ASEAN Foundation, with support from the United States Mission to ASEAN and Google.org, proudly officiated today 20 members of the ASEAN Youth Advisory Group (ASEAN YAG) who will lead an awareness-raising campaign to combat misinformation and disinformation across ASEAN. The inauguration was held in Jakarta on Friday (7/10/2022).

“These 20 young changemakers will stand at the forefront of our efforts in strengthening the digital literacy skills of ASEAN citizens, transforming them into agents of change that can combat online misinformation and disinformation,” said Dr. Yang Mee Eng, executive director of ASEAN Foundation, at the momentous event.

The members were chosen from hundreds of candidates hailing from various ASEAN countries to become the voice to bridge the gap between grassroot communities and the international platform to raise awareness of the importance of digital literacy in their communities through a creative, and, most importantly, localized approach. This event is an important one for Indonesia, as the country begins the position of chairmanship of ASEAN for 2023.

Faransina Olivia Rumere and Nissi Taruli Felicia were chosen as the two representatives from Indonesia, with both having prior experiences working with deaf and marginalized people in the country. Before carrying out their role as members of ASEAN YAG, they will receive a series of capacity building that will equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct successful campaigns.

The inauguration marked an important milestone for ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme (ASEAN DLP), a 2-year regional initiative that aims to build stronger digital literacy among the people. With the support of a US$1.5 million grant from Google.org, ASEAN DLP will lead the implementation of the program, equipping more than 1,000 trainers across 10 member countries with media and information-literacy skills who will in turn train 100,000 beneficiaries in local communities.

“We are proud to support the ASEAN Foundation in empowering people across the region with crucial media-literacy skills that will be key in enabling them to remain vigilant as they navigate an increasingly online world. There is no doubt that the youth leaders and changemakers appointed today will play a pivotal role in reaching deep within their communities to leverage various technologies and empower themselves, as well as those around them, to tackle misinformation. We are looking forward to the strides that this initiative will bring in creating a safer digital space within the ASEAN region,” said Marija Ralic, lead for Google.org APAC.   

“This is a world-class program.  Through the campaigns this Youth Advisory Group creates and the education, training and digital upskilling provided by the ASEAN Foundation and supported by Google.org, more than 100,000 people of all ages and experience levels over the next two years will be given the tools and knowledge they need to fight back against misinformation. This partnership, which was announced at the May US-ASEAN Special Summit, is yet another example of the commitment of the American people to Southeast Asia,” said US ambassador to ASEAN, Yohannes Abraham.

The event was also attended by 30 key stakeholders in the region, including 15 partners that will help make ASEAN DLP a success based on prior experiences of working with vulnerable communities. Attendees were able to hear speeches from ASEAN foundation and the US Mission to ASEAN, followed by a talk show about the power of information, the trend on disinformation today and how to become a smart digital citizen. The panel was made up of Arianne Santoso from Google Indonesia, crowned Miss International Indonesia 2022 Cindy May McGuire and Nissi Taruli Felicia as representative from the ASEAN YAG.

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