ASEAN Youth Volunteer Forum 2025

12 July 2025

Our amazing booth! (YELL, July 2025)

The ASEAN Youth Volunteer Forum 2025, themed “ASEAN Youth: Catalysts for Inclusive and Sustainable Communities”, brought together passionate young changemakers from across the region to celebrate and strengthen the spirit of youth volunteerism. Held at Sasana Kijang, Kuala Lumpur, the forum created a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration on community-based climate action and sustainable development.

Connecting with ASEAN Youth

YELL participated as an exhibitor, presenting its initiatives such as Conservocation and Exploraction alongside inspiring projects by YELL Seed Grantees. Visitors to the YELL booth also took part in the National Youth Climate Change Survey and learned about the upcoming ASEAN Youth Leaders for Inclusion in Nature and Environment (A-LINE) workshop.

Throughout the day, more than 700 participants attended the forum, with 82 visitors engaging directly with YELL’s booth and activities. Many youths shared their interest in volunteering but expressed uncertainty about where to begin, especially when their studies or careers are unrelated to environmental fields. University students showed strong enthusiasm for conservation, community service, and cross-border youth collaboration across ASEAN.
 

Partcipants learning all about YELL's core programmes (YELL, July 2025)

The event concluded with a closing ceremony hosted by Puan Azura, Director General of the Department of Youth and Sports, where YELL received a token of appreciation for its contribution. Moving forward, YELL plans to share more volunteering opportunities on social media and create more flexible channels for communities to connect, collaborate, and take part in sustainable action.
 

Outcome: 

• Over 120 youth representatives, volunteers, and youth leaders from ASEAN member states attended and benefitted from the forum. 
• Participants gained a deeper understanding of how to initiate and sustain volunteer efforts, particularly in climate action and community development, and improved their knowledge of cross-border collaboration and inclusive youth engagement strategies. 
• The forum also fostered new connections among ASEAN youth networks and inspired plans for sustained collaboration through shared communication platforms and volunteer exchange programmes.