YPIN Sternwheeler Cruiser with iLEAP and SE Asian Leadership Initiative

YPIN’s Annual Sternwheeler Cruise on Lake Union is back, one of our most popular events! The event sells out quickly each year – limited space is available, so make sure to register early! 

This year, we will be inviting our friends from iLEAP, a Seattle-based, globally connected organization that exists to create more social justice and equity in the world and to lift up and sustain the community-based leaders who are the center of social change. Providing opportunity for growth, transformation, and connection for these international leaders leads to stronger communities, countries, and less human suffering in the world.

This event is pre-registration ONLY. Tickets will not be sold "at the door". 

Ticket includes appetizers and alcoholic beverages. Please note: This event is 21+ only.

Boarding information: Attendees will meet at the Fisherman’s Terminal, Dock TBD, to board the Christine W boat. Registration will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the boat will depart at 6:00 p.m. sharp!

iLEAP Participant Bios:

Tam Pham, Vietnam
Tam Pham’s lifelong goal has been to serve the most vulnerable in society and to help improve their lives. In 2000, she won a scholarship that took her to Netherlands to get a Masters degree in Economics, where she saw her passion for development work grow. Inspired by young female development workers in Vietnam and encouraged by her own personal growth in the field, Tam started working with Plan Vietnam as the Livelihood Advancement Business School’s (LABS) Project facilitator. Within four years, LABS’s transitioned into a local NGO, REACH, and Tam became the organization's first Executive Director. Under Tam’s dedicated leadership and hard work, the organization grew from a small 5-person team to a fully functioning staff of 50.  For the last ten years, Tam has been actively involved in training more than 13,500 economically and socially disadvantaged youth in various vocational training courses across sectors with the ultimate objective of making them “Employable”. Tam is now ready to play a bigger role in the field of development and hopes to use her skills to continue building the future of civil society in Vietnam with the ultimate dream of bringing equity to her people. 

Klaikong Vaidhyakarn, Thailand
Klaikong Vaidhyakarn is a pioneer whose vision is to use Technology and Data to solve social problems related to health, poverty, education, environment and democracy in Thailand. He is the Director of SocialTech, a non-profit organization focused on using technology to support Social Innovation and promote civic technology. As part of his vision, Klaikong spearheaded the much needed focus on access to open data in Thailand, which promoted unlocking of many social problems through genuine open government information. In the past five years SocialTech, in partnership with the Electronic Government Agency, has been supporting Thai government’s efforts in making public data more transparent. Klaikong also believes in the important role technology plays in educating the new generation on social innovation. He has organized multiple youth focused technology camps, such as Mekong ICT Camp Project, which ran several regional technology programs in Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam, and brought together civil society organizations and journalists to explore low-cost technology solutions.

Maud Lhuillier, Cambodia/France
Maud Lhuillier is a true believer in building bridges and connecting worlds. She is an advocate for ‘education for all’ as she knows it is the key condition to a ‘better life for all’. Born and raised in France, Maud’s philosophy has always been about ‘giving back and sharing around’ - which has led her to work towards making a difference in society. Her beliefs, hopes and experiences were fully realized when she began working at Passerelles Numeriques (Digital bridges), a transformational nonprofit which supports underserved youth in Asia through IT education. As the Asia Director, Maud is based in Cambodia and is currently working on recruiting and installing the ‘PN Asia Office’, while implementing a more responsive and agile organization. Through her work, she has been able to help young people build their employability through education in the digital industry, and leverage their potential and willpower by allowing them and their family to escape poverty in a sustainable way, while also contributing to the social and economic development of their country. Maud’s future vision involves working towards creating an organization where philanthropy, awareness, field action, and business all find a common sustainable expression, and a world where leaders of business ‘world’ fully grasp the critical role of their organization and work towards tackling social and environmental issues.

Isura Silva, Sri Lanka
Isura Silva is a social entrepreneur with a passion and a vision to grow rural social enterprises using STEM education in Sri Lanka. A futurist by nature, since 2005, he has worked for Sarvodya-Fusion, a leading IT for development social enterprise whose mission is to bring digital access, digital literacy and digital benefits to every person in Sri Lanka. The organization runs over 120 centers in Sri Lanka on a franchise basis and builds cross cutting programs in sectors of education, agriculture, micro-finance, and youth and women empowerment. With over 11 years of experience in the community development sector, out of which 8 years he was leading the organization, Isura has always put the community's needs and requirements first. Having always been fascinated by the role technology plays in education, he has worked towards creating greater social equity for rural underprivileged youth. He was recently featured in “40 Under 40” in Echelon magazine as one of 2014’s most important risk takers, job creators and rule breakers in Sri Lanka. Isura’s hope is to build and nurture Sri Lankan rural community and create a system by connecting corporate, Government, and NGO partners that will develop rural social entrepreneurs to improve education, employment and economy.