Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP)

Empowering youths to be Asia-ready by fostering regional exposure and friendships across ASEAN, China, and India.

Last updated 11 August 2025

About Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP)

The Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP) is a youth development programme by the National Youth Council (NYC) Singapore that empowers youth to be Asia-ready by providing opportunities for meaningful exposure to ASEAN member states, China and India (ACI), and strengthening their competencies in building friendships and networks within the region.

The AEP aims to:

Increase youth awareness and understanding of the social, cultural and political dimensions of the ACI cities;
Increase awareness of the economic growth trajectories and opportunities in the ACI markets; and
Broaden personal growth opportunities and youth ACI networks.

The AEP will be co-organised and co-funded by NYC and its partners from the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).

Programme Phases

The AEP comprises of 3 mandatory phases: Preparation, AEP Project and Closure. All participants must commit to the entire duration and complete all phases of the programme.

NYC AEP project process: preparation (1), project (2), closure (3), with arrows showing flow.

Preparation

Complete e-learning modules that are recognised by NYC to learn more about the language and culture of ASEAN member states, China and India.

AEP Project

Complete a project curated by NYC and its partners. This allows you to gain an awareness of Asia's growing economy, discover personal growth opportunities and broaden your friendship networks.

Closure

Attend facilitated debrief session(s) to reflect on and share about the AEP experience with your peers.

Desired Outcomes

At the end of the AEP, participants will achieve the following outcomes:

Cultural Awareness: Greater interest and awareness of the differences between cultures in ACI countries; and
Global Perspectives: Understand issues affecting other countries, and the opportunities and challenges that these countries have.

Eligibility for AEP

Interested youths must meet the following criteria to be eligible for AEP funding:

Be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident aged 15 to 35 years old and is currently studying in an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL);
Have not been funded under AEP in their current education level (e.g., ITE, Polytechnic, University); and
Fulfil any additional programme-specific requirements.

*Exceptions will be made for a select group of youths who will benefit from additional support.

How to apply?

Youths

Interested youths can apply for the AEP through your respective Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).

IHLs who are interested in co-curating AEP projects with NYC may get more information on the AEP grant and details.

Endorsing Organisations

Organisations or youth groups that are interested in co-curating AEP projects with NYC may get more information on the AEP grant and details.

Asia-Ready Resources

Explore Asia-Ready Resources to discover country facts, regional trends, cultural insights, learnings from expert-led webinars and more!

#WhatTheFuture Podcast

Dive deep into hard topics that you may be scratching your head about. This podcast is brought to you by NYC's AEP initiative in partnership with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.