YSEALI Bootcamp Trains Southeast Asia’s Top Creators

Sixty content creators from 11 Southeast Asian countries gained new skills in storytelling, digital safety, and brand development during the Creators Co-Lab: Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Bootcamp for Digital Creators held from May 28 to June 1 in Manila.

Organized by the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines in partnership with Out of the Box Media Literacy Initiative, the workshop featured sessions on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, brand development, and intellectual property protection.

Speakers included food content creator Abi Marquez, known as the “Lumpia Queen,” journalist Jacque Manabat, and cybersecurity expert Carlos Ely Tiongson.

Participants also visited the Manila offices of U.S. technology companies Microsoft and Meta to explore emerging tools in social media analytics and community-building.

Collectively, the 60 content creators have a following of more than 15 million across various digital platforms.

Ten of the participants are from the Philippines, while others hail from Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.

At the closing ceremony on May 31, U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson emphasized the importance of using social media to engage and inform audiences.

“Social media is no longer a nice-to-have item,” said Carlson.

“People of all ages are turning to social media for information. You have an incredibly powerful platform to inform, educate, and positively influence people in your home countries and around the world.”

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga, ambassadors and representatives from Southeast Asian embassies, and several Filipino social media personalities also attended the event.

Cambodian content creator Pireach Yin, also known as Coco, praised the program’s workshops and visits for strengthening digital skills, building leadership, and fostering lasting regional friendships.

“I hope the connections we’ve made, the insights we’ve gained, and the inspiration we’ve drawn will stay with us long after this program is over,” he said.

YSEALI is the U.S. government’s flagship program to strengthen leadership and networking among Southeast Asians ages 18 to 35.

Since its launch in 2013, YSEALI has empowered Southeast Asian youth through U.S. educational and cultural exchanges, small grants competitions, and regional workshops like the Creators Co-Lab.

All bootcamp participants will join the YSEALI alumni network, which includes nearly 7,000 members, and the broader U.S. exchange alumni community of over 2.2 million worldwide—including heads of state and Nobel laureates.

For more information about YSEALI programs, visit www.yseali.state.gov.