Asia matters. In its mission to foster Asia Competence, Asia Society Switzerland is committed to empowering young voices in the dialogue with Asia, recognizing youth as a key driver of Switzerland’s future success in the region. We offer the Gen A (short for Generation Asia) – Young Leadership Program to young professionals and advanced students in Switzerland. The program aims to deepen their knowledge of Asia-related issues, provide them with the tools to interpret Asia’s development and identify opportunities for a successful collaboration with Asia. This year-long program enables the next generation to engage with Asia at eye level and builds a community of young Asia-curious people in Switzerland. 

Gen A is a learning and leadership development platform for advanced students and young professionals. Application to the program is open to anyone living in Switzerland under the age of 35 with no more than three years of relevant work experience. Gen A is designed to inform, inspire, and connect. Gen A Fellows gain access to leading business, policy, trade, diversity, and culture thinkers on Asia; join a network of peers who are passionate about Asia, and get the chance to lead projects and represent the network. 

Benefits of joining the Gen A – Young Leadership Program: 

• Direct access to high-level experts 
• In-depth insights on Asia that help understand what is happening today 
• A community of like-minded peers, including the growing number of Gen A Alumni
• The tools to critically analyze and assess future developments 
• Free access to Asia Society Switzerland events 
• A certificate confirming the Fellows’ engagement to understand Asian issues (upon graduation)
• Development of leadership skills and gaining hands-on experience in relevant fields, such as public speaking, critical thinking, and research, etc. 

Program Elements and Requirements 

• 5 expert roundtables catered exclusively to Gen A Fellows 
• 2 skill-building workshops
• Active participation in Asia Society Switzerland programs on a regular basis (attendance of a minimum of four public or members-only events/webcasts is required, participation at  Executive Roundtables upon opportunity). Further, we expect our Fellows to attend events in person whenever possible. 
• Graduation project: During the program, Fellows work an individual project focused on a topic and region in Asia of their choice. Fellows also have the opportunity to submit their project for presentation at Asia Society Switzerland's yearly flagship conference, STATE OF ASIA. Each year, a selection of 3 to 5 Fellows can present their project in front of an audience of business leaders, government officials, NGO representatives and academics.

Application Process: 

Applications for Gen A 2024 have closed on January 14, 2024. Watch out for the next call for applications by the end of the year.

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Gen A Alumni Community 

Since the launch of Gen A in 2020, over 80 Fellows have graduated from the program. This diverse group continues to be a part of the Asia Society Community, organizing its own events, contributing to the overall Asia Society programs, leading workshops, hosting dinners and conferences, speaking as experts, or becoming part of Asia 21, the global Asia Society young leaders program.

After graduating from the program, many of the Fellows have found success in a variety of sectors, including leadership roles in think tanks like foraus, policy positions at the OECD, program direction at the Society for Threatened Peoples, journalism at NZZ, as representatives in official Swiss, European, or Asian institutions, or as innovative entrepreneurs.

The Gen A Alumni Community is led by a yearly changing committee that organizes events and get-togethers throughout the year. Would you like to become part of the network, or the committee? Then contact us via [email protected].  

Support Gen A 

We offer Gen A free of charge and are constantly trying to improve our program to make it even more attractive for Fellows and Alumni alike. If you want to support our work, here are a few suggestions: 

• Are you professionally engaged with Asia? Become a Gen A expert! We are always looking for great speakers with interesting career paths and a passion to share their knowledge with our young leaders 
• Support us financially and sponsor a fellowship or an alumni event! 
• Other ideas on how to enhance the program? Please get in touch with us, we’d love to hear them!