On Saturday (Dec 3), the bloggers will attend ON|OFF, Indonesia`s largest national blogger and onliners gathering, the US embassy here said in a statement Thursday.
The bloggers will share insights and experiences from their home countries with hundreds of their fellow ASEAN online citizens from Indonesia during the event to be held from December 2 to 4, 2011.
Following Indonesia`s successful hosting of the ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Bali last month, this program aims to promote online media as a tool for promoting a region-wide awareness of ASEAN and facilitate the exchange of ideas among ASEAN youth, the US embassy said in the statement.
Before attending ON|OFF, the program participants will enjoy the hospitality of representatives of Jakarta`s blogger community, who will host an informal dinner arranged by the United States Embassy to Indonesia. After ON|OFF, they will attend a reception hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN, David L. Carden, at his residence.
On the morning of December 4, the ASEAN bloggers will participate in a panel discussion at the @america venue in Pacific Place. They will return to their home countries on Sunday.
"The United States is honored to help welcome these ASEAN citizens to Jakarta to participate in these important programs. We are committed to supporting the vision of an integrated ASEAN Community by 2015," Ambassador Carden said.
"ASEAN made great strides during Indonesia`s Chairmanship this year, and we would like to do our part to help sustain the positive momentum. Outreach, especially to young people and using new media tools, will be essential to this effort," he said.
The ASEAN Secretariat, headquartered in Jakarta, will support the presence of an "ASEAN corner" at the ON|OFF venue to help promote awareness of ASEAN community building efforts among Indonesia`s bloggers.
This blogger program is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, U.S. Embassy Jakarta and U.S. Embassies throughout the ASEAN region.
(Tx. F001/HAJM/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
