Exciting opportunities include the AFC U-23 Men’s Championship Qualifiers in Thailand, the ASEAN Football Federation U-15 Championship in Vietnam and the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Qualifiers in Laos, alongside skills development clinics with the Young Matildas and panel discussions on youth engagement and women’s empowerment through football.

The FFA continues its work to support the development of football in the ASEAN region, beginning the year with strategic advice, support and skills development programs in Indonesia for coaches and teachers.  As a program partner for Australia now Germany 2017 and Australia now Japan 2018, the FFA is looking forward to collaborating again with the Australian government on a range of sports diplomacy and development initiatives across ASEAN throughout 2019.

Sport, alongside the arts, technology and culture, offers unique opportunities throughout ASEAN to strengthen connections and deepen institutional and people-to-people links through cooperation, collaboration and skills exchange.

We are proud to announce the FFA as our Australia now ASEAN sports partner.

The post Kicking goals ASEAN style! appeared first on Australia Now 2019.

Popular among university students, simulations of international and regional organisation meetings such as Model United Nations are also a great way to engage younger year 8-10 students in contemporary issues.

In this active learner-centred exercise, students are asked to represent and simulate a meeting between the leaders of Australia and the member nations of ASEAN. Throughout the day they will have the opportunity to present their country’s position on some of the issues they, as nations and as a community, are facing; and discuss and propose solutions to these issues. The aim for students will be to reach mutually agreeable solutions as delegates, through negotiation and consensus building, and these solutions will be captured in a final document.

This exciting opportunity will not only deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of ASEAN countries and regional issues, but will also allow them to appreciate and understand what it means to be a global citizen.

Contact the AEF for more information, or to find out how to hold a forum at your school or in your network of schools.

The post Australia-ASEAN Youth Forum appeared first on Australia Now 2019.

Panel members included Tsamara Amany – a tech savvy young politico from the newly formed Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI), prolific vlogger Faldo Maldini, Uni Lubis  from the IDN Times and Dr Ross Tapsell from the Australian National University.

Tsamara Amany is one of over 900 legislative candidates aged 21 to 35 set to compete for seats in the House of Representatives in the upcoming general election in April. Voters in Indonesia aged 17 to 34 make up nearly half of the total electorate.

Amany and her fellow panel members generated discussion on a range of contemporary policy issues of interest to Australia and Indonesia today.

The event successfully developed new ideas, new perspectives and networking opportunities for young attendees from politics, academia, media and the general public.

The post Big Ideas: From vlogs to votes: engaging millennials in the political process appeared first on Australia Now 2019.

MasterChef Australia Winner 2017, Diana Chan, delighted guests in Kuala Lumpur as part of Taste of Australia celebrations, hosted by the Australian High Commission in Malaysia. Australia’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner to Malaysia and Brunei, Daniel Havas, introduced Malaysian born Diana Chan  – now an Australian culinary star.

The ever charismatic Ms Chan wooed fans as she whipped up her signature dish, Beef Tataki with Nectarine, before leading an active Q & A session chronicling her love of cooking and what inspires her to create the recipes she loves.

The event marks Diana Chan’s second Taste of Australia appearance for 2019. This follows on from the hugely successful Taste of Australia events held in Myanmar for Australia Day.

Diana consistently champions the spirit of Australia now ASEAN, with her vibrant palette of flavours embodying Australia’s dynamic and multicultural cuisine.

The post A Taste of Australia – Celebrity Chef Diana Chan visits Malaysia appeared first on Australia Now 2019.

Diana took to the culinary stage for the Taste of Australia celebrations in Yangon, cooking up a storm for over 500 local and international guests.  Diana delighted those in attendance with mouth-watering dishes created from a mix of local and Australian ingredients, highlighting the diversity and dynamism of Australian cuisine.

The following day Diana spearheaded her ‘Cooking with Diana Chan’ class, hosted by The Park Royal Yangon. The class featured an array of food demonstrations and community engagement with the Myanmar Deaf Chefs Organisation.  Diana shared her dumpling making skills with a keen group of 16 young deaf chefs who enjoyed Diana’s enthusiasm and came away with autographs and a mean recipe for Thai chicken dumplings.

Through the event, the Park Royal became interested in the Deaf Chefs as an organisation, not only funding the ingredients for the class, but as a potential future employer of Deaf Chefs graduates!

Other highlights of Diana Chan’s visit included joining Acting Ambassador Jeremy Kruse for a colourful meander through downtown Yangon, sampling delicious local Burmese street food and the rich cultural diversity the city has to offer.

Diana’s infectious zest for cooking served to highlight the valuable contribution that people from many nations bring to Australian life and culture.  We hope that the visit has increased knowledge of Australia and will help to stimulate demand for our high quality produce and food.

The post Diana Chan takes to the streets of Yangon and cooks up a storm appeared first on Australia Now 2019.

Guests enjoyed a fun filled Sunday afternoon listening to live entertainment, having a go at Australian Rules football and even trying their hands at DIY lamington making!  Australian chefs, along with local restaurants and hotels also got into the Australia Day spirit by whipping up classic Aussie dishes.

Last year’s second annual Australia Day Family Event attracted more than 1,200 attendees, including the Australian and Australian alumni communities and their families.

Many guests arrived in their best Aussie outfits, donning singlets, thongs and green and gold colours for their chance at winning fabulous prizes for ‘Best Dressed’ on the day.

Australian Consul-General Ms Julianne Cowley praised the event as being a great community focussed day with activities the entire family could enjoy.  All proceeds generated from the event were donated to local charities.

The post Australia Day family fun in Ho Chi Minh City appeared first on Australia Now 2019.

Mr Woo encourages students to see maths as not just numbers and equations, but an experience in play, exploration and teamwork. While in Thailand Mr Woo was also able to share his experiences and practical teaching tips with Thai university students preparing to enter the field.

Best known for his dynamic YouTube videos and Australian television series Teenage Boss, Mr Woo was named Australia’s 2018 Local Hero and was a Top 10 Finalist in the Global Teacher Prize for his love of teaching mathematics.

The post Maths Rock Star Eddie Woo inspires kids in Thailand appeared first on Australia Now 2019.