From Vietnam to the World | One minute with APYE Alumnus

After APYE 2019, Khanh Minh, an ardent Vietnamese postgrad student in Thailand, was selected as one of the honoured delegates in China’s Asia Pacific Forum on Youth Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, continuing to pursuit her passion in social entrepreneurship and community development.

We had the opportunity to document Khanh Minh’s sharing about her journey “from Vietnam to the World” after APYE 2019. Knowledge, local and international exposures, and lasting friendships are among the highlights.

“My journey with APYE started in July 2019 when I became a delegate of the first Asia Pacific Youth Exchange (APYE) Vietnam. During the 14-day exchange program, I was exposed to several pressing social, economic and environmental issues in my country which has urged me to take action. I had the opportunity to better understand the social entrepreneurship landscape in Vietnam and other participants’ countries. What even more valuable is the chance to immerse in the local community, diagnose local problems and draft solutions that could empower changes. Knowledge and experience aside, the friendships, having been nurtured and flourished since APYE, are priceless - they have become my source of inspiration and knowledge and helped build up my network for future collaboration.

An immersion session with local children at a rural village in northern Vietnam

Following APYE, I was honored to be selected for the Asia-Pacific Forum on Youth Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (APF-YLIE) in Guangzhou in early November. While APYE was a hands-on, highly-exposed experience, APF-YLIE offered me a platform to advance and extend my network in the field. I had the chance to mingle and learn from young leaders across the Asia-Pacific region, all of whom work on a diverse range of fields and fronts, from promoting cultural identity for minority groups, utilizing AI for governance, empowering women in career decision to nurturing young social entrepreneurial initiatives. It was truly an inspiring journey for me, emerging in the spirit and understanding the role of youth in driving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Khanh Minh and a fellow delegate at China's Asia Pacific Forum

Reflecting on my journey, I realize that APYE is where it all started. From the program, I have learnt about compassion and inspiration, and cultivated a sense of responsibility towards our shared planet. I highly recommend APYE to young people who are motivated to solve problems and would like to make changes to the beloved world we live in!”

And you? Are you ready to start your journey to the world? The application for APYE 2020 is now open. Check out more information here: https://www.apyevietnam.org/application

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