Our world is filled with people from all walks of life. From different regions, cultures, languages and even mindsets. Yet today, we live in a physical world completely connected digitally through social media. Not surprisingly, our youth make up the majority of these digital natives. More than two thirds of all youth globally communicate through Instagram, Telegram, TikTok, Twitter and WeChat daily, and these are just a few of the commonly used platforms. Just imagine the true power of social media and look at how the youth of today, or the digital natives, exploit it to their advantage.

Now, let’s imagine this. What if we could harness the positive power of social media for social good? What if we could use this power to transform our societies and lives, not only for ourselves but for the generations to come? Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai’s Feminism Movement and Greta Thunberg’s Climate Movement are only two of a few recent examples of youth successfully using these platforms to create awareness, and ignite a spark for global change and social advancement.

In order for Malala and Greta to achieve their vision for a transformed future with equality and care for all and this globe we live on, their vision must be widely shared and rapidly propagated globally, en-masse and voluntarily.

If we dig further underneath the technology of the social media platforms, our belief is that the success of a global education movement draws on the strength of diversity among human beings; of the differing views and opinions from youths everywhere regardless of their social, cultural and economic backgrounds, belief systems and even their individual world views.

The idea for the DIYC Movement was conceived in 2010 and launched in 2012 with the inauguration of the Diversity & Inclusion Youth Camp in Johor, Malaysia by DYMM Raja Zarith Sofiah, Permaisuri Johor. The intent was to develop a core group of youth leaders, from across the ASEAN region, who will create an epicenter for an educational movement and drive it towards building bridges for economic progress and peace for society based on the strength of diversity.