Empowering disadvantaged young people in Indonesia

The year of 2011 was the year when I met Resti for the first time. A lively and vibrant young woman who instantly catched my attention. Resti and her husband Hendi are living in Bali now. She works for an international organization as a project coordinator, while her husband works as a professional video maker and mostly hired by the organization where Resti is working. Both were YCM’s “students” who dream high, work their best, share positive energy and achieved their dreams.

Below is the story of Resti, which may inspire others to change their lives to be the better ones:

My name is Resti. My father passed away when I was born, and my mother raised me by herself. Since I was in primary school until high school, my aunts and uncles helped me to pay my tuition fees. Unlike my mother, most of them were working as civil servants. This made my mother desperately wanted me to become a policewoman, she thought if I am a policewoman, in the future I will earn pension fund when I retire.  My mother earned money by selling foods to our neighbors. I graduated from senior high in 2010 and I had no dream at all as I was forced by my mother for becoming a policewoman. After I failed the test for becoming a police for couple of times, I gave up. Then decided to concentrate my life by learning at YCM. Before I joined YCM in 2011, I worked as a salesgirl for gas regulator, and it only lasted for 2 months. At YCM, then I started to set my vision and dream high for my future.

My life now has totally changed. I am now working as a Project Coordinator for a visual storytelling company in Bali for the last 2 years. We mostly work for International NGOs for creating film about the people who get the impacts from their programs. I travel a lot around Indonesia and some countries in Southeast Asia. And I know, it is a dream come true!

After I worked as a salesgirl for gas regulator company, I wanted to learn English as I know everything needs English proficiency skill. I remembered my friends in my senior high spoke very good English, and they learned it in at YCM for free. I wanted to learn English, but I had no money to go to English course. So, I asked them for the information. My mother supported me to join YCM as it was a good chance for me to learn. I couldn’t continue to university as it cost lots of money, my mother and families couldn’t support me.

YCM isn’t a formal school, so the way of the tutors to share their knowledge to the “students” are totally different. YCM which I thought only a place for us to learn English, surprised me in positive ways. It helps our personal development and of course some skills, not only English. These are important for us as youth to learn, not only theoretical ways. With some volunteers from different countries, we are able to learn how to speak up, be confident, learn the different culture from their countries and practice our English. YCM also encourage us to set our dreams high and try our best to reach them. By meeting so many people from different countries and cultures, I dream to travel around the world. Thanks to YCM, now I have so many friends from different countries. I want to visit them, go to many cities, try the local foods, and see their landmarks. This is something I never dreamed off before I came to YCM. The establishment of YCM is a bless for me, my husband and many young people who join this organization. My husband and I are direct beneficiaries who are so grateful for being able to join and affected positively of YCM. For young people like us, who grew from underprivileged families whom our parents couldn’t afford to support good education and motivate us to dream high, we are lucky to earn them from YCM. We could learn skills and develop our personality without worrying the fees. We were able to meet many inspirative people, from different cultural background and countries. I have earned scholarship to continue my study in a university through YCM. I gained my network also because of YCM. It’s an unreplaceable organization in our heart. Many of my dreams come true as I believe I could reach them and YCM assist us to have and believe them. I always try to do and give my best impression even outside of YCM, so whenever and wherever we are, we are known as YCM’s alumni and give the best traces in the community.
I really hope, many young people can join YCM and learn many things from that valuable place. There are so many opportunities, new friends, more knowledge, and connection they can have at YCM. There are not many places like YCM these days that give free education and develop skills at one place.

YCM is a special place for me, my husband Hendi and many other young people. We are nothing without your support. We won’t be able in our current circumstances without your assistance. YCM has gave us the opportunity to gain our dreams, change our lives and be the better ones and share positive vibes to our surroundings.

We hope YCM will still exist more and more years and the young people like us could have chances for better lives and give positive impacts to others.

Thank you for all donors who assist us and keep supporting YCM. Without you, we are nothing!

What is special about YCM?

Time flies, after many years of YCM’s establishment we were thinking of how to make YCM survive and sustainable. The sustainability is not about the funding only, but the core values and system. Many organizations are not able to survive and collapsed because of the missing values. YCM tries to keep the values alive although the founders are not able to attend YCM in daily basis anymore.  

Meet our core team managers, the people whom assisting YCM in daily basis. Our configuration makes YCM as a special place. They were the students of YCM since many years ago. They came and joined us when they were kids (young teen). Now, they are amazingly capable to assist YCM and share their skills, knowledge, values and positive vibes to others.

These are the stories of our core team members Nur, Kohar, and Ono:

Nur

It started when Nur was only 13, and she was curious with our newly established learning group (12 young people) that rented a small shabby house near to her house. Next day, she decided to join us and to learn English with others. She is now a mother of two who joins YCM for 21 years, as a student in the beginning, a tutor and mentor, a friend, and a sister for many younger youths, now she is a manager for our business division (Sola Rumah Karya). Below is Nur’s story about what she experiences and feels at YCM.

 “YCM has given me uncountable life lessons. I grew up here, my life lies here. I don't fly spread my wings wider outside of YCM, but I know that I am improving in every aspect of life every day. I believe that there is always a reason why I'm still being part of YCM for this long, 21 years. 

My father was a laborer in a textile factory. He earned not much for his big family of a wife and 8 kids, so my mom worked as a maid in more than one place to help us fulfilling our family needs. My mom is my inspiration of doing and giving the best for her family beyond all the limitations. 

I remember one of my tough moments in life when I was a kid. I skipped 24 days in a semester of junior high school time because I was afraid and ashamed. The economic teacher asked me to pay the schoolbooks every time she came to our class. My parents couldn't afford to pay for the books sand even the school fees, so I was becoming a very shy and quiet teenager. School was a terribly hard time for me. In senior high, I had to help my parents by selling cakes to my friends at school in order to earn a little bit pocket money to help us survive.

YCM is not a school, it's a home. The place where I'm finding peace. The tutors and students sharpen our skills, but most important thing is how we trained to care and love each other for every little thing.

I remembe, I always wanted to become an English teacher and flashback to the time I was interviewed for a university scholarship, I said my dream was having a place like YCM in another part of Indonesia. Now, it comes true in different way. Not having a new place but involving as one of the tutors for the sustainability of this beautiful place to spread more happiness and positive impact to the young people nearby Bogor is an incredible life achievement. 

YCM has changed many lives. There's no reason not to join this place where we can dig up our strengths, meeting many supportive and amazing people and be confident to dream high.  

Now I have 2 kids and I believe I can provide a better education and better life for them as I am empowered enough because of my journey in YCM. Thanks to Ibu Gesine and mbak Putu for establishing this place. YCM, changes my life!”

Another person who also shared the story of his life is Kohar, YCM’s project coordinator.

Below is his story:

“I am Kohar, YCM’s Project Coordinator. And I would like to share the story of my life.

My parents have six children and I’m the 4^th. My father was a laborer in the morning and a security guard at night and the wages he earned were used to cover our daily needs, and for basic education of his children. Once he talked about my education condition to one of his employers and she agreed to pay my school fee and books that I needed for study until I graduated from Junior school.

When I was in 2^nd grade in junior school on the last semester my father passed away because of an accident, he fell from a tree when he worked for a neighbor to cut a tree branch, at that time I feel life was unfair, because I thought there was nobody except my father who were supporting our daily needs and our school needs. My mom was a helper for a neighbor, since my father passed away, my mom was the only one who earned money for covering our daily needs, and because of our financial limitation my younger brothers and I were not able to continue our education and we try to find jobs. My younger brother helped my oldest brother as a rubbish collector for the neighbors, my youngest selling breads that belong to other to get a small amount of pocket money, and myself did some works such as a dish washer for 4 months at a local restaurant brought by a neighbor who are a chef,  clean/wash a car of a neighbor, and the last was rolled up tobaccos to make cigarettes at a neighbor’s house.  We earned a small amount of money but at least we could buy food and survive day by day.

In 2005 I joined YCM together with my younger brothers, my first younger joined YCM earlier than me, he was the one who told me and my youngest brother about YCM, at the beginning I did not trust them if YCM is for free, and we did not have to pay anything for joining the activities at YCM. A few months after we joined YCM, my younger can applied a job at one of Garment Company as warehouse worker. 2010 become another challenging year for my family, my mom got injured until now she cannot walk anymore because of an accident, a public transportation that she was in with my sister crushed by a fallen tree on a sidewalk and her backbone was the most injured and that makes her feet can’t support her body any longer.  I’m proud as a son of the strongest and toughest mother in the world, who always supports their children to be a better person.

I have joined YCM for 18 years already.  YCM changes my life with the knowledge that I get every day, with the people who are supporting each other, and with all opportunities that I get to improve my skills. I got a scholarship to continue my education at a package school, looks similar to formal high school, but the schedule only 3 or 4 times in a week for duration only a year and I graduated from that package school with some others YCM students. Unlike my youngers, I am more interested in learning more about computers, so when I got a chance to learn more about computer in a course places, I was really excited. I learned web design and web programing for 5 months and 1 month learned about computer technician and I also self-taught learning through the internet and happy because I can share my knowledge to students at YCM.

2011 become one of my best years, because I got a chance to make one of my dreams come true. Stepped on my feet to another country. Through a simple program that YCM, former volunteers and one school in Australia, I did observe in that school for a month, learning, practicing what are the differences between Indonesia and Australia, YCM and the School also sharing about YCM to all the people who are met and when I’m back to Indonesia, I shared my experiences as motivational story for family, friends and students at YCM.

I responsible as one of person in charge for daily routine at YCM, and also for website maintenance, YCM online crowd funding like GlobalGiving, YCM social media, computer maintenance, English classes, helping volunteer when they need to extend their visa and some other administrations works based on my abilities. I can’t mention all the things that YCM gives to me to make me become a better person. I love what I do at YCM. It is my second home where the staff, students, and all people at YCM are my family. No words will fit to describe of how grateful I’m for YCM and its dedication to continue the project. Thank you for everyone who help and support us in many ways.”

Another story is from Ono, Kohar’s younger brother, and he acts as YCM’s Household and Youth Activities manager.

“My name is Cahyono, and people call me Ono. I have 5 siblings and I am the sixth. My father passed away when I was 10. We lived together for many years even though my older brother got married already. I just graduated from primary school, me and the other two brothers couldn’t continue our school. Since then, I helped my mother gardening, looking for some wood for making fire in the kitchen. I was selling bread and fritters so I could get a little pocket money to buy food for us and I did this for the last 3 years before I joined YCM. My life has totally changed now. I got married and has a son. I live in a rented house with my little family. I work as one of the tutors at YCM as English teacher, a futsal coach, and an advisor for an organization at YCM named Student Council “SC”. I am doing the gardening with YCM’s team to take care of our backyard and make it green; we plant some vegetables, spices and we have our hydroponic system planting also to grow mint, basil, and vegetables. 

I know YCM from my aunt who joined YCM already, she told me there is a place to learn English and Computer. I was 15 when I decided to join YCM in 2005. I was interviewed by Ms. Putu, and she asked me about my dream. From that day I dared to dream and reached some dreams I had never thought of before. Joining YCM is the best decision for me as I could not continue my school but I still and have to learn and I was still very young to start working and had no skills yet. But now I have some special skills that I learned from YCM such as tour guiding, photography and for sure as a tutor.  I have been at YCM for 18 years now, what makes it different from other places is the learning system, very different from schools, more practical learning in building up our soft skills such as confidence, brave, respect and honesty, and hard skills like sewing, computer and of course English language. We learn to build our own character to be a better person. Teach us how to be an independent person.

In the beginning I joined YCM as a student and was asked by Ms. Putu about my dreams and I answered firmly that I would like to be a teacher and a soccer player. My biggest dream at that time was to become a teacher because I really want to share what I have learned already and sharing makes us remember a lot of things better rather than we keep it ourselves and sooner we forget. At YCM, I earned a lot of benefits. I learned English for free, and I could speak English now. I meet different people from another part of the world. I learn the knowledge that I could not get from school. I reached my dreams since I joined YCM and there are unexpected happy moments that could happen in YCM.  People should join YCM because YCM is a good place to develop self-independence, self-esteem, meeting people from other cultures and countries; and be the confident ones to tackle all the challenges in our lives.

I have been at YCM for 18 years, I really hope that YCM will still exist for another 20 years and more and more to help the youth from underprivileged family to change their lives. A very big thank you to every donor who help and supported us for many years and through the pandemic.”