Most youths say the benefits received from volunteering are learning to respect others, learning to be helpful and kind, learning to understand people who are different, developing leadership skills, and a better understanding of citizenship.
Various programmes and volunteering platforms provide opportunities for youths to leverage their developments and partnerships. In line with that, Prasand Nair A Mathavan, an active youth ambassador has shared his experience and the benefits of taking part actively in international volunteering platforms. Prasand also recently got appointed as The ASEAN-KOREA Youth Ambassador holding a special place as the only and First Malaysian Indian this year.
During an interview with Varnam Malaysia, Prasand shared what is this ASEAN-KOREA Youth Ambassador about.
Speaking to him, he remarked that ASEAN-Korea Youth Ambassador is an important role for him. The appointed youths act as focal points in their respective countries to carry out the plans/programmes. These initiatives come up for the betterment of the youth. The desired final outcome is to be able to set the foundations strong as the pioneer batch of ambassadors for a platform for all youths across the 11 countries to be able to connect, network, and share opportunities with each other. 
The Asia Exchange Association is a global NGO that supports youth and growth in Asia.
The Asia Exchange Association has been sponsored by ASEAN-Korea Corporation Fund (AKCF) to build up a cooperation network through non-governmental exchanges among young people and hosted the ASEAN-Korea Frontier Forum (AKFF) for the co-prosperity of ASEAN and Korea since 2010. The AKFF marked its 9th program in 2020 and has moved forward to host multi-year projects.
The projects included were :
- Model ASEAN-Korea Summit (2020)
- ASEAN-Korea Political-Security Forum (2021)
- 1st ASEAN Youth Dialogue (2022)
- ASEAN-Korea Economic Forum (2022)
How were the ambassadors picked?
The 28-year-old said the ambassadors are chosen through the programmes conducted by ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund. As for Prasand he was chosen through his participation in the 1st ASEAN Youth Dialogue (2022). Each programme has its respective alumnus and 22 were appointed as ambassadors for the next 2 years.
A social gathering was held from February 21 to 23, 2023, in Seoul, the Republic of Korea inviting 22 alumni from the programmes above. “We are all now appointed as ASEAN-KOREA Youth Ambassador (AKYA), 2 from each ASEAN member states and the Republic of Korea (a total of 11 countries involved)” he explained.
What is the benefit of platforms like this?
Every youth stands an equal opportunity to become a fundamentally effective individual in any area of their choosing. However, there is a need to bridge the gap between more talents and relevant platforms that could guide youths to pursue their dreams. The impact has to reach more youths regardless of their social status and has to create sustainability by snowball effect from our benefactors to more youths.
Youths volunteer abroad for all sorts of reasons and there are programmes that cater to all needs. Besides all the fun, volunteering abroad is a chance to grow and discover new things.
One of the greatest benefits of volunteering abroad is the memories you’ll make. Youths have to be able to seize opportunities and make good use of them to see what’s out and beyond.
“So I’m leaving the youths with a quest to find their ‘Why’ and invest their energy into it, and the ‘How’ falls in place. Till then stay humble, stay hungry, and keep hustling”- Prasand Nair A Mathavan
Check out Prasand’s ASEAN-KOREA Youth Ambassador social gathering visit to South Korea below:
Source : (1)
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