eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN (eYAA) is a flagship youth development programme by the ASEAN Foundation, in partnership with Maybank Foundation. It aims to nurture socially responsible young leaders by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and platforms to drive impactful community initiatives across the region.

Launched in 2018, the programme brings together youth from all ten ASEAN Member States to tackle pressing regional challenges. Through regional orientation and capacity-building workshops, participants learn to design and implement development-focused projects and lead meaningful public awareness campaigns.

Now in its fifth cycle, eYAA fosters leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and community engagement through experiential learning and collaboration. Initially piloted in three ASEAN countries, it has expanded to six: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand with Viet Nam set to join in 2025. The programme creates an inclusive space where youth work alongside civil society organisations to co-create solutions that address local community needs.

Operating within a development framework guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint, and the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth, eYAA ensures that its initiatives are aligned with regional and global priorities.

To date, eYAA has empowered 400 youth volunteers and partnered with 31 civil society organisations to deliver impactful projects in areas such as Arts and Culture, Community Empowerment, education, and Environmental Sustainability, positively reaching over 89,000 beneficiaries across ASEAN.