line with ASEAN Vision 2020, the Hanoi Plan of Action ( ) was adopted at the ASEAN Summit in December 1998 advocating to use the ASEAN Foundation to support activities and social development programs aimed at addressing issues of unequal economic development, poverty and socio-economic disparities and to support the activities of the ASEAN Foundation to promote ASEAN awareness among its people. Subsequently, the Vientiane Action Programme ( ) adopted at the ASEAN Summit in November 2004, pursued the comprehensive integration of ASEAN towards the realization of an open, dynamic and resilient ASEAN Community by It called for strengthening the role of the ASEAN Foundation under the political development section of the document in the context of increasing the participation of various ASEAN bodies in moving forward ASEAN political development initiatives through promotion of people-topeople contact. The Leaders also adopted the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Plan of Action, which outlined the priority areas to be undertaken by concerned bodies to advance ASEAN s social agenda. In this regard, the ASEAN Foundation was mandated to play an active role in supporting the implementation of the Plan of Action, which included promoting access to information and communications technology resources, enhancing ASEAN awareness through language training and mass media and youth exchange activities. The twin objectives of the ASEAN Foundation as reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding establishing it are as follows: 5

6 It shall promote greater awareness of ASEAN, and greater interaction among the peoples of ASEAN as well as their wider participation in ASEAN s activities inter alia through human resources development that will enable them to realize their full potential and capacity to contribute to progress of ASEAN Member States as productive and responsible members of the society. It shall also endeavor to contribute to the evolution of a development cooperation strategy that promotes mutual assistance, equitable economic development, and the alleviation of poverty. In the same Memorandum of Understanding, the ASEAN Foundation is mandated to support the following activities: Organize and support activities to promote education, training, health and cultural life. Provide assistance to uplift the social condition of the peoples in the ASEAN Member States. Provide fellowships to and support exchanges of ASEAN youths and students. Promote collaborative work among academics, professionals and scientists. Implement projects assigned by ASEAN Leaders or Ministers. Collaborate with the relevant ASEAN bodies. Organize its own projects and actively raise funds for the Foundation s activities. Article 15 of the ASEAN Charter provides additional mandate to the ASEAN Foundations as follows: The ASEAN Foundation shall support the Secretary General of ASEAN and collaborate with the relevant ASEAN bodies to support ASEAN community-building by promoting greater awareness of the ASEAN identity, people to people interaction, and close collaboration among the business sector, civil society, academia, and other stakeholders of ASEAN. The ASEAN Foundation shall be accountable to the Secretary General of ASEAN, who shall submit its report to the ASEAN Summit through the ASEAN Coordinating Council. Academic, cultural, economic, social and other relevant government institutions and bona fide non-governmental organizations of ASEAN member countries are eligible for assistance from the Foundation in conformity with its stated objectives. To date, the ASEAN Foundation has funded over 100 projects amounting to about $18 million. Over 18,000 ASEAN nationals have participated in capacity building activities supported by the ASEAN Foundation. As shown in Table 1, the ASEAN Foundation has funded 15 projects on youth and related projects amounting to about $ 2 million. 6

7 Table 1 No Project Title ASEAN Awareness Survey Phase II of the Youth@ASEAN Website ASEAN Awareness Forum and Workshop ASEAN Students Engaging Action for Local and Regional Contribution to Society ASEAN Student Exchange Cost (US$) 40, , , , , ASEAN Student Leader's Summit and Cultural Festival , Second ASEAN Student Leaders, Summit and Cultural Festival 32, Support to 8th ASEAN Science and Technology Week: Scientific Conferences and ASEAN Youth Science Summit 83, Seminar on Urban Youth Work II 59, ASEAN Educational Forum (Student and Faculty Exchange Programme) 30, ASEAN-Japan High School Students Exchange Program 520, High School Exchange Program For Japan And ASEAN II 504, High School Student Exchange Program for Japan and ASEAN III Fourth High School Student Exchange Program for Japan and ASEAN Enhancing Youth Awareness on ASEAN through Information Technology Total 315, , , ,983, In line with its mandate to raise awareness of ASEAN, particularly the youth, the ASEAN Foundation developed a novel and innovative computer video game called ASEAN Quest. The game contains 3 mini-quests and 3 mini-games that lead to the main challenge of building the ASEAN energy grid. As the players play the game, they can get information about the 10 ASEAN countries, including playing their national anthems, viewing various ASEAN heritage sites, and reading important ASEAN documents. The game was developed with funding support from the Japan-ASEAN Solidarity Fund. In July 2008 the ASEAN Foundation officially launched the ASEAN Quest at the ASEAN Youth Science Summit held in Manila in conjunction with the 8 th ASEAN Science and Technology Week in the presence of all the Science Ministers of the ten ASEAN Member Countries. On the second day of the Youth Summit, a game competition was held among the Summit participants. Two young students from Indonesia won first place, followed by students from Thailand at second and Brunei Darussalam at third. 7

8 The game begins with a video showing the ASEAN region hit by a fierce storm that has knocked out major power plants in the region. In response, the ASEAN leaders ask the game player to help solve the problem by setting up power plants located in different countries and connecting into a single ASEAN energy grid. To accomplish this, the players have to complete the 3 sub-quests and 3 mini-games. They may ask help from three ASEAN experts: a Diplomat (also acting as a security specialist), an Economist who is knowledgeable about trade agreements, and a Social Scientist who is also involved with the work of cultural preservation. Before the players can begin, they have to read the ASEAN Declaration, the document that established ASEAN in In the Temple Sub-quest the player is asked to restore a temple that was ruined by the super storm as displayed in the opening video. In the Nuclear Waste Sub-quest the player takes the role of an agent looking for the missing nuclear waste materials that have to be delivered by truck to a safe storage site. In the Pest Spraying Sub-quest, the most exciting and difficult of the three sub-quests, the player is asked to help a farmer eradicate the pests that have infected his field by spraying them with pesticide. At the completion of the subquests, the player can proceed with the mini-games involving the building a hydroelectric power plant, a nuclear power plant and a biofuel power plant by assembling the various plant components and parts. In building the power plants, the players have to enter each ASEAN country. But before they are able to enter, they have to say the word welcome in the language of the country they are entering. Thus to enter Indonesia, they have to know and type salamat dating. This enables them to learn some words in the languages of ASEAN countries. As the players move around inside each country, they can click on particular spots where a heritage site may be located and the image of the site in 180-degree perspective plus a short description of the site will emerge. This enables the players to learn about some of the important heritage sites in ASEAN countries. The game is successfully completed once the players correctly connect the various power plants in ASEAN countries into a single energy grid. This grid is not hypothetical but actually corresponds to the ASEAN Energy Grid agreed upon by the ASEAN Energy Ministers. The players are then given a score and a certificate recognizing their performance. ### 8