Provide Skills for Indonesian Unemployed Youth

Dear GlobalGiving donors,

How are you? I hope this letter finds you well in these unprecedented times.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every individual's life on earth. The virus has created significant social and economic changes in our daily lives besides affecting our health. Until a vaccine or a cure is found, everyone is at risk from being exposed to the virus. One of the global actions taken by the world leaders, to slow the spread of the virus, is to close public facilities and request people to maintain physical distance by staying, studying and working from home. 

The Indonesian government resorted to the same action and mandated the closure of public facilities including schools. It began in March and continues until further notice. YUM’s management fulfilled the mandate by closing all of the activities that involved gathering of people in groups, such as the community library, afternoon tutoring activities and of course, the Vocational Training Centre (VTC). 

There will be no activity at YUM VTC building until the government mandates that it is safe to gather. But it does not mean that YUM will remain silent. As we are committed to serving the communities both in West Java and Central Kalimantan, we continue to keep our communication open with the VTC students through social media and Whatsapp groups. We are regularly updating our students about the latest information on Covid-19 and its prevention. Last month we also distributed hygiene kits to more than 100 VTC students. As schools continue to remain closed, children in rural areas struggle to receive the quality education that they deserve.

We know that this might not be easy for you too. But this is also the time when these underprivileged and disadvantaged youth need our help more than ever. Therefore, with your kind and generous support, let us unite and work together to continue to uplift their lives.

Last, but not least, we wish you and everyone good health always. Stay safe everyone.

Kind regards,

Yolanda

Not many people realize the importance of financial literacy. This condition applies not only for youths but also for adults. There are many cases related to financial schemes and crimes that happen almost every day. Therefore, knowing how to use and manage money is an essential skill to have since an early age. Improving the skill of financial literacy can prevent people from falling into financial traps. With the kind support from ONE Championship and LU-Global, YUM was able to run our first Financial Literacy Workshop for some of the youths attending the Vocational Training Centre (VTC). The aim of this workshop is to increase understanding of the basics of financial management and entrepreneurship for young people.

There were 21 participants in total that were enrolled in this workshop and most of them were already active as YUM’s VTC students. The class was designed for them to be proactive. Each session consisted of personal reflection, writing, group discussions and presentations. At the end of the course, the participants worked on small exercises such as drafting a simple business plan. The students were very enthusiastic throughout all the sessions. In regards to the long-term impact, YUM hopes that the participants will be able to apply what they learned to help themselves, their family, and their surrounding environment. 

YUM has been very fortunate to have immense support from generous individual donors as well as kind organizations. Considering the enthusiasm of the participants, YUM is very interested to see this kind of training continue in the future.