Future Skills: Creative Economy & the Mekong Region
About the program
The Creative Economy currently represents approximately 3% of global GDP, with predictions suggesting this share could triple by 2030. With a young population and a strong and vibrant legacy of cultural heritage and creativity, the Mekong Region should be in a position to benefit from this trend. However, in reality there are significant skills gaps, and systemic issues to be addressed before we can do so. What are the skills that young people need today in order to navigate tomorrow? How can creativity, technology and culture be integrated into the future of the Mekong Region?
Mekong Cultural Hub and Helvetas Laos are delighted to be joined by Sopheap Im, Chief People Officer, Digital Divide Data a social enterprise working across Cambodia, Laos and Kenya, and Souliya Phoumivong, New Media Artist & university lecturer in Laos, for a dynamic discussion on experiences facing young people entering employment, and their perspectives on what skills need to be nurtured if we want to see a vibrant creative economy flourish in the region.
After a brief introduction from Mekong Cultural Hub, Jesper Lauridsen (Country Director, Helvetas Laos) will kick off the conversation with Souliya and Sopheap, before opening the floor for questions and contributions from attendees. Please join us!
Essential info
Event time: 3.30pm-5pm Bangkok time (10:30am-12pm Central Europe)
Event date: Thursday 19th June
Language: English
Location: Zoom (click here to get the link)
Speakers
The conversation will be moderated by Jesper Lauridsen (Country Director, Helvetas Laos), with context contributed by Frances Rudgard (Director, Mekong Cultural Hub).
About the organisers
Mekong Cultural Hub and Helvetas Laos have been working together since 2019, when Helvetas partnered with MCH and British Council during the SEAD Fellowship, connecting SEAD Fellows with biotrade projects happening in Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam.
MCH and Helvetas Laos are developing a project on Future Skills, due to be launched in 2026. This project builds on findings from British Council’s Interconnected Parts, a mapping of arts and technology in ASEAN, for which MCH was part of the research team.
More events in this series
This roundtable is a 5-part series of online events that aims to discuss the contexts of creative sectors, young people’s skills needs & the job landscape across the Mekong Region, South Asia, Kenya, Switzerland and the EU. Through it, civil society, higher education institutions, and policymakers share insights and propose solutions to urgent needs. It takes place between June and September 2025.
It is part of the Artlink programme, Turntables: ‘LEARN! Fostering transcultural communities of practice,’ which offers sustainable ways of learning to qualify young cultural practitioners to make a living in the arts. In cooperation with Movetia, ZHDK (Switzerland), Mekong Cultural Hub (Mekong Region/ Southeast Asia), Black Rhino VR (Kenya) and Meta Arts (India).
Partners & supporters
