Hosted by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF), the opening ceremony of the 2025 SEASAT Youth Camp took place today, July 14, at the GIS NTU Convention Center in Taipei. This year’s camp welcomes 45 young and emerging leaders, aged 18 to 29, from Taiwan, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and other like-minded countries—representing a total of 16 nations.
The opening ceremony featured distinguished guests, including Chairman Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao from TAEF, Deputy Director-General Johnny Hung-Hsun Lin of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Director Jeff Otto of Fellowships and Next-Gen Programs at the Pacific Forum, and Executive Director Alan Hao Yang from TAEF.
Chairman Hsiao opened the Youth Camp by highlighting its contributions to the ongoing efforts to enforce regional youth exchange and collaboration under the New Southbound Policy Plus (NSP+), emphasizing the program’s growing regional impact. He described the Youth Camp as a reflection of TAEF’s “firm commitment to nurture meaningful cross-cultural exchange and empower the next generation.” This year marks a major milestone for TAEF, as the camp welcomes its largest and most diverse cohort since 2018—45 outstanding young leaders from Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and beyond. Hsiao noted that the diversity and interest shown in this year’s camp demonstrate the “increasing global engagement with Taiwan’s democratic values and leadership in the Indo-Pacific”. The expanded four-day program this year aligns with the newly launched NSP+ Youth Corridor. Hsiao also announced that select participants will be invited to the Yushan Forum, TAEF’s high-level regional dialogue platform, encouraging delegates to engage “with curiosity, empathy, and courage” and carry forward their experience as global citizens committed to positive change.
Deputy Director-General Johnny Hung-Hsun Lin of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warmly welcomed participants to the Youth Camp, now in its 7th year. He emphasized Taiwan’s commitment to youth empowerment and international exchange, noting that since 2019, over 300 young leaders from across the Indo-Pacific have joined the Friends of Taiwan network through this camp. "We view youth as the hope of the future, whether in Taiwan or around the world," Lin stated, highlighting that the Ministry has significantly expanded scholarship and internship programs for global youth. Addressing this year's theme, Lin described it as timely, especially as the world navigates rapid technological and geopolitical changes. He encouraged participants to engage deeply in discussions on AI governance, youth movements, human rights, and global strategy, adding, “You will find your own answer by yourself through the discussions.” Lin expressed appreciation to TAEF and the Pacific Forum for their co-organization and reiterated his hope that the Youth Camp will serve as a meaningful beginning for deeper ties with Taiwan.
Director Jeff Otto expressed heartfelt gratitude to participate in the Youth Camp, describing it as a "wonderful" opportunity for youth exchange. Reflecting on his visit to the Yushan Forum in March—where President Lai Ching-te delivered a keynote and the Pacific Forum signed an MOU with the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation—Otto highlighted how this partnership began with meaningful encounters, including a joint roundtable and historic walking tour with the 2024 Youth Camp delegation. “Your voices are important,” Otto emphasized, noting that tackling the world’s most pressing challenges requires the ideas, creativity, and effort of emerging leaders. Encouraging participants to engage actively, he added, “The connections you make this week will aid you in these endeavors, and many of you will become lifelong friends.” He closed his remarks by inviting participants to approach him during the camp for further dialogue: “I look forward to listening to the exchange of ideas—and learning from you.” Otto ended with a warm and inclusive message: “Thank you, Mahalo, Xie Xie (謝謝) and Jiayou （加油）.”
The 2025 SEASAT Youth Camp runs from today, July 14, through Thursday, July 17, providing young leaders with a platform to engage in meaningful dialogue with distinguished figures from Taiwan and abroad. The opening session features prominent speakers including Min-Hsuan Wu, Co-founder and CEO of Doublethink Lab; Chiayo Kuo, Founder and President of the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association; and Patrick Kurniawan, Research Fellow under the MOFA Taiwan Fellowship. Together, they explored Taiwan’s approach to digital governance and examined the challenges and opportunities presented by the rise of artificial intelligence.
A special session opened to public titled "Human Rights In Asia: A Multigenerational Dialogue: Understanding the Current State of Human Rights in the Changing World Order" will take place tomorrow (15 July), featuring an esteemed panel: Wang Yu-Ling, Vice Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission; Marcin Jerzewski, Head of the European Values Center for Security Policy Taiwan Office; You-Hao Lai, Non-resident Fellow at the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET); Yeh-Chung Lu, Vice President of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy; E-Ling Chiu, National Director of Amnesty International Taiwan; and two youth representatives—Paul Sigar, CEO of the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership, and Thi Hoai Anh Le, a Master’s student at the University of Padova.
Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the Presidential Office, the National Human Rights Museum, and take part in a walking tour of Dadaocheng. During the visit to the Human Rights Museum, TAEF is honoured to welcome Yao Chia-wen, Senior Advisor to the President of the Republic of China, who will engage in a meaningful dialogue with the youth delegates.
The camp is held in partnership with eight of TAEF’s international partners, including the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership (AASYP), Asia New Zealand Foundation, Students for Europe-Asia Relations (STEAR), the Nippon Foundation, Pijar Foundation, Vietnam School of Global Opportunities, the International Affairs Department of the Democratic Progressive Party, and the Office of International Affairs at National Taiwan University. Each institution nominated representative delegates, further enriching the discussions throughout the program.
