PETALING JAYA: Maybank Foundation, the social impact arm of Maybank Group, and the Asean Foundation recently launched eMpowering Youths Across Asean (eYAA): Cohort 6, marking a significant expansion of the regional youth volunteer programme.
The four-day regional capacity building workshop held at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok brought together 110 youth volunteers and representatives from civil society organisations and social enterprises from across Asean.
This year’s cohort represents two important milestones for the programme – for the first time, Laos joined as an implementing country and Timor-Leste’s accession as Asean’s 11th member state led to an increase in the number of youth volunteers from 100 to 110.
The eYAA workshop served as a platform for volunteer teams to finalise 10 community projects that will be implemented across eight Asean countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Asean Foundation executive director Dr Piti Srisangnam said, “Cohort 6 reflects Asean as it is today, with 11 member states, eight implementing countries, and a generation of young people who are co-designing solutions with local communities rather than simply delivering them.
What makes eYAA distinctive is that every project begins with a local organisation that deeply understands its community, and every volunteer enters as a partner, not a visitor. From Vietnam in Cohort 5 to Laos in Cohort 6, our expansion is deliberate, and every step is built to last.”
As a long-term partner with Asean Foundation since 2018, Maybank Foundation continues to support the programme with grant funding of up to US$ 25,000 per project team.
Maybank Group chief sustainability officer Datuk Shahril Azuar Jimin said, ““Since the inception of eYAA, we have seen young changemakers go beyond volunteering to become catalysts for meaningful community transformation across Asean. Their ability to connect with local communities, understand real challenges and drive solutions embodies the spirit of positive social impact.
“At Maybank, this aligns closely with our ROAR30 commitments to impact society positively and create value beyond banking. Together with the Asean Foundation, we continue to build a platform that empowers youth to turn passion into action and ideas into tangible outcomes, leading to real life impact for communities.”
A key development in Cohort 6 is the introduction of two new alumni engagement initiatives: the Alumni as Mentors Programme and the Alumni Accelerator Programme. Through Alumni as Mentors, selected alumni from previous cohorts will provide cultural orientation, local insights, and peer support to this year’s volunteers. Meanwhile, the Alumni Accelerator Programme offers grants of up to US$2,500 to alumni-led project teams, enabling them to design and implement their own community initiatives.
Since inception, eYAA has empowered 482 youth volunteers, implemented 50 community projects and directly benefited over 114,465 individuals across Asean.
The 10 projects in Cohort 6 address critical issues including climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, waste management, cultural heritage preservation and women’s economic empowerment.
For instance, in Malaysia, Fly Technology Agriculture Sdn Bhd will run the Asean Guru Innovation Challenge in Kuching, Sarawak. The project empowers teachers as key drivers of sustainability education through innovation grants, training, and three-month attachments of Asean youth volunteers. It helps embed sustainability topics into routine classroom teaching while strengthening institutional support from the Natural Resources and Environment Board.
Following the workshop, the 110 youth volunteers are deployed to their respective project sites across eight Asean countries in the coming weeks. Each team will live and work alongside local communities for two weeks, co-developing solutions and building lasting connections.
Supported by clear continuity plans developed together with their local partner organisations, the volunteers are expected to leave behind not only completed activities, but also stronger local capacity and renewed hope within the communities they serve.
