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/issue/2018.04

Connecting Asia with One Domain.

Young Asian kiteboarders make their mark

Youth Olympics Kiteboarding Qualifiers in Thailand saw 4 riders qualify for Buenos Aires in October ... (more below)

Kaizen – Asian philosophy for business and life

Kaizen embodies a way of thinking that focuses on achieving continuous and small improvements ... (more below)

Getting ready to empower young Asians!

NetMission Ambassadors are one step closer to their goal to engage young people around Asia to participate in Internet Governance. ... (more below)

Young Asian kiteboarders make their mark in the Youth Olympics Qualifiers in Thailand with China, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand going to Buenos Aires

The inaugural Youth Olympics Qualifiers for Kiteboarding recently concluded in Thailand with 4 qualifiers making it to the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October. It was 5 days of intense competition with riders showcasing their skills and agility to make it to the biggest of world stages. Riders came from Japan, Thailand, and Philippines to name a few, and this may just be the beginning of something special for them to embark on. The Philippines' Christian Tio (http://www.christiantio.asia/) secured an inaugural kiteboard racing spot for his country after the tightest of finishes. He was even featured on CNN when he returned back home. Full list of results can be found at https://thailandyog.asia/

Photo: Youth Olympic Games Qualifier - Asia & Oceania

.Asia collaborated with Kiteboard Tour Asia, (www.kiteboardtour.asia) who were in charge of staging the event, to set up the official website for the event and also provide each rider with his/her very own online profile. Going forward, this will be a great way for the riders to communicate with their fans, the media and have their own virtual platform to look back on their riding memories. In the coming months, .Asia plans to hold a webinar for the riders on how to update their website with the latest news and results too.

The chance to showcase your talent in the region has never been easier. With more than 2 billion current Internet users (48.1% of the global share) and 2.2 billion expected for 2020, Asia is the place to be for talented individuals. Some talented creatives have already started their online profile. ALIAKE, (www.aliake.asia), is a Japanese band who have embraced an online platform where they share information about their schedule, share pictures and have some contact information. Similarly, Angelina Hirawan (angelinahira.asia), a girl who wants to unite the world through her singing is also using an online platform to spread her music.

.Asia will continue to support the four riders as they start their preparation for the big event in Buenos Aires. They will be waving the Asia flag there bringing the medals home! Go Asia!

News in Asia

DotAsia urges Hong Kong government to offer more support to local youth by allocating more resources for higher education and enacting the freedom of data.
https://i.go.asia/2qYyjvR

China offers subsidies, advantages and lifestyle conveniences to attract young Taiwanese citizens to study and work in the mainland.
https://i.go.asia/2Hpyma7

Singapore was ranked No.1 in a global smart city ranking.
https://i.go.asia/2Jo848N

A conference and workshop series featuring great talks with practical advice from international web experts.
website screen capture: webconf.asia

webconf.asia

Sports Mouth Guards that allow for the natural flow of air and saliva to empower athletes to talk normally, breathe naturally, and stay hydrated during the game.
Website screen capture: sisuguard.asia

sisuguard.asia/

078kobe festival is one of Japan's premier events for celebrating urban lifestyle from Kobe though interactive Music, Film, Technology, Fashion, Food, and Kids activities.
Website screen capture: 078kobe.asia

078kobe.asia

Tiger Frame
Addressing inequality with the Asia FinTech Boom

Tiger Frame: We tigers need digital mobility too!
FinTech has become one of the many trending buzz words these days and everyone is diving into the market. Yet how many of these new technologies are helping to achieve sustainable development goals, or are they in fact contributing to the widening of the digital gap? Pondering this question, I attended the Asia Pacific Pacific Business Forum (ABPF) 2018 organized by UNESCAP and Cyberport on 10 Apr which gave me some insight!

Kaizen – Asian philosophy for business and life

Kaizen is a business philosophy popularized in Japan in the 1950s. Its methodologies have become a global management guide that enthuses Startups and Multinational conglomerates alike. What's more, the Kaizen tactics are so versatile it can also be used in personal development.

Kaizen – Asian philosophy for business and life

What is Kaizen

The two character Kanji – 改(Kai)善(zen), the same in writing and meaning in both Japanese and Chinese, literally translate to 'modify / improve' 改 and 'good' 善. Kaizen embodies a way of thinking that focuses on achieving continuous and small improvements.

How to apply Kaizen in business and in life

According to the Kaizen way, there are 5 steps that are important for continuous improvement:

Identify challenges in the existing process
Prioritize challenges with main target in mind and set measurable Kaizen goals
Identify and finely breakdown tasks to small steps, that are necessary to achieve these goals
Implement and evaluate new process through out the Kaizen process
Once proven effective, establish new process in everyday practice

Whether you are a business aiming to attain a 20% gain in revenue or an individual striving to realize your Olympic dream the Kaizen system empowers you to find better ways to do things. If something is not working, stop and re-assess, how can you use Kaisen methods to a better outcome?

Learn more about the Kaizen philosophy from other .Asia websites:

http://jobandwork.asia
http://www.geconsult.asia

Getting ready to empower young Asians!

An exciting first round of training sessions on Internet Governance is now complete. The NetMission Ambassadors are one step closer to their goal to engage young people around Asia to participate in Internet Governance. In the past two months, they experienced a flipped classroom where they organized training sessions to study hot issues of Internet Governance. It is so important for ambassadors to experience firsthand how to plan and deliver a workshop to engage an audience that is new to Internet Governance issues. Different themes were covered including: Gig economy, Human Rights Online, Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence. Also, an interactive environment was created to facilitate the dialogue between the speakers and participants.

Learning continues after the introductory training sessions ended in April. Soon, they will be doing in-depth research in the different issues and empowering other young people to participate in the Internet Governance discourse with the insight gained from the fruitful discussions sparked by a group of experienced and knowledgeable guest speakers including technologists, legislative counselors, entrepreneurs and university professors. A big thank you to all! Look out for the NetMission Ambassadors to bring fresh perspectives to different Internet Governance initiatives in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Vanuatu later this year!

Register for APrIGF Vanuatu 2018 now!

The Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) which will be held from 13 – 16 August at Port Vila, Vanuatu is now open for registrations. We have received a total of 108 workshop proposals covering a wide range of topics with Access & Empowerment and Online Privacy & Protection at the top of the list of sub-themes. The draft agenda will be published in mid May. Take a first look at the submitted proposals now at http://apps.2018.rigf.asia/submission/proposallist.

Register yourself and join us for the interesting Internet Governance discussions at http://2018.aprigf.asia.

Discovery of Eco-Social Sustainable Development led by 3 Asian leaders to change the world

According to the Youth Mobility Index by DotAsia in 2018, the start-up force in terms of social innovation and sustainable development is growing rapidly in Asia. Among the 20 localities, South Korea is ranked #4 and leading in overall Sustainable factors. A great example is Sunbeom Gwon, founder of eCube Lab, who is committed to providing eco-friendly and innovative waste management solutions for the cities of tomorrow.

In addition, we are introducing 2 Asian entrepreneurs who studied abroad with visions to address social problems and returned to their motherland to make a sustainable change. They are David Christian from Indonesia, who founded Evoware, a socially responsible enterprise which provides eco-solutions (seaweed based packaging) for plastic waste problems; and award-winning Malav Sanghavi, founder of a life-saving invention LifeCradle, a low-cost baby incubator made from cardboard, which helps babies born in India as well as other developing nations where there is little neonatal care.

As selected from the localities under the Youth Mobility Index, GoAsia is launching the "Asian Young Leaders" series aims to provide insights & inspirations for youth who are seeking objectives and motivations of their life path, and to create a ripple effect of making change among themselves.

Photo Credit: eCube Lab

Addressing inequality with the Asia FinTech boom

FinTech has become one of the many trending buzz words these days and everyone is diving into the market. Yet how many of these new technologies are helping to achieve sustainable development goals, or are they in fact contributing to the widening of the digital gap? Pondering this question, I attended the Asia Pacific Pacific Business Forum (ABPF) 2018 organized by UNESCAP and Cyberport on 10 Apr which gave me some insight!

Mobility is an advantage. To enhance one's mobility is not only about physical movements, but also their assets. Over 2 billion people of the world population are indeed unbanked, meaning that they have neither bank accounts nor access to existing traditional financial services. And more astonishingly, only 27 percent of the population in Southeast Asia has a bank account which signifies a serious equality gap here. To address this social issue, Mr. Alex Kong from TNG.Asia (http://tng.asia) shared his vision of helping these unbanked people and especially domestic helpers with the easy-to-use digital wallet service. With the wallet, they no longer worry about sending cash in an envelope back home and having it get lost in the mail along the way. Starting in Hong Kong, TNG already expanded to cover 12 Asian economies.

This is a prime example of how businesses can innovate to make an impact by navigating in the blue ocean of the underserved and meeting their needs. Rise with Asia now!