The Role of E-AYVP (Asean Youth Volunteer Program) 2021 as a Public Diplomacy In Fostering ASEAN Youth to Achieve The Goals of ASCC 2025

The ASEAN Youth Volunteer Program (AYVP) is an annual volunteer program held under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The permanent secretariat of this program is based in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia - UKM). This program has been running and giving an impact on increasing ASEAN youth capabilities and knowledge, providing an understanding of issues in ASEAN, supporting cultural exchange and learning, and strengthening ASEAN regional identity for youth. In 2021, AYVP conducted an e-AYVP addressing the theme “Strengthening ASEAN Education Delivery Systems in Challenging Times”. Through a descriptive-qualitative approach, this research will explain the role of e-AYVP 2021 as public diplomacy in fostering
ASEAN youths to pursue the goals of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) 2025. This research uses the concept of public diplomacy and soft power by Joseph Nye. As the finding, e-AYVP 2021 as the non-state actor of soft power has fostered the ASEAN youth to accelerate the actualization of ASCC 2025 A.1, A.2, B.1, B.2,
B.3. The result is based on the assessment of the e-AYVP 2021 program through the concept of public diplomacy and soft power through the analytical process of the concept, the ASCC 2025 blueprint, online survey and interviews.