Nearly 500,000 Say 'Yes' to YES 2009

Online Movement and Youth Engagement Summit in Malaysia Draw Attention of White House

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 500,000 young people throughout Southeast Asia have joined an online community and lent their voices to a region-wide call for positive social change, one week before the inaugural Youth Engagement Summit (YES 2009) November 16 and 17, 2009, at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here (www.yes2009.asia).

Organizers of YES 2009 expect the number of online participants will continue to rise until the kickoff of the event, which is expected to draw more than 4,000 young people here, and another 150,000 watching a simulcast on giant screens at major universities in Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Ho Chi Min City and Manila.

Meantime, YES 2009 Organizing Chairman Harmandar Singh also is hoping for a visit - if not in person, then perhaps virtually - from an important U.S. citizen whose own vision for change has served as an inspiration to the tens of thousands of Southeast Asian youth participating in the event: U.S. President Barack Obama.

"President Obama will be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference in nearby Singapore just prior to the start of YES 2009, so we're hopeful we'll hear from the man who helped inspire all of this," Mr. Singh said. "I've been to Washington, DC, twice to brief officials regarding YES 2009, and I'm delighted that we have received very encouraging words of support from both the White House and U.S. Department of State."

Mr. Singh added that a complete report on the opinions and perspectives of YES 2009's online followers, together with a review of the event proceedings, will be released as the Southeast Asia for Change (SEACHANGE) Youth Report (http://yes2009.asia/seaforchange.html), during next week's event.

About YES 2009

YES 2009 will be the first gathering of its kind in Asia, uniting representatives of young people aged 15 to 35 from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Brunei. In addition to the 4,000 summit participants expected in Kuala Lumpur, more than 150,000 will witness the proceedings through satellite link-ups to giant screens set up at five leading universities across the region, and countless others will watch on CNN International or via live web streaming.

The landmark two-day event, expected to kick off with an opening address by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Sri Najib Tun Razak, will feature a superb line-up of speakers from various fields, including Sir Bob Geldof, the founder of Live Aid; world chess legend Garry Kasparov; Biz Stone, co-founder of the micro-blogging network Twitter; Nando Parrado, whose miraculous survival of an plane crash in the Andes became the basis for the critically acclaimed movie Alive; and Malaysia's own Tony Fernandes, who pioneered the domestic and international low-cost carrier phenomenon in Asia by spearheading AirAsia and AirAsia X.

YES 2009 organizers are rallying more than one million people between the ages of 15 and 35 years, to share their thoughts by taking part in an online survey to produce the SEA For Change Youth Report. The survey and report allow participants to take a proactive role in sharing their needs, motivations, expectations and ideas with the world at large, and guiding political and business leaders in to engage more effectively with the youth market. More information is available at www.yes2009.asia.

This material is distributed by Global Communicators, LLC, on behalf of Sledgehammer Communications.
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