KUALA LUMPUR: Effective youth participation in efforts that promote diversity are essential for national development, says Youth and Sports Ministry deputy secretary-general Ramona Mohd Razali.

She said programmes that promote diversity and inclusiveness among youth leaders such as the Young South-East Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) are important.

"Programmes such as YSEALI will assist all Malaysian youths, regardless of their circumstances, to reach their highest potential and enable them to develop comprehensive inclusive solutions to help the country recover from the effects of current global events.

"This is in line with our recent initiative, the New Youth Development Model 2030, that seeks to streamline diverse youth empowerment into the national and global agenda," she added in her speech at the opening of the YSEALI Regional Workshop on Thursday (Aug 18).

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Malaysian participant Nur Syahirah Mohd Azmi said programmes such as YSEALI will help increase the marketability of Malaysian youths in the global job market.

"(It) will enable youths to learn about best practices in every country and from there, develop comprehensive solutions from many different perspectives,” said the Monash University administrative executive.

"It will personally enable me to prepare students with a global mindset when I send them abroad to study," added the 30-year-old.

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The YSEALI Regional Workshop: Diversity, Inclusion, and Youth is a workshop by the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur aimed at generating conversations on diversity and inclusion among young leaders across South-East Asia and Timor-Leste.

This three-day workshop in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 18-20 will bring together about 80 participants from the region from various walks of life.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/08/18/youth-participation-in-diversity-initiatives-vital-says-youth-ministry