Provide Skills for Indonesian Unemployed Youth

A few days ago I visited YUM's community center in Cipanas, Indonesia, a town a few hours outside of Jakarta. I spent the whole day (from 6AM to 6PM!) with YUM staff and community members and came away from the day energized and inspired. Prior to 2009 the YUM's community center used to be an orphanage; however, in 2009, YUM held a community stakeholder meeting and there they identified the need for a facility centered on family services. The focus on family, community, and youth development was present in all aspects of my day at the community center. YUM's work in the community is quite impressive and it is important in my reflections of my day with YUM to note that the work they do is challenging. At one point, my tour guides mentioned that reading rates are low in the community. It was a challenge to get students to attend the newly built library, so they needed to be creative. They held events and opportunities besides reading to draw the community in. Eventually, they were able to encourage students to use the library to read and change the culture around literacy in the community.

I also visited YUM's Vocational Training Center on my tour. The unemployment rate for youth in Cipanas is over 60%.  YUM's early childhood programs will likely lower that in the future; however, while there is work being done to change unemployment for future youth, there needs to be programming done to assist the youth in the community today as well.

The VTC is YUM's way to address young adult poverty today. They offer computer training classes, English language classes, and sewing and fabric materials classes. These vocational programs offer youth skills that are applicable in the job market and community. Moreover, they are skills that give youth the opportunity to improve their community. I was encouraged by the people and tutors I met who work in the vocational training center. I strongly believe that community centered programs are the best way to address local problems (especially when government support is not around), and YUM's programs are a model for how a community can come together in a local and sustainable way to support the development of kids from the cradle to their careers.