Asia Society, a leaading global organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States, recently announced the opening of a new class of promising young achievers for the Philippines 21 Young Leaders Initiative.

A flagship program of the Asia Society Philippine Foundation, the Philippines 21 Young Leaders Initiative seeks to identify and develop a network of change-makers across various sectors to meet, educate, and inspire each other; collaborate and share ideas on public service and other meaningful initiatives; and build relationships of trust and understanding.

Nominees must be between 25-40 years old, of Filipino citizenship, and must have substantial leadership experience in their chosen field, including but not limited to the following: academe, business, civil society, media, arts and culture, military, and government. Also, prospective Philippines 21 Fellows must be able to commit time and effort to achieve the goals and projects set by their Class.

Upon selection as Philippines 21 Fellows, the Class of 2009 will convene at a two-day forum where they will engage in roundtable discussions on issues concerning the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region, in preparation for their participation in the international program, with the ultimate goal of developing projects to address these issues.

The annual Forum, co-presented by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the official media partner of the Philippines 21 Young Leaders Initiative, will be held in the last week of August.

Philippines 21 Fellows will serve as the country’s official delegation to the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit. This year’s Summit, scheduled for November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will bring together some 200 of the most dynamic next generation leaders from Asia and the United States.

Nomination forms may be requested from the Philippines 21 Secretariat via email at philippines21@gmail.comor patriciav@asiasoc.org.ph on or before June 22, 2009. Short listed candidates will be notified by the third week of July 2009.

For more details on the Philippines 21 Young Leaders Initiative, please call Patricia Vega at (632)7524374 or (632)8108983.