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Solenn Paumier Socitété Générale -Who are you? What has been your career within SG? I was born and raised in France. I first joined Société Générale (SG) in Paris in 2000 where I spent 8 years in various roles within the support functions for Investment Banking. I arrived in the US in 2008 when I followed my husband who took a position in Philadelphia. I joined SG New York in 2011. I am currently Head of IT & Operations for the Financing businesses in the Americas since 2016. - How did your « adventure » with LP4Y start ? How did you get to know the NGO? I discovered LP4Y in 2011 when I arrived in NY through a group of friends who were close family members from Jean-Marc Delaporte, the founder of LP4Y. I was immediately impressed by their personal story: the Delaporte family left their comfortable life and career to live in the poorest regions in Asia and start building a local community to help the Youth living there in a situation of extreme poverty and exclusion. The LP4Y model is unique as combining a professional education program targeting youths in extreme poverty, leveraging volunteered and talented professionals as coaches, while ensuring a strong ethics and a very lean organization where every dollar donated is invested for the Youth and the development of the Life Project Centers. - How are you involved in? What type of actions did you work on? I started to be involved in local fundraising events personally and very quickly connected with my colleagues at SG in New York and Paris who were already supporting LP4Y for many years through the SG Paris Corporate Foundation. In my role at SG New-York, I am interacting with teams in Bengaluru on a daily basis and I thought that supporting the organization from New York could make sense. Very quickly, the Asian Professional Network (APN) Employee Resource Group (ERG) headed by Aadesh Gandhre organized some very creative and successful fundraising corporate events. Thanks to the SG NY matching program, APN was able to support the development of the LP4Y Center in Bengaluru focusing on Women and Digital. This year, the fund raised helped with the development of the LP4Y Center in Chennai centered around youth empowerment through sports. - Have you been in contact with the Youth? What did you do ? How did you feel? In November last year, during a trip to visit my team in Bengaluru, I had the chance to visit the LP4Y Center there with some of my colleagues. It was an incredible life changing experience. It was very heartwarming to see the evolution of those young women, from the ones very shy and uncomfortable who just joined the center to the other ones at the last stage of this 9 months program, speaking English fluently and full of confidence to start looking for a job and begin their professional life! I was very proud of SG being a valuable and strong partner to LP4Y for so many years and took some pictures to show to our generous SG employees what they have helped to accomplish. - What are the next steps? During this summer, I have been participating in a remote mock interviews mentoring program with two youths from the Life Project Center in Chennai. I was very impressed by their professionalism, energy and positive spirit and was glad to build a direct relationship with them. I will continue to be involved in the future fundraising events organized by the APN ERG at SG NY and to closely follow the development of project to create of an LP4Y lab in the Bronx, even if it has had to slow down with the pandemic.

Matthieu de Romblay, former LP4Y volunteer, Philippines Matthieu de Romblay, shares with us his experience as Project Leader Parnership in 2019. [French version below] When I discovered LP4Y, the engagement as a Catalyst appeared to me as evidence. The challenge of accompanying Youth from slums towards a decent job was simultaneously in line with not only my deepest beliefs but also the skills I was able to develop during my former experience. I therefore came to Manila in February 2019 to start my mission as Project Leader Partnership. In each country, LP4Y builds some bridges between the slums and the decent world, the world where each has a roof over their heads, several meals a day and access to healthcare . The partners support us to build these bridges - those are the organizations, the associations, the companies which accompany the training and the job integration of the Youth. My role was to develop new partnerships and strengthen the existing ones in the area of the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. I therefore had the luck to be at the forefront when the Youth discovered with delight a company. I witnessed their contagious joy at every hiring . I recall one Youth of my centre, Angelito Mendoza who was unable to contain his pride of being recruited in CGI and left the center running to announce the good news to his relatives. His brother, impressed, could not believe him : for him, such jobs were reserved for college graduates, so you imagine a Youth who hasn't finished high-school, uncredible ! These outbursts of happiness are part of the most memorable moments of my mission, these memories remind me everyday that when we work together, we can realize extraordinary things. As I spoke to Angelito and others during my mission, I realized that the main factor of exclusion of Young Adults is not the lack of skills, many of them are smart and motivated . What actually stands in the way of the Youth is the distrust of the companies, their fear to take the risk of meeting uncommon profiles. To be successful, we all need someone who reaches out to us, who believes in us, and only once we have that trust, we can prove ourselves. I have witnessed managers and directors of companies who dare, who take the risk of trusting these young people and who reap benefits from this decision. A Decathlon manager testified that in a few years, he would no longer remember the figures for his store, but he will remember he accompanied Mary Jane JC for her to find her place in the team and of the commitment, the joy, the motivation she brought to the group. But sometimes, giving that trust is not enough. Some of the Youth quit a job that seemed to suit them perfectly. I was particularly frustrated by these missed opportunities, by these Young Adults who don’t take their chance, perhaps the only chance of their lives . I remember Marissa Tadlog who after going through a long application process to join a hotel did not show up on her first day of work . Similarly, Angelyn quit an ideal job to spend more time with her family after only a few weeks. Living through these moments of discouragement, I felt I understood an essential aspect as a Catalyst. It is not only a matter of supporting the Youth finding a job, working on the short term. It is a matter of helping them build self-confidence, and help them to realize they have a place in a world from which they have always been excluded. So you have to be patient, humble, admit your helplessness when faced with certain situations when some Youth leave the programme before the end or when others give up the ideal job. Our role is to always be there, to look out for them, to believe in them when they no longer have the energy to believe in themselves. And it works. Each month, the Youth who left the programme return and the others who missed an opportunity come back more motivated than ever to find the job which will change their lives. Marissa finally got a job as a receptionist in ZenRooms chain of hotels and Angelyn got hired a few months later in Sodexo, she now has a salary that allows her whole family to live. You understood it, trust and confidence are for me the essential elements . I also gained self-confidence during this year. Confidence in myself to dare to ask help from the community, to ask partners to commit to inclusion. As my mission progressed, I became convinced that contrary to what I thought , a vast majority of people are ready to help, almost everyone has unexploited natural reserves of altruism.. Some people give time by offering training to the Youth, some make donations to finance a project and a few just take five minutes to connect us with one of their friends and these five minutes will result in the hiring of the Youth and eruption of joy in the slums of Manila. When I am talking about giving, it’s obviously not one-sided. At LP4Y, we say that there is not one way , there are not the ones who give and the ones who receive on the other side. The Youth, the donors, the partners, the Catalysts, we all benefit a lot from this experience and I recommend everyone to try it out, it was an extraordinary year for me. Lorsque j’ai découvert LP4Y, l’engagement en tant que catalyste m’est apparu comme une évidence. Le défi d’accompagner des jeunes issus des bidonvilles vers un travail décent était à la fois aligné avec mes convictions profondes et avec les compétences que j’avais pu développer lors de ma précédente expérience. J’ai donc rejoint Manille en février 2019 pour commencer ma mission en tant que responsable des partenariats. Dans chaque pays, LP4Y construit des ponts entre les bidonvilles et le monde décent, le monde dans lequel chacun à un toit, plusieurs repas par jours et l’accès aux soins. Les partenaires nous aident à construire ces ponts, ce sont les organisations, les associations, les entreprises qui accompagnent la formation et l’insertion professionnelle des jeunes. Mon rôle était de développer de nouveaux partenariats et de renforcer les partenariats existants sur la zone Philippines, Vietnam, Indonésie. J’avais donc la chance d’être aux premières loges quand les jeunes découvraient avec émerveillement une entreprise et d’être témoin de leurs joies contagieuses à chaque embauche. Je me souviens d’un jeune de mon centre, Angelito Mendoza, qui, ne pouvant contenir sa fierté à l’annonce de son recrutement chez CGI, a quitté le centre en courant pour annoncer à sa famille et son entourage la bonne nouvelle. Son frère, impressionné, ne voulait pas le croire, pour lui ce type d’emploi était réservé aux diplômés d’universités, alors vous imaginez un jeune qui n’a même pas fini le lycée, incroyable ! Ces explosions de bonheur font partie des plus beaux moments de ma mission, ces souvenirs me rappellent chaque jour qu’en travaillant ensemble, nous pouvons réaliser des choses extraordinaires. En discutant avec Angelito et d’autres au cours de ma mission, j’ai pris conscience que le principal facteur d’exclusion de ces jeunes n’était pas le manque de compétences, beaucoup étaient malins et motivés ; ce qui bloquait les Jeunes, c’était la méfiance des entreprises, leur peur de prendre le risque d’une rencontre avec des profils différents. Pour réussir, nous avons tous besoin d’une personne qui nous tende la main qui nous donne notre chance, qui croit en nous et c’est seulement une fois que nous portons cette confiance que nous pouvons faire nos preuves. J’ai pu être témoin de managers, de directeurs d’entreprises qui osent, qui prennent le risque de faire confiance à ces jeunes et qui en récoltent des bénéfices. Un manager de Decathlon témoignait que dans quelques années, il ne se souviendrait plus des chiffres de son magasin, mais il se souviendrait d’avoir accompagné Mary Jane JC, pour qu’ils trouvent leur place dans les équipes et de l’engagement, la joie, la motivation qu’ils ont apportés au collectif. Mais parfois accorder cette confiance ne suffit pas. Certaines jeunes abandonnent un emploi qui semblait pourtant parfaitement leur convenir. J’étais particulièrement frustré par ces opportunités manquées, par ces jeunes qui laissent passer leur chance, peut être l’unique chance de leur vie. Je me souviens de Marissa Tadlog qui après avoir suivi un long processus de candidature pour intégrer un hôtel ne s’est pas présentée lors de son premier jour de travail. Angelyn qui après quelques semaines dans un emploi pourtant idéal a démissionné pour passer plus de temps avec sa famille. En vivant ces moments de découragements, j’ai eu le sentiment de comprendre un point essentiel de ma mission de catalyste. Il ne s’agit pas uniquement d’accompagner un jeune à trouver un emploi, de travailler sur le court terme. Il s’agit de l’aider à construire sa confiance en lui, de l’aider à percevoir qu’il a sa place au sein d’un monde dont il a toujours été exclu. Alors il faut s’armer de patience, d’humilité, admettre son impuissance devant certaines situations, quand certains jeunes quittent le programme avant la fin ou d’autre démissionnent du job idéal. Notre rôle est d’être toujours là, d’aller les chercher, de croire en eux quand eux n’ont plus l’énergie d’y croire. Et ça marche. Chaque mois, des Jeunes qui avaient abandonnés le programme reprennent et d’autres qui avaient manqué une opportunité reviennent plus motivés que jamais pour trouver l’emploi qui changera leur vie. Marissa a finalement obtenu un emploi de réceptionniste dans la chaîne d’hotels ZenRooms et Angelyn s’est fait embaucher quelques mois plus tard chez Sodexo et a désormais un salaire qui permet de faire vivre toute sa famille. Vous l’avez compris la confiance est pour moi l’élément essentiel. J’ai aussi gagné confiance en moi pendant cette année. Confiance en moi pour oser demander de l’aide à la communauté, pour demander à des partenaires qu’ils s’engagent pour l’inclusion. Au fur et à mesure de ma mission, j’ai acquis la conviction que contrairement à ce que je pouvais penser, l’immense majorité des gens sont prêts à aider, la quasi-totalité d’entre nous avons des réserves naturelles d’altruisme inexploitées. Certains donnent du temps en proposant des formations aux jeunes, d’autres font des dons permettant de financer un projet et quelques-uns vont juste prendre cinq minutes pour nous mettre en relation avec un de leurs amis et ces cinq minutes vont aboutir à des embauches de Jeunes et des explosions de joie dans les bidonvilles de Manille. Quand je parle de donner, ce n’est évidemment pas à sens unique. Chez LP4Y, on dit qu’il n’y a pas d’un côté, ceux qui donnent ou ceux qui reçoivent, les Jeunes, les donateurs, les partenaires, les catalystes, nous recevons tous énormément de cette expérience et je recommanderai à chacun de tenter l’aventure, c’était pour moi une année extraordinaire.

Anne Lambin Fondation Roquette [French version below] It’s not easy to pick up the pen to introduce myself and tell about my meeting with the volunteers and the “Catalysts” of LP4Y. My career seems so banal compared to those of Laure, Chanelle, Mathilde, Loriane or Alexia. I joined the Roquette company in 1989, after graduating from my engineering school. After having occupied several positions in Research & Development and Sustainable Development, I am in charge of the Roquette Health Foundation since November 2017. Very quickly, thanks to Marc, a Roquette employee in India, I had the opportunity to meet Laure Delaporte during one of her trips to France. From the start, I realized that I am facing a person who is invested, passionate, convinced, and so generous! Very quickly, by talking together, we identified a project in India near our offices in Mumbai, which was aligned with the mission and could be presented to the Executive Committee of the Foundation. With two other associations, LP4Y would be one of the first for the Foundation to support, for one year. The great adventure started: first contact by email with Chanelle and Alexia in India and a first meeting with our staff from the Mumbai offices and the Youth of the Life Project Center (LPC) in Malwani. We also organized a presentation of the "Yummy" project (production of healthy snacks) to our shareholders during a day in our La Madeleine offices (with the presence of Manon, former catalyst in India) in the North of France. One of our experts trained the Youth in food safety . A visit to our offices in Mumbai was organized also, and so on. In short, many connections were put in place: the youth discovered the business professions, and employees discovered the joy of sharing their skills with the youth. Finally, I met the LP4Y Lille team, super dynamic, friendly and with a surprise: Romain, one of my colleagues from the La Madeleine office, was one of them! Exchanges were multiplying and allowed the follow-up of the actions of the Lille team. I participated in the two annual meetings, each time with the joy of seeing again and talking with Laure. The first year was passing and nearing the end of the Foundation’s support. Very quickly, it was necessary to discuss again with the teams because the Yummy project made way for the Lifeline project. Lifeline would help the community of Malwani on health, food and hygiene issues as a more general program but especially more useful. But to go further, something was missing from all these exchanges: What was really going on in the centers? I needed to see with my eyes and meet the youth and catalysts in the field! The opportunity was given to me in March 2019. That's it: I'm going to India for a week! Upon arrival, I experienced culture shock, while feeling so privileged and lucky, yet so helpless. Finally, THE MEETING! On Thursday morning, I went by taxi with Balaji (former HR at Roquette). After an hour's journey, several U-turns, we were in front of the center: all the Youth were there, all on "their 31" (well dressed) and awaited us intimidated. Obviously, I was too! The day went by at lightning speed. I discovered all the passions, desires and rituals of these Youth and above all, I discovered the great actions and educational path implemented by LP4Y. I discussed with the team about the Lifeline project and new support from the Roquette Foundation, this time for two years! We worked and reflected together on the most relevant presentation. Therefore, I ran out of time to go and meet the families in the slum! It was a shame, so I would have to come back! Our Executive Committee validated support for the Lifeline project in June. All in all, I am so moved by and admire the commitment and involvement of the Catalysts. What a great human adventure. The work done with the Youth is so impressive and so useful for their social and professional integration! Life is made up of beautiful meetings that change and shape you: My meeting with LP4Y and its team is an example! “Meetings in life are like the wind. Some just touch your skin, others knock you over.” Ce n’est pas facile de prendre la plume pour se présenter et raconter ma rencontre avec les bénévoles et les « catalystes » de LP4Y. Mon parcours est tellement banal par rapport à ceux de Laure, Chanelle, Mathilde, Loriane ou Alexia: arrivée dans l’entreprise Roquette en 1989, à la sortie de mon école d’ingénieur, et après avoir occupé plusieurs postes en R&D et en Développement Durable, je gère la Fondation Roquette pour la Santé depuis novembre 2017. Très vite, grâce à Marc, collaborateur de Roquette en Inde, j’ai l’occasion de rencontrer Laure Delaporte lors d’un de ses passages en France. Dès le début, je m’aperçois que je suis face à une personne, investie, passionnée, convaincue, et tellement généreuse ! Très vite, en discutant ensemble, nous identifions un projet en Inde près de nos bureaux de Mumbai, qui est aligné avec la mission et peut être présenté au Comité Executif de la Fondation. Avec 2 autres associations, LP4Y fera partie des premiers soutiens de la fondation pour un an. La belle aventure peut commencer : premiers contacts par mail avec Chanelle et Alexia en Inde, premières rencontres avec nos collaborateurs des bureaux de Mumbai et les jeunes du LPC de Malwani, une présentation du projet « Yummy »(fabrication d’en-cas nutritifs) à nos actionnaires lors d’une journée dans nos bureaux de la Madeleine (avec la présence de Manon, ancienne Catalyste en Inde), des formations à l’hygiène alimentaire par un de nos experts pour les jeunes du centre, une visite de nos bureaux de Mumbaï. Bref plein de connexions se mettent en place : les jeunes découvrent les métiers de l’entreprise et les collaborateurs découvrent la joie de partager leurs compétences avec les jeunes. Pour finir, je rencontre l’équipe de LP4Y Lille, super dynamique, sympathique et oh surprise : Romain, un de mes collègues du site de la Madeleine, en fait partie ! Les échanges se multiplient et permettent le suivi des actions de l’équipe lilloise. Je participe aux 2 réunions annuelles, avec à chaque fois la joie de revoir et de discuter avec Laure. La première année s’écoule et c’est déjà la fin du support. Très vite il faut rediscuter avec les équipes car le projet « Yummy » disparait pour faire place au projet « Lifeline » qui permettra d’aider la communauté de Malwani sur les questions de santé, d’alimentation et d’hygiène : programme plus global mais surtout plus utile. Mais pour aller plus loin, il manque quelque chose à tous ces échanges : Que se passe-t ’il réellement dans les centres ? J’ai besoin de voir de mes yeux et d’aller à la rencontre des jeunes et des Catalystes sur le terrain ! L’opportunité m’en est donnée en mars 2019 : ça y est : je vais en Inde pour une semaine ! A l’arrivée, choc culturel, sentiment d’être tellement privilégiée et chanceuse, et tellement impuissante. Et enfin, LA RENCONTRE ! Le jeudi matin, je pars en taxi avec Balaji (ancien RH chez Roquette). Après une heure de trajet, plusieurs demi-tours, nous voici devant le centre : tous les jeunes sont là, tous sur « leur 31 » et nous attendent intimidés. Forcément, je le suis aussi ! La journée passe à la vitesse de l’éclair, je découvre toutes les passions, envies et rituels de ces jeunes et surtout je découvre la formidable action et le parcours pédagogique mis en place par LP4Y. Je discute avec l’équipe en place du projet Lifeline et d’un nouveau soutien de la Fondation Roquette, cette fois pour 2 ans ! nous travaillons et réfléchissons ensemble sur la présentation la plus pertinente. De ce fait je n’aurai pas le temps d’aller rencontrer les familles dans le bidonville ! c’est dommage, il faudra que je revienne ! Le soutien au projet Lifeline a été validé en juin par notre COMEX. Pour terminer, je suis tellement émue et admirative devant l’engagement et l’implication des Catalystes. Quelle belle aventure humaine. Le travail réalisé avec les jeunes est impressionnant, et tellement utile pour leur intégration sociale et professionnelle ! La vie est faite de belles rencontres qui vous changent et vous façonnent : Ma rencontre avec LP4Y et son équipe en est un exemple ! " Les rencontres dans la vie sont comme le vent. Certaines vous effleurent juste la peau, d'autres vous renversent."

Ignatius Suparno, Yayasan Kasih Bangsa Surabaya (YKBS), Indonesia In April 2019 a visitor of my province told me about this organization named Life Project 4 Youth which works in partnership with Atmabrata Foundation in Jakarta. I tried to get contact with Roch Alaguillaume, who was at this time the LP4Y’s Country Coordinator of Indonesia . Surprisingly he directly welcomed me to see their actions with the Youth in their center. So I paid a visit with two of my staff. It seems I “fell in love at first sight”. Honestly, I was shocked by the location of the site which is very poor and so polluted. Yet the volunteers stay among the most underprivileged people. Witnessing the courage of volunteers to live that way, I concluded that they expressed the catholic value “preferential option for the poor.” No wonder if I instantly said, “Yes, I will collaborate with you. Please come to visit us in Surabaya.” For me Surabaya is an interesting place. In fact, Surabaya is the destination place for the East Region of Indonesia to work, to do business, and to get higher education. At the same time, even though Surabaya doesn’t face extreme poverty such as Jakarta, it is covered by neighboring cities and islands which are so poor in resources and educational opportunities. For this reason I think Surabaya is the second best place after Jakarta to erect such Training centers, as the ones of LP4Y. Likely, the communication was done so quickly. After Roch Alaguillaume, Fanette Billot, Rizka Maulida and John Delaporte visited Surabaya, we were sure that LP4Y would open the center in Surabaya in collaboration with Yayasan Kasih Bangsa Surabaya (YKBS). We made a choice for the site : a kampong (village) of poor fisherman. I am so glad to see the progress of communication with the local people, with Muslim clerics, and with youth organizations. I am so impressed also about the instant decision to send three first volunteers: Rizka Maulida, Amaury Belarbi and Khawla Boutalouss, who are so hardworking, cheerful and approachable. Considering those situations, I am very confident about the future of this center and collaboration. However, the uniqueness of the character of people in this region, in particular Surabaya, required us to do research and studies on the culture and type of poverty faced by these people. It means, we need time and hard work to make direct contacts with people and do the mapping, as much about the problems as the different opportunities there. Because of personal exceptional circumstances, the catalysts in place had to leave for a few weeks. Thus the center in Surabaya is still waiting for opening, nevertheless they will be back as soon as possible, probably by October, to inaugurate the new Life Project Center before the end of 2020.

The covid-19 crisis is surely not over and there are many remaining challenges. LP4Y innovates to cope with the social and economical consequences on the communities and with the current and future transformation of the job market. It is now time to look forward and work hard to adapt the actions for Youth professional and social integration. Yet, many creative initiatives have already been implemented for and with the Youth to overcome all together this unprecedented situation. Since the beginning of the lockdown and closure of all LP4Y centers on March 14th, 648 Young adults remained fully morally and financially supported by their coach, 884 Stars alumni of the program and former dropped-out were exceptionally financially supported to face their job loss and price flash, the coaches turned to an adapted distanced pedagogy, the Digital project team operated the test phase of the e-learning and networking platform Digital Inc. and got everything ready for a global launch in November, LP4Y Stories were created, the Youth and Catalysts united their strength to support other organizations providing services to help the excluded communities… and so many other great actions that have shown the power of the Catalysts effect. All those achievements could not have been possible without the support of the strong LP4Y ecosystem. Considering that not to support the Youth was not an option, LP4Y had to raise special crisis funds to maintain the actions without jeopardizing the many future projects for the social and professional inclusion of excluded Young adults living in extreme poverty in Asia and soon in Europe. Many of our global and local partners responded positively and chose to stand by LP4Y and thus to stand by each excluded Young adult accompanied. To those incredible partners, THANK YOU from all LP4Y members! Together let’s continue to bridge the gap between the decent and the excluded worlds. #StrongerTogether Throughout the crisis, LP4Y chose to pursue its mission and maintained its daily support to the Youth. Here is a detailed report of actions carried out during the crisis and an assessment of their impact: https://www.lp4y.org/point-de-situation

Meet Han, who found a job in Đông Tây Barber Shop. Ong Tường Hân, 18 yo, STAR Bread & Smiles Program, Hairdresser and barber at Đông Tây Barber Shop

Jeanne Crepelle, India Country Coordinator, comes back to India's first November meetings. Jeanne Crepelle, Country coordinator , LPC Chennai, India November meetings in Asia have been a great opportunity to gather all our partners from different cities and countries digitally. It enabled us to share not only LP4Y’ actions during this difficult year of crisis, but also 2021 perspectives and next steps. Partners realised their involvement’s worth (mobilisation actions, remote mock interviews, digital company visits, etc.) or got more information on how to be involved with LP4Y for the coming months. When it comes to the Youth, these meetings were the occasion to take part in a new project. They made some videos of their centers, explained their achievements during the Covid19 crisis and shared about their resilience. As Catalysts, it was the good time to testify that despite the current world's situation full of stress and uncertainty, many things are possible! We have to keep on going and get inspired by the Youth. In LP4Y, we pursued our efforts to be agile, by finding new ways of working together and innovating to continue our mission for and with the Youth and their communities. In India, we organized 6 meetings corresponding to LP4Y cities of actions: Kolkata, Delhi, Raipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai. A lot of partners joined: institutional, corporate, philanthropic as well as external trainers, friends and people from the communities, families and everyone that could be interested in LP4Y's project. It was a lot of work and a big challenge to organize these meetings. Nevertheless, the result was great and it was worth it. Once again, LP4Y Youth, Catalysts and Partners have shown that adaptability and innovation are the best way to move on!

Rumana shares a story about gender equality in Bangladesh and shows how women have to prove their value and work twicest hard than men to get what they want! Rumana Akter Ria, TDC Vashantek, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Being a woman in Bangladesh has its hardships ! Juthi tells us how LP4Y helps her to build her independence. Juthi Akter, TDC Vashantek, Dhaka, Bangladesh Assalamualaikum, I’m Juthi Akter. I’m 22 years old. I live in Bhashantek, Dhaka with my parents & younger brother. I finished my college in 2017 but unfortunately I couldn’t continue my university studies due to financial problems. In Bangladesh there are many young women who face a lot of pressures, like early marriage, early children, society pressure & harassment. I’m one of those young women who face it everyday. I want to be independent because i don’t want to get married. I want to be able to make my own choices in life. For now I want to focus on my career because I don't want to be a burden for others. LP4Y helps us by developing our Life Project Plan in order to have a good job. During this 6-months training we do company visits, we learn how to manage a project but also time management & mock interviews. Doing all of this gives us an idea how it will be when we will enter the professional world. That’s how LP4Y helps me. Soon I’ll have a good job and then I’ll be able to live independently and also help my family.

Jeanne Crepelle, former India Country Coordinator, shares her experience on the field and how it deeply transformed her! Jeanne Crépelle, Country Coordinator, India It’s been one month and a half since I came back to France. And yet, I still have trouble realizing that this two-year chapter of my life with LP4Y is over. Actually, it is not over. Everything is just beginning as this experience deeply changed who I am. The story of each and every Youth I met and accompanied in those two years of mission surely left a mark on me. I remain truly touched by their capacity of resilience and their will to always move forward. I was amazed by Asia’s diverse forms of beauty (populations, cultures, religions, landscapes, colors, smells, flavours…), and I am sure to come back one day to Nepal, the Philippines or India where I felt so warmly welcomed. I also feel transformed by the incredible people I met and the moments I shared with them. I feel lucky and fulfilled by those amazing friendships. I truly believe in LP4Y’s actions in favor of the Youth, and I am now sure I want to keep fighting for inclusion and be part of projects making sense. I feel happy, and proud of my path at LP4Y through the responsibilities I assumed and the challenges I overcame. I feel stronger than ever with the experience in mind. This adventure as a volunteer allowed me to build and enrich my professional project, as it enabled me to understand what I always wanted to do: offer my services to others, fight against exclusion, work with the unprivileged Youth, live intercultural and international experiences, assume responsibilities, manage my personal and professional time, overcome myself, teamworking, trust myself, better handle my stress and priorities, live within a community, going back to a simpler life, develop new skills, put my listening and analysis skills into practice, feel useful… A lot of big words making sense and resonating with my mission. I feel like LP4Y met my expectations of all sorts, and even beyond. Being India’s country coordinator made me realize how valuable and important commitment was for me. I sometimes surprised myself, being so committed and pushing my limits while listening to my needs. I learned to communicate and say things when it is necessary, but also to adapt to difficult situations (lockdown, distanced pedagogy, crisis). A lot of challenges! Yet this investment was worth it: I did it not only because I was truly convinced that the LP4Y project was worthwhile, but also because of the Youth themselves. Everything was possible thanks to teamwork (#TogetherWeCan). I had never felt like this before in the professional world. I came out fully happy and grateful of this experience, which wasn’t at all a bracket in my life. I now want to find a new project where I’ll be able to grow and blossom while using what I learned on the field with LP4Y. Going on a solidarity mission means coming out of your comfort zone and ordinary lifestyle while meeting amazing people from around the world.

Gautam, a Star from Paharganj Life Project Center, shares his story and tells us more about his job at Decathlon and how he could inspire the Youth from the Green Village and the TDC Kathmandu in Nepal. Gautam Mishra, LPC Pahar Ganj, Delhi, India Hello, My name is Gautam Mishra. I am 22 years old and I was born in Gurauwajot Grant (Uttar Pradesh). I have been living in Delhi for the last 21 years, where I also studied. Before joining LP4Y, I was working in a local shop as a salesman. Now I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Delhi University and I am working at Decathlon as a sport leader in the fitness department. My experience at LP4Y Before LP4Y, I did not speak English at all. For a few weeks, the other Youth made fun of me, but I started to understand, “slowly slowly”! And then I started to feel very good. I was making small sentences in my mind every day. I have learnt so much this way. I used to come by walk everyday, it is about 4/5 kilometers from my house. Since I started working in Decathlon, I often think about what my coaches taught me, because lots of things in Decathlon are related to LP4Y like: always come on time, work together, respect each other, help each other, trust each other, etc. My job at Decathlon I joined Decathlon two and a half years ago as an intern. I was coming to the store only to unload the truck and tidy up the clothes but slowly I started to help the customers, by listening and learning from other teammates. I also started to read more information about the products and ask more questions to my colleagues. To pursue my dream job (Indian Army), I asked for a part-time job but after a few months I got a permanent full-time job with more responsibilities. I got multiple job experiences in different departments like: Cardio Cycle GYM & Pilates Yoga Cross training bodybuilding Now, I am a sport leader for cross training bodybuilding (team level as equipment referent and store level as User Happiness Care chat referent). Lately, I did a digital company visit of Decathlon to the Youth of Paharganj Center. It was very good and now some of the Youth want to join Decathlon as well. From Delhi to Kathmandu I came to Nepal for a Pooja, a hindu ritual, that was promised by my maternal grandfather for me to grow safely when I was born. He did this big Pooja for me in Nepal close to the India border. So I took the opportunity to visit my former coaches in Kathmandu. As I had never been to Kathmandu before, it was a great time for me: I got a good experience, meeting new people, Youths, coaches and discovering new places! Everything was very good! I also visited the Green Village where I did computer training and testimony to the Youth. Those were good moments. They asked many questions. It was very interesting to see the different pedagogy: there are different departments where they work, it’s making them more responsible. I would like to say thank you to all the restaurant Youth who are cooking very delicious food. In the Training and Development Centre, I have seen the Little Angels Academy (nursery for the babies of Young Women who come to the center during the day). It was the first time for me because in Delhi, we don’t have this. I liked to work with all the Youth in the center and it was a funny moment when I was trying to speak in Nepali with them. And yes I tried ginger water for the first time. I learned many things new during my journey.

Meet Gerlie and hear about her incredible journey from LP4Y to EuroAsia. Gerlie Mile Eula, Green Village Calauan, The Philippines Many young people get their first office job after college. I am not one of those who had this path. I am not a college graduate. I only finished senior high school. At the time, I thought about pursuing college, but we didn’t have enough money to fulfill all my needs for college. Even if I took a lot of part-time jobs and did product selling on the side, it would not be enough. And so, my parents and I decided that I would stop school and start working. At 19 years old, I became the breadwinner of our family of 11. My mother was also sick, so I understood why we had to make a difficult decision. That is why I used our life situation as motivation. I told myself that I will not let poverty control my life. Instead of doing nothing, I needed to find a solution. I needed to stay positive and continue my dreams. I believe in myself; I know I can make it. With this, I decided to join Life Project 4 Youth, a NGO in our area. There, through training and seminars, I was coached on how to be professional. They made sure that we, the Youth in LP4Y, were ready when the time came for us to leave and find our own path. Gerlie (Third from left, middle row) with her LP4Y group. After 1 year of LP4Y training, I had to start my job search. I was nervous; I didn’t know if there would be a company that would accept me for my knowledge and skills. But, I always said to myself that if any opportunity came into my life, I would give my 100% effort. I remember getting mixed emotions on my first day to find a job. I sent out my resume to many companies and online job portals for vacancies that I thought fit my qualifications. That day, I received a phone call. I was shaking, but they said it was normal. After our conversation, the interviewer said I was not qualified; that they wanted someone who had better qualifications and has a college diploma. My heart sank. It was my first interview and I failed. But I did not let this affect me too much. From the start, I was prepared that this could happen. I accepted it right away and moved on. The next day, I had my second phone interview but still failed. They wanted someone with professional experience, which I did not have. Still, I needed to be positive and to continue my search. I’m a believer and a fighter. I needed to prove that even with my situation, I can still work. I reached my 10th phone interview, but still, I was rejected because of the same reasons. As anyone in my situation would feel, I was frustrated. It seemed that the universe did not want to give me a chance because I was not enough. My break came when I was contacted by Euroasia Executive Search, one of the companies that hosted our company visit and mock interviews while in LP4Y training. I was told I made a good impression when I was interviewed, and they wanted to hire me! I was so shocked and so happy at the same time! After all the disappointments, there was still this opportunity for me. I thought I would just keep on dreaming and hoping for something like this. But God gave it, and I am so blessed. When I started with EESI, my task and responsibilities were mainly administrative. Eventually, I realized that I wanted to be in recruitment. I knew I would be productive in recruitment. But I was also embarrassed and scared because I didn’t know if I was good enough. This was my first time to leave my comfort zone. And yet, I said yes to it. I am grateful and happy I accepted, and I am continually giving my best because I know this is the way for opportunities to come. Gerlie with the Euroasia family at their 2019 Christmas party. My job hunting experiences gave me valuable lessons, which I’d like to share with other job seekers. If you feel now what I felt before, I leave you this message: It is perfectly normal to feel hopeless at some point. We all go through this phase. I think it’s difficult to always be 100% positive about ourselves. But it’s normal to at times have doubts about ourselves, about what we are good at if we are competent or just good for nothing. What matters is that you are able to step back and that you do not let your negative emotions get the best of you. I hope that throughout your job hunting, you will hold the belief that there is a company out there willing to trust you, appreciate your efforts, and give you the opportunity that you have long wished for. Just wait for your perfect timing. And once it comes, grab it. Give your 100%. It might take longer, but trust that God has a plan for you. As long as you are motivated and you are open, believe that you deserve to receive more than you wish for. More importantly, don’t let your education level and self-doubt dictate or lead your life. That’s why you need to be strong and trust yourself first. Learn how to protect yourself from things that may give you heartaches and disappointments. In the end, you will realize that those heartaches are challenges you have actually overcome. Now, I still keep learning and being curious, and I don’t plan to stop. I know that there are still a lot of things that I need to know, and I am hopeful about my future. And wherever the opportunities take me, I will always bring all the experiences and lessons that my past taught me. Testimony released on the EESI website