Description
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Timor-Leste of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to develop and implement a five-day regional workshop (inclusive of arrival and departure days) in Timor-Leste on “Advancing Agribusiness Digital Marketing” for the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), pending the availability of funds. The “Advancing Agribusiness Digital Marketing” regional workshop will bring together 50 participants from ASEAN and Timor-Leste who have agricultural, business, economic, and marketing backgrounds. The workshop will empower young agribusiness entrepreneurs to contribute to post-COVID economic recovery and development by identifying challenges to developing and growing a sustainable agribusiness, developing potential local and regional market opportunities, and crafting and deploying digital marketing strategies to expand market share and economic prosperity. Additionally, participants will have the chance to join cultural activities, networking events, and site visits. This would be the first in-person YSEALI regional workshop held in Timor-Leste since the country was admitted to the YSEALI program in 2018. Agriculture is one of the main economic foundations in Timor-Leste and most ASEAN countries. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, many emerging agribusinesses lost burgeoning economic opportunities and connectivity to local and regional markets for their products, causing huge financial losses, particularly for young agribusiness entrepreneurs. With a significant youth bulge in Timor-Leste and many ASEAN countries, expanding economic opportunities tied to sustainable agriculture is an important means to support economic recovery and long-term economic diversification. The focus on digital marketing is critical to support agribusiness entrepreneurs to grow their businesses by directly accessing market opportunities and motivating them to improve product quality and added value. Priority Region: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste. Program Objectives: YSEALI (yseali.state.gov) is the U.S. government’s signature initiative to engage emerging leaders in Southeast Asia. The program aims to create a network of young Southeast Asian leaders who work across national borders to solve common problems. Through a variety of programs and engagements, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture a community of leaders who work across borders to solve shared issues. YSEALI is open to young leaders ages 18-35 who are both citizens and residents of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) or Timor-Leste. Responding to priorities from youth in the ASEAN region, YSEALI programs focus on four themes (Economic Growth, Sustainable Development, Education, and Civic Engagement). One component of YSEALI is the annual Regional Workshops held across Southeast Asia on strategic topics. This regional workshop on “Advancing Agribusiness Digital Marketing” will advance the YSEALI theme of empowering young entrepreneurs to contribute to post-COVID economic recovery and development. It also promotes U.S. strategic goals of expanding economic prosperity and opportunity in Timor-Leste and advancing a more connected and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The proposal should include a pre- and post-workshop survey to measure the overall effectiveness of the workshop as well as any changes to the participants’ knowledge of the workshop topic. The YSEALI regional workshop on “Advancing Agribusiness Digital Marketing” is open to emerging leaders aged 18-35 who are both citizens and resident of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and Timor-Leste. Responding to priorities from youth in the ASEAN region, the YSEALI program focus on four themes: Economic Growth, Sustainable development, Education, and Civic Engagement. Grant Information · Total available funding: $200,000. · Awards amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $75,000 to a maximum of 200,000. Subject to availability of funding. · Length of performance period: 6-12 months · Anticipated program start date: October 2022 The proposal should include workshop follow-on activities such as virtual collaborative work, projects funded through small seed grants, or ongoing mentorship. The follow-on activity should be included in the monitoring and evaluation plan. The proposal should include a pre and post workshop survey to measure the overall effectiveness of the workshop as well as any changes to the participants’ knowledge of the workshop topic. The concepts of leadership, giving back, and strengthening a Southeast Asian/ASEAN identity based on shared values and shared challenges should be integrated into the program. Workshop speakers/facilitators/mentors should be citizens of the United States, an ASEAN member country, or Timor-Leste. The recipient is expected to develop syllabus materials and an event program with participant and speaker biographies, as well as design banners, backdrops, and other printed materials. The recipient is expected to design a digital engagement strategy for workshop participants and social media audiences, including live video or live online engagement during the program. No new website specific to the event should be created or launched. Domain, hosting and build costs will not be covered. Participants and Audiences: The recipient will coordinate with U.S. Embassy Timor-Leste and with the U.S. embassies in ASEAN and Timor-Leste to recruit and select 50 participants. Participants will be between the ages of 18-35 years old and ideally have interest and some experience in agribusiness, entrepreneurism, agriculture development, marketing, or other relevant fields. The program should ensure gender balance and encourage YSEALI members from diverse backgrounds to apply. All participants must be proficient in written and spoken English. All programs must include participants from all ten ASEAN member countries and Timor-Leste. The workshop will be conducted in English. The recipient will be responsible for arranging and using cooperative agreement funds to cover all elements related to participant and staff travel including international and domestic flights, visas, travel to and from airports, visas, accommodations, per diem, meals during the program, insurance, etc. Full application available here: https://tl.usembassy.gov/embassy/dili/grants/