Provide Skills for Indonesian Unemployed Youth

The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation of employment all around the world, including in Indonesia. Many employees have reduced working hours, delays in salary payment and even faced redundancy. According to the Smeru Research Institute in Indonesia, youth employment is very much affected by the pandemic. The high rate of youth unemployment will continue to rise if the youth are not receiving the skills and training they need. In 2020, one out of four Indonesian youth was unemployed, not in school, and not in any skill training.

YUM’s Vocational Training Center in Cipanas offers Financial Literacy workshops to youth so they are better prepared for formal employment and have a better understanding of their financial health. The workshop teaches students about a variety of issues, from managing their finances to financial planning for entrepreneurs. At YUM, we believe that financial literacy is crucial especially for young adults who will eventually earn an income, so they can manage their money, understand savings and prevent them from making poor financial decisions.

Last semester, we successfully organized both online and offline workshops. A first workshop involved a relatable, young financial consultant from Jakarta who shared his knowledge about how to manage personal finance. A second one was an online workshop taught by a team of lecturers from Bina Nusantara University. For two days, the students received training around the topics of Accounting, E-payment and a quick look at Venture Capital. In total, 43 students attended the workshops.

Evlyansa, a Grade 12 student, said: “This is my first experience participating in an activity with the theme of Financial Literacy. We were taught to make future financial planning and calculate the emergency fund we needed since our teenage years. It was delivered in a fun and easy way to understand.”

In other news: YUM’s 2020 Annual Report has been published! Find out more about all our activities by going to YUM 2020 Annual Report

Also, this year YUM is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Mrs. Ismana Haryono, a member of our Board of Supervisors, has been with us for more than 40 years. She shares her memories about the beginnings of YUM and her wish for YUM’s future. Please take a few minutes to watch the video atReminiscing YUM's Beginnings: How it all started and the challenges faced

Last but not least, out of 400+ entries, YUM has been selected as a Finalist for the 2021 GlobalGiving Photo Contest!! Voting starts TODAY, Monday, August 16th, 2021 until Friday, August 20th. Please go and vote for our photo so we can get a chance to win up to $1,000 in support of our COVID-19 relief program. You can see our photo here: https://www.globalgiving.org/poll/vote/?pollOptionId=1534