Beyond the Screen: Testifying at the UN and the Making of 'I Am the Future'

By Dian Safitri | STAR, TDC Jakarta

Dian, Soumayraa, and Laxmi in New York, USA

Hello, my name is Dian Safitri, I am 23 years old. I have been an alumnus of LP4Y since 2021.

It was such a pleasure for me to be able to join LP4Y for the first time back then during the pandemic. Not gonna lie, joining LP4Y was one of the right paths I chose in my life. At that time, I had just graduated from high school, but I couldn’t continue to university because it was too expensive.

Dian at the United Nations, NYC, USA

There was a time when I was stuck at home. Then, one of the Catalysts in Kampung Sawah came to see me and asked if I wanted to join LP4Y. She said it’s free, and I could learn many things there. I thought, “Why not? There’s nothing to lose.”

Then I came to the center to observe what was happening there. Turns out, I felt this was the right place to spend my time while I was still figuring out how to get a job. I joined training sessions with other Youths, learned about professional behavior, handled small businesses together, and prepared for job searching. My coaches helped me a lot with my resume and cover letter, and guided me on which jobs were good and which were not.

They always reminded us that we have our own value.

Now I am working at PT Sant Group Indonesia, a perfume company (Crusita and Aoera) as a graphic designer. It’s been more than a year since I joined this company, and I am so happy because I can finally be part of a real creative team, just like what I always wanted.

As we saw in the I Am the Future movie, I am one of the characters in the film, from Kampung Sawah, Jakarta. Now I want to share with you what happened during the making of the movie.

At first, I was called by one of the coaches, Romain. He told me he wanted to make a movie, and also asked if I wanted to testify at the UN in New York. I was confused but also excited at the same time because I love movies, and I love sharing my story.

After that, many things happened at once. I had to prepare my speech for the UN, I had to shoot the movie, and I also had to continue working.

Fast forward, I met other stars of the movie, Laxmi and Soumayraa. They were so nice. But unfortunately, Mamadou could not come because of his visa problem, which is one of the struggles faced by refugees in Europe.

Youth Visions Team & I Am the Future's characters in New York

We testified at the United Nations for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, held at the UN Headquarters. It was such an incredible moment, being able to share a real story from our side as people living in poverty, and to represent my community in Kampung Sawah. Because, as we know, people often talk about poverty, but they don’t always understand how it really feels to live in that position.

Finally, about the movie itself: I think it is a good way to spread awareness about the problems we are facing, but at the same time, to show that we still have light in our hearts and passion for life.

For example, even though I live in Kampung Sawah, I really love art, especially painting and drawing.

Now, the movie has been screened in several cities around France. I even had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Samantha Mane, the CEO of MANE, in Grasse last year for a screening.

After screening the movie, we received feedback from people who said it was very inspiring. Many Youths came to me and told me they were inspired by my story. That’s why I really hope this program, Life Project 4 Youth, will continue to support young people, guide them to reach their target jobs, and motivate them to keep moving forward.