Southeast Asia is known as the “highway of conquerors” to mean that this is where, more than many other regions in the world, external forces have had a determinant impact on. When the countries in the region began the process of decolonization, groups occupying the margins of Southeast Asian political discourse, which include the women, the economically disadvantaged, and the young, have slowly began articulating their voices, albeit in incremental steps.Political participation is essential for an efficient and emerging democracy. It is, therefore, of prime importance to involve the young generation in politics to gain new insights and implement changes. If the society does not listen to what the young people say, their perspectives and criticisms, hopes and aspirations, campaigns and strategies, the society has neglected its own future.

It is this potent link between young people and political participation that the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Philippine Office explored and sought to reaffirm through the series of regional seminars of young progressives in Southeast Asia. The initial thrust was to focus more on "young people" rather than use the term "youth," which for most implies age-specific concerns and limited engagements. Another aim was to gather like-minded "progressives" who either as young politicians or members of political parties or as activists in social movements, or NGO workers, or media practitioners actively engage their institutions and governments to make real the timeless concepts of equality, social justice, democracy, human rights, gender equality and peace, among