Asia Youth Leadership Summit 2026 briefing – The Salvation Army
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ASIA YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2026 BRIEFING
Are you a young person looking to understand real change? Join emerging leaders aged 17 to 35 this December to confront the realities of undocumented children and displaced families within a mixed urban protection environment.
What is AYLS 2026?
AYLS draws youth leaders from across the region to strategise solutions to pressing social issues. This year’s theme is “Youth Rising: Peace, Justice, Hope for the Vulnerable Children and Families”, and 100 young leaders will assemble in Chiang Mai, Thailand to find solutions.
The Summit (December 4-6, 2026) is a comprehensive 3-day programme designed to confront real-world challenges, build pan-Asian networks, and co-create impactful solutions for vulnerable communities.
The Mission
The Asia Youth Leadership Summit (AYLS) is an initiative spearheaded by The Salvation Army to incubate cross-border cooperation. We believe that when young, driven minds from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and beyond converge, the blueprint for a better region is born.
In 2026, we convene in Chiang Mai to synthesize strategy, execution, and compassion. Known globally for its tranquil Lanna heritage, the city is simultaneously a critical humanitarian frontier. Because it lacks formal refugee camps, Chiang Mai operates as a complex, mixed urban protection environment where undocumented children and displaced families remain largely invisible.
The Delegation: Who are we looking for
The Ambitious Strategist: Looking for an “impossible” problem? Build your portfolio by tackling logistical, systemic, and geopolitical bottlenecks in a real-world crisis.
The Social Innovator: See a broken system? Join us to find scalable solutions to systemic friction points in an unregulated humanitarian frontier.
The Global Diplomat: Bridge the gap between academic theory and reality. Gain first-hand field experience navigating the complexities of transnational migration.
The Corporate Intrapreneur: Pivot into ESG or CSR by learning how the private sector can meaningfully intervene in humanitarian crises through cross-sector collaboration.
The Pre-Summit Briefing: Become a Champion
Calling all Strategists, Innovators, Diplomats, & Intrapreneurs:
We don’t need tourists. We need problem solvers. Join us in Singapore for an exclusive, high-level briefing ahead of the Asia Youth Leadership Summit 2026. Prepare for operational deployment.
We are not just hosting an information session; we are building a coalition of Champions. By attending this briefing, you are stepping up to help shape the summit’s impact prior to December. We need your critical thinking, your voice, and your dedication as a core operational partner.
Get direct insights from UNHCR, regional NGOs, and operational experts on the ground. Understand the geopolitical bottlenecks and systems-level challenges we will be addressing in Chiang Mai.
DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Time: 4.30pm
Venue: 20 Bishan Street 22, Singapore 579768
Click here to register.
THE AGENDA: BRIDGING THEORY AND REALITY
Get direct insights from UNHCR, regional NGOs, and operational experts on the ground. Understand the geopolitical bottlenecks and systems-level challenges we will be addressing in Chiang Mai.
• Systems-Change Strategy
We must go beyond traditional charity. We will dissect the complex crisis of undocumented migration and institutionalisation, focusing on sustainable frameworks and family preservation.
• Expert Intelligence
Gain exclusive, on-the-ground intelligence from UNHCR representatives and transnational NGO leaders. Understand the actual operational realities affecting the Myanmar diaspora.
• Cross-Sector Collaboration
Explore the critical intersection of social policy, sustainability, and NGO operations. Learn how diverse sectors must collaborate to intervene meaningfully in humanitarian crises.
About the organiser:
Established in Singapore in 1935, The Salvation Army has spent nearly a century answering a simple but profound mission: to meet human needs without discrimination. What began as a single reconnaissance mission by Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert A Lord has evolved into a nationwide network of compassion.
From opening the very first Boys’ Home in 1936 to rehabilitating displaced youth in the chaotic aftermath of World War II, we have always moved toward crises, not away from them.
In 2005, the overarching Singapore, Malaysia, and Myanmar Territory was formally established. Today, the organization operates heavily scaled social programs—from child support initiatives like Gracehaven to eldercare facilities like Peacehaven. The Asia Youth Leadership Summit (AYLS 2026) is a direct extension of this legacy: bridging corporate excellence with direct humanitarian aid to uplift the margins of Southeast Asia.
