YouthAsia Executive Director Khailee Ng to Discuss SEACHANGE YOUTH REPORT Based on Survey of up to 1 Million Youth, To be Released at Historic Youth Gathering in Kuala Lumpur, November 16-17

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Khailee Ng, executive director of YouthAsia, will be in Washington, DC, October 12-15, 2009, to discuss how and why Southeast Asia's more than 200 million young people (aged 15-35) are advocating for and leading change on such issues as the environment, healthcare, education and economic opportunity - and why this is important to Americans.

WHO, WHEN and WHERE: Mr. Ng (pronounced "Ing"), 25, is executive director of YouthAsia and director of youth communities for the inaugural Youth Engagement Summit (YES) 2009. He is a specialist in the changing attitudes, perceptions and the use of social media among young people throughout Southeast Asia.

WHY: Ng is in Washington to Oct. 12-15 to speak with media about three interrelated topics:

• Youth Engagement Summit (YES) 2009 - An unprecedented gathering of some 6,000 youth from across the region in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 16 and 17, 2009, YES 2009 will be simulcast via satellite to thousands more at leading universities in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila and Singapore. The event will feature presentations from a variety of global change icons, business and political leaders. More information at www.yes2009.asia.
• SEACHANGE Youth Report - A compilation and analysis of the opinions of a projected 1 million youths from across Southeast Asia, collected via an online survey which has already captured the voices of nearly 200,000. Respondents are asked to identify changes they would like to see in their communities and countries as well as in their personal lives. Ng will preview the report, which will be released at YES 2009. More information at www.yes2009.asia/seaforchange.php#.
  

WHAT: Ng's preliminary analysis of SEACHANGE Youth Report show the youth of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, and Philippines are:

• Well-connected on the Internet; nearly 90 percent today have access.
• Inspired by the historic 2008 campaign of President Obama and his call for change.
• Advocates for social change in areas of similar concern to young Americans, including: climate change, racial divides, gender disparities, poverty alleviation and access to quality healthcare.
  

BACKGROUND: Khailee Ng's unique experience and understanding of the Internet, and how youths use and experience the Internet, has led him to pioneer online platforms adopted by hundreds and thousands of people, organizing their collective power to make things happen.

He has been organizing youth communities since his student days, and has led student movements in music and activism which garnered international recognition and various awards. He is the only Malaysian to win the Asian HSBC Young Entrepreneur Award.

Ng completed his degree in business at the top 2% of his class, having studied in Sydney, San Francisco State and UC Berkeley.

Following graduation, Ng worked with Mindvalley, where he mobilized online communities in the US and UK with entrepreneurs and technologists from 16 countries, winning the international award for the Most Democratic Workplace. With his experience, he went on to build Malaysia's largest youth opinion community, in which more than 160,000 youths collaborate with leading brands on research, mass activation, and festivals.

SOURCE YES 2009