The Mini Fund for Youth program is ASEAN Youth Forum’s annual program under the CODP (Community Outreach & Development Program) Division. It is designed to provide seed grants and capacity building support to AYF youth network in Southeast Asia. It is an opportunity for youth to engage in grassroots movement and voice their concerns related to human rights issues. This year, there are two Grantees, Cezario from Espasu Ativista Community (Timor-Leste), and Phio from See Us, Listen Us, Hear Us Project (Myanmar). Since June 2024, they have been preparing and executing their project. Today, let’s celebrate their project completion by reading and watching the result of their work below.

1. See Us, Listen Us, Hear Us Project (Documentary Film and Research Report)

Grantee Testimony on Mini Fund for Youth Program 2024

Phio, See Us, Listen Us, Hear Us Project Team Lead

“I will recommend this program if you are looking to implement something interesting related to human rights issues as a young person.”

Nicky, See Us, Listen Us, Hear Us Project Member

“The program was an empowering experience that provided us with the resources and support to bring attention to critical human rights and socio-economic issues affecting Myanmar youth. Through this project, we gained valuable research, advocacy, and media production skills. The opportunity to create a documentary film not only amplified our voices but also helped us make a tangible impact. I highly recommend the program to young changemakers looking to address social issues and drive meaningful change in their communities.”

1. Documentary Film: 
   1. The objective of this documentary film is to bring awareness to the situation of young migrants from Myanmar who reside in Thailand. The See Us, Hear Us, Hear Us project team reached out to four young individuals including students, a legal worker, and a freelancer. The stories revolve around their experience of hardships in Thailand and the challenges they encounter while allowing the international community to hear their stories.
   2. The stories of Paing Htet, Pone Chan, Wayne, and Peter highlight the struggles faced by young people from Myanmar due to political and social challenges. Paing Htet’s experience sheds light on the difficulties of identification and accessing education in refugee camps, where opportunities and resources are scarce. Pone Chan’s story emphasizes the impact of the unstable political situation and security concerns on her family living in Thailand, while calling for international support for young people in similar situations. Wayne and Peter share concerns about an uncertain future, career prospects, and the discrimination linked to citizenship issues, all of which are intricately connected to Myanmar’s political landscape. Watch the Video here!

Respondent Testimony:

“Participating in this project has been a meaningful experience for me. Sharing my story about life after the Myanmar coup, I was able to reflect on the challenges my family and I have faced and the ways we are managing to survive day by day. The interview gave me a chance to voice my thoughts on the coup’s impact, especially on young people like myself who are now uncertain about our future. Through this project, I hope my story can help others understand what it’s like to be a young person in Myanmar during these times. I also hope it provides encouragement to those going through similar struggles, reminding them that they are not alone.” – P.Chan

1. Research Report: The Effect of Military Coup on Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) Participating University Students in Myanmar Read the Report here!

2. Espasu Ativista (In-person Workshop)

Grantee Testimony on Mini Fund for Youth Program 2024

Cezario Cesar, Espasu Ativista Coordinator, Timor Leste

“Learned a lot from this Mini Fund Project, especially the way how we organize the youth to be more aware about the Human rights issues, bringing the youth to learn about what happened in the past, and teaching them how to not repeat what has happened in the past. Overall I learned a lot about communication, leadership, time management, organizing a workshop, teamwork, etc.”

On 14-15 September 2024, Espasu Ativista, held a Youth Human Rights Defenders Workshop in Dili, Timor-Leste. The workshop addressed the theme “Together We Advocate to Break the Cycle of Discrimination Against Survivors of Sexual Violence from Past Conflicts and Children Born of War.” 

A total of 50 youths under 30 years old attend the two-day workshop that consists of various topics, one of which is the Methodology of Approaching & Documentation that was delivered by Amandina. Moreover, one important guest, Seven Plus (g7+, an international organization based in Dili that focuses on conflict prevention) also shared about their study exchange in Rwanda and Cambodia, that focus on how those countries are breaking the discrimination among their society, and building national unity to develop their country. 

Aside from that, the AYF’s Social Media & Campaign Division were given the opportunity to present in one of the sessions, which is about Digital Literacy & Media Advocacy. The session aims to expand participants’ understanding of how digital literacy can enhance campaign strategies. Efraim, the main facilitator of the session, who is a former campaigner from Change.org who is now part of Komunitas Bijak and Kenapa Harus Peduli, shared valuable insights on starting effective campaigns. 

Workshop Participants Testimony:

“The two-day workshop was closely related to the situation in Timor-Leste, starting with the presentations from the speakers, including Amandina’s presentation and the session from AYF. On the second day, the discussions focused on human rights and public policy. I feel proud because I had the opportunity to learn alongside friends who come from different backgrounds but share a positive mindset in the fight for a better Timor-Leste.” – Anonymous

“Personally, happy and interested because have a change to learn and enhance my knowledge and capabilities, especially regarding to the human rights. The subjects that really new for me were, research methodology and human rights. The facilitator were great and really attract us to learn. My suggestion is keep continue this workshop because it is good and burning the spirit of the youth to fight for the truth, especially fight for the rights of the people.” – Anonymous