Program Info

The Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP) brings sixty young people from Southeast Asia to the US each year through a US Department of State grant. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Public Affairs Sections (PAS) of the U.S. Embassies in the participating countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) support the participation of teenagers and adult educators in an intensive, substantive three-week exchange program in the United States. The program’s focus is on the themes of civic education, leadership, tolerance and respect for diversity, and community engagement. The students and educators participate in a variety of activities, including interactive workshops, community service activities, meetings with community leaders, and discussion groups, among others, and have opportunities for substantive interaction with each other and their American peers.

For more details about program goals, you can go to Program Goals. In addition to these long-term goals, SEAYLP alumni agree to carry out an Civic Action Plan in their countries and continue their service often beyond this. Visit SEAYLP Successes to learn more about what participants have done in their communities.

Participants engage in courses and workshops on environmental sustainability, supporting vulnerable groups, entrepreneurship and economic growth (these were our Thematic Groups), leadership, teambuilding, and cultural diversity, concluding with a four-day study tour of the nation’s capital. The program utilizes an active approach that includes: community service field trips to US sites and schools group projects classes American family home stays engagement with community members in and around NIU Several American high school students join SEAYLP participants for a three-day  Global Youth Leaders Camp  in Oregon, Illinois. Like their Southeast Asian counterparts, these students will act as ambassadors for their country and represent the bright opportunities of a globalized future. US participants should have experience in community service and leadership and an eagerness to work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

For many participants, the  host family experienc e  is the most meaningful part of their time here. Host homes provide a place for participants to develop one-on-one relationships with Americans, to understand the diversity of American culture, and to discover how alike (and how different) our families are.

At its heart, SEAYLP is a community effort and an opportunity for the USA and northern Illinois to connect to Southeast Asia. If you are interested in other opportunities to meet or volunteer with SEAYLP, there are several options to participate. For this and any questions related to SEAYLP, please contact our program staff by email at seaylp@niu.edu.