Youth Model ASEAN Conference 2025

Background: Why I Joined YMAC

As a digital media and communications student, I'm passionate about storytelling through visuals. This year, I had the incredible opportunity to take my skills beyond the classroom and apply them in a vibrant, international setting. In August 2024, I was thrilled to be appointed as the outreach team lead for YMAC 2025.

YMAC, a prestigious 13-year-old international conference, brings together young minds from Singapore's various polytechnics and ASEAN's leading institutions to simulate an ASEAN Summit. Delegates step into the roles of diplomats, researching, debating, and proposing solutions to critical regional issues, with this year's focus on environmental sustainability. What made YMAC 2025 truly unique was Singapore Polytechnic's collaboration with Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) in Indonesia, marking the first overseas YMAC.

Our outreach team, a mix of 10 students from Singapore and Indonesia (shoutout to Swan Yee Htet, Haotian Yi, Afifah Hasina, Ardo, Thio, Matthew, Evo, Hailary, Vincent, Fillmore & Syafa'ah), was tasked with managing the design and social media aspects of this event. I led the social media team and delegated the design duties to Swan, the other outreach lead. Managing a cross-cultural team across different time zones, while juggling academic commitments, was challenging.

Representing SP meant that our output had to be of the highest quality. So, we paid meticulous attention to detail. From colour combination to typography and logo designs, everything had to be consistent. Thankfully, our mentor, Ms. Nadine, provided guidance throughout this six-month journey. After several revisions, our designs were finally approved, and we launched YMAC's social media presence on 24 January 2025.

Follow our socials to see our work!

YMAC officially commenced with its virtual day on 17 March 2025. Swan and I created a comprehensive document with story ideas and post designs to reduce the risk of a delay in our posts.

Capturing the Moments: Photography at YMAC

Swan and I eventually made the trip to UPH. Despite being in a foreign environment, we were warmly welcomed by our Indonesian hosts, who introduced us to their rich cuisine and culture. We quickly forged strong bonds with our new friends.

Our mission was to capture the heart of YMAC: the collaboration, lively debates, and cultural exchange. I was impressed by the UPH student team's professionalism and their extensive resources. They had a 9-member strong team and were well equipped with drones, gimbals, DSLRs and more!

The 5-day conference was a whirlwind of activity, with a constant stream of VIPs. The outreach team worked as a cohesive unit, strategically positioned to capture every moment. All our footage was consolidated into a shared Google Drive. Swan and I captured photos & created short videos for social media content while the UPH team created a stunning summary video. The video perfectly encapsulates the energy and passion that defined YMAC.

Managing the Social Media Presence

Our social media strategy focused on real-time impact. We aimed to keep our followers engaged with daily updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses such as interviews with delegates. The delegates’ interview video, in particular, received the highest number of likes, showing that people were interested to hear from the participants' POV. During the conference, the number of followers on our social media channels grew by more than 30%! It felt satisfying to see engagement increasing with each post!

I consolidated all these data into a spreadsheet and analysed our key metrics, before sharing with Ms Nadine. These findings will be useful to the next outreach team supporting YMAC 2026.

Our posts gained traction during YMAC!

Reflections and Takeaways

There were many highlights for me during this trip. One key highlight was visiting the ASEAN Secretariat in person. Witnessing the speakers' confidence and vision for strengthening ASEAN ties assured me that Singapore is well-governed and cooperates well with our ASEAN neighbors. It also inspired me to deepen my understanding of the region.

Mr Lee Yoong Yoong (Director of Community Affairs Directorate, in the ASEAN Secretariat) sharing his insights

Seeing the delegates' passion and commitment in-person was such a treat! Their wit, articulate arguments and collaborative spirit demonstrated the power of youth to drive positive change. YMAC reinforced my belief in the transformative impact of youth engagement. I extend my sincere gratitude to the organisers, delegates, and my hardworking outreach team for this meaningful experience.

Click on the image carousel above to see more pics!

YMAC 2025 was more than just a conference; it was a platform for cultivating the next generation of ASEAN leaders. If you are a young leader, or simply someone who believes in the power of youth to drive change, do check out YMAC. Together, we can be the change we want to see!

Be inspired, be engaged, and be part of shaping ASEAN's future.

Chia Howie

31 March 2025

TLDR

Represented SP as the Outreach team leader for YMAC 2025, flew to Indonesia, managed the conference's social media channels, made new friends and had wonderful cross-cultural experiences.