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Green Village Lebanon Team October 5th, Today was a special day for me, as well as for the team. We officially opened the Green Village Lebanon. For some of us, it’s been almost a year that we work on this project. Some of us recently joined the adventure, a few weeks ago, and surely played their part. Once again, I not only understood why I was doing this mission but also why I had chosen to renew it last Autumn despite the lockdown and weeks of doubts. During my first mission, I was working as a Coach in India. It was a wonderful experience, where every single day was full of surprises and amazing encounters. My spirit was lifted throughout the year, and each experience allowed me to become a better human being. I wanted to get those undefinable sensations back. Deep down inside, I have been waiting for this October 5th since the very first day I set foot in this mythical country that Lebanon is. Since the beginning of the project, nothing was easy though. Lebanon is currently facing one the most serious crises of its history. Since the Revolution in October 2019 (Thawra), troubles just keep piling up. As if they could never really disappear. Covid, as well as the terrible explosion of Beirut’s harbour in August 2020, wounded a population already in pain. For months now, Lebanese are fleeing their country reluctantly. The catastrophic economic situation placed about half of the population under the poverty line. The Lebanese pound lost around 80% of its initial value, leading to an incredible inflation. As a result, most of middle class families cannot afford to eat their fill. In this context, I questioned myself on our usefulness in such a slump. How would people around us react to the idea of us helping Young women find a decent job, as almost a third of young graduates are currently unemployed? What would they think about our mission, when entire families currently struggle to eat properly and want to leave the country? The gas shortage, as well as limited access to electricity and medicine, plunged entire families into indecent living conditions. Would those families accept to let their daughters leave their home, when religious communities are gaining importance in the Lebanese mosaic? During our first months in Sourat, many locals welcomed us. Yet they also warned us about the complexity of implementing such a project here. And finally, we got into it, sometimes without really knowing where we were heading. But we always had the unique idea in mind: try our best to give back to this country that offers us so much. We fought to build this project on a long-term footing, capable of helping all those young women to design their future in their country. We fight for them to gain self-confidence, give them hope that one day the situation will get better. And that when this day will come, they’ll have all the keys to succeed in life and be part of this new generation that Lebanon so desperately needs to rise again. Weeks and months were needed to set up this Green Village. Find a building capable of hosting 60 Youth at the same time, take the decision to focus on women only, equip the center and build its furniture required for the project’s sustainability. Develop the partners’ ecosystem, ready to accompany us all the way in the adventure, create a pedagogical strategy adapted to the Lebanese culture radically different from ours and the ones in Asia. All of those steps were challenging and long, in a critical global context. So today, when the Young women came down from the bus and set foot in front of the Green Village, I experienced a strong emotion. I had forgotten about those shy smiles and sparkling eyes, and I missed them. They filled me with energy and bravery. They had a lot of courage to leave their families, and even sometimes their children and babies, to live in a new place they knew nothing about. With Young Women they never met before. Deep inside, I know they made the right choice. They’ll live an amazing experience, which I hope will change their lives forever and will allow them to believe in a better future. For Nagham, Shaima, Iman, Aya, Bushra, Batoul, Rayane, Marlene, Bayan, Diya, and all the others to come who will join this fabulous project.

It has been more than one year that no volunteer were able to join the GV, see how it becomes alive again ! Green Village Calauan Team, The Philippines Before reopening the Green Village and welcoming the Youth in the best condition ever, the team and the Stars are 100% mobilised and motivated to make the place welcoming as much as possible, after more than one year without activity, kept under maintenance thanks to workers who still worked on site during the lockdown. The Green Village Calauan is also registered in the Global Ecovillage Network database and has been selected in the short list for the Hildur Jackson Award ! Results will be released in October ! Stay Tuned ! Find our profile here .

The team of RDRS tells us why they decided to involve with LP4Y on the Green Village project and how we can work together for Youth inclusion. Mylène Wang, GV leader Bangladesh, LP4Y Rashedul Arefeen, Project Coordinator, ELCA, RDRS Md Abdus Samad, Head of Development Programs, RDRS Md Nazrul Ghani, Head of Administration and General Services, RDRS Mylène: Let me tell you about our partnership with RDRS Bangladesh, a very exciting story about a successful new partnership. It actually started with a study. A very interesting study about the Youth employment situation in Bangladesh called “The Ignored Generation” that we read for us Catalysts to understand better the challenges faced by the Youth in the country. And at the end of this insightful study, a large table filled with the names of all the NGO contributors, with their field of actions, was annexed. As my co-catalyst Jérémy and I were looking for new partners to collaborate with, to expand our knowledge of the country but also to find a building to settle our Green Village in, we added RDRS to our prospect list. Indeed, RDRS Bangladesh mission is “Committed to change through empowering the rural poor”, exactly the kind of partners we needed to reach the excluded Youth from remote and rural areas. After a small discussion by email, we were beautifully welcomed in the RDRS Dhaka office, where we immediately clicked with the executive and management team: their message was clear, their action very organized, and their English delightful. Furthermore, in our luck, we found out that RDRS was not only an organization with a vision similar to ours, but also that they were pioneers in the NGO sector since the existence of the country. Along with BRAC, they really helped the development of the country, so they are, thanks to their +5000 people working on the field, very well connected both with the people and the decision-makers in Bangladesh. Thanks to their great support, we were able to visit their centers, activities and buildings in the Rangpur Division (located in the North-West of the country), which is one of their main working areas (as their name originally implies - RDRS meant Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Services). There we had the opportunity to meet the both very helpful Md. Nazrul Ghani and Arefeen Rashedul. Long story short, this is how we finally found our Green Village building in Kaliganj, Lalmonirhat, one-hour drive from the main city of Rangpur, where our new team of 4 catalyst members will now settle up! What are your names and your positions at RDRS ? Rashedul Arefeen, Project Coordinator, ELCA Md Abdus Samad, Head of Development Programs Md Nazrul Ghani, Head of Administration and General Services How long have you been at RDRS? Rashedul Arefeen : I have been working with RDRS Bangladesh for about 20 years, on development projects and looking after RDRS property at Lalmonirhat. Nazrul Ghani : I have been working with RDRS for more than 30 years, my responsibility is to look after RDRS assets, building vehicle general administration, procurement, purchase, maintain liaison with government agencies and also property trust.Abdus Samad : I have recently joined with RDRS Bangladesh and it’s been two months almost! When and how did you hear about LP4Y? Rashedul Arefeen : I have heard about LP4Y three months back on the first visit of the team at Kaliganj. Nazrul Ghani and Abdus Samad : We heard about this initiative one month back in our Senior Staff meeting. What was your first impression when you heard about the LP4Y project towards the Youth ? Nazrul Ghani : We felt very much enthusiastic to become a part of this initiative after learning about the LP4Y project as it clearly links with RDRS business objective and also has a strong niche with our existing work of youth development and gender inclusion. What do you expect about RDRS and LP4Y partnership? Rashedul Arefeen : We expect the RDRS and LP4Y to work together to achieve the common goal of this two organizations which has a strong synergy with each other. RDRS expects LP4Y collaborate with RDRS: To develop its field level implementation planning To collaborate while setting beneficiary selection criteria To partner with RDRS while undertaking community consultation and outreach To partner with RDRS union federations while selecting beneficiaries To share information about project work transparently with RDRS to allow support each other and reach the maximum for the beneficiaries What impact do you think the Green Village Project will bring to the region and the community around Lalmonirhat ? Rashedul Arefeen : Women are extremely vulnerable in this locality due to various socio-economic reasons and violence against women, harassment and deprivation. There are huge numbers of women who are now living as a single parent and taking care of their children who are victim of child marriage. Economic empowerment is a key to prevent VAW and empower women and girls. This LP4Y project can bring significant impacts in the lives of youths of this area and particularly for the women. Do you have anything particular to share with our international community? Nazrul Ghani : Bangladesh population pyramid shows the fatty youth segment that is lack of marketable skills, lack of entrepreneurship and start-up support, less scope of financial inclusion and improper distribution of opportunities. The youths and particularly women are extremely vulnerable in the northern part of the country due to poverty, social stigma and many other socio-economic factors, they need support. The RDRS Bangladesh has its mandate to develop skills of youths and ensure their financial inclusion. RDRS is also working for youth entrepreneurship development by providing start-up support and ensuring their financial inclusion. RDRS and LP4Y can co-create projects by utilizing resources and expertise of each other.

Théo, Emilie & Rujita, Kathmandu, Nepal Last July, the Green Village Kathmandu shifted from the Budhanilkantha district to the Godawari one where they found more spaces to grow the activity and welcome even more Youth. Indeed the venue before was only allowing us to welcome 10 Youth per batch. Now, the team is growing and growing thanks to the motivation of the Catalyst team involved in the project, and thanks to the ecosystem that is growing faster than ever! Have a look at the first pictures of these first months in the new Green and how the Youth invested the place with their MEI and daily activities!

Angelica Vitales, LPC Payatas, Manila, Philippines Good day, My name is Angelica Vitales. I am 19 years old and I live in payatas B. Quezon City. I am part of PayataSport and my department is Sport and Events coordinator. I arrived at LP4Y last February 1st, 2020. In my staying in lp4y, I learn a lot like: how to organize an event like basketball league, volleyball league and also the Zumba event, and I also learn how to speak English very well and how to do some works in the computer. I learn that every team work is not being successful if you do not have team spirit in your team. Finally, I learn all of that because of LP4Y program.  Our next challenges are to have more youths to share some things that we learn in LP4Y and to have more activities like sport trainings for the students, street children and also for the youth to know what is the purpose of sports in our life. This is my message to the other youth like me: do not lose your trust in yourself because I know that in any problem there is a solution. Be confident to face a problem, try to learn more. Dream big and you will be successful in your life.

Glydel Ignacio, LPC Payatas, Manila, Philippines I am Glydel Ignacio, I am 20 years old. I live in Payatas B, Quezon City. My family does not belong to a higher class of the society, but we can still afford to eat at least three times a day. I stopped my studies because of lack of financial support. So, I stayed in my grandmother's house with her son and daughter, together with my four siblings because my Parents are separated. In Year 2018, our neighbor introduced us to the Life Project for Youth and because of the good opportunity, two of the family relatives became part of LP4Y (Fashion4youth and Payatasport program). They had a great experience where they encouraged us to be part of LP4Y too. So before they graduated, another member of the family joined LP4Y and she started a joyful and great journey there (Fashion4Youth program). After they graduated year 2019, they started to apply to many companies and they had many choices to apply. So thank you very much to LP4Y ! Now that the year 2020 started, we also joined Life Project for Youth. My twin sister became part of the Fashion 4 Youth program, then I became part of the PayataSport program last January 28, 2020. It is a pleasure for me to be part of the program because I learned a lot, especially the things I never tried before like Volleyball. In my 20 years of existence, I never tried sport ! So thanks to LP4Y now, I can play volleyball and not only play but teach also. I am very happy because I also learned the basic computer skills, Google slide, keyboard symbols and also presentation and Professionalism. So what more for my remaining months ? It will be more knowledge and skills to learn. So I am very thankful to Life Project for Youth for having this kind of program. It makes the youth better than they expect themselves to be. Now that we are facing the crisis, it is a big challenge for everyone because we are far from each other. We need to keep the motivation, the eagerness to learn, especially if this will take one month. We need to find distraction in the house. So thank you again for the online training, exercises and activities that the coaches make, because it helps the team to keep the knowledge, develop our skill and not to forget. To all the youths like me: Always bring your motivation with yourself. You will not reach your dreams if you do not aim high and keep going even when someone or something puts you down. All challenges will be solved, maybe not now but it will come at the right time.

What is happening to the Catalysts before arriving on the field and/or starting their mission ? Discover the Welcome weeks made by LP4Y ! Organisation team Pauline Delaporte, Booster Talent Welcome Weeks have been an LP4Y basic for years. Originally it would be a time to gather physically and bring together coordination team members to help the new Catalysts to dive into their mission right when they arrive on the field. It would take place in a central city of the zones where LP4Y is committed; in Manila or in Delhi. During two intense weeks, around 60 Catalysts would experience the values that make the DNA of LP4Y. They would open their eyes and heart to the realities of exclusion that so many Youth and their families live in, their incredible strength to bridge the gap to join the included world, and how meaningful our motto : "Together we can" becomes. The Covid 19 pandemic started a week or two after the February 2020 Welcome Weeks. Thanks to these two weeks, we were stocked up in motivation and dedication towards our mission. Hard to quantify how much this played a role in the incredible agility and team spirit that the teams showed during the uncertainty of the first months of lockdown. Difficult also for us to imagine what the Welcome Weeks of August 2020 would look like. LP4Y pedagogy is based on the "learning by doing" principle for Youths, but also for Catalysts. How could we respect this, without being able to gather everyone one on the field? How to build a team spirit and make the new Catalysts understand the positive spirit and the "no judgment" atmosphere that all Catalysts share? Crises are without doubt challenging, but they can also be huge opportunities. The Youth LAB mobilised close to 30 Catalysts who were under lockdown to create the Digital Welcome Weeks. The profits are undeniable. Catalysts following the Digital Welcome Weeks get to learn from a much larger panel of experiences from Youth and Catalysts, they get to see a diversity of slum in which the LP4Y Centers are included, they get to interview Youth in Nepal as well as Youth in Philippines, they get to be the angel of co-Catalysts whom they might never meet in person, but with whom they will undoubtedly work with. In addition, for LP4Y organization and capitalization it also means that the entire coordination team has an opportunity to speak with one voice and discuss the best ways of implementing LP4Y solutions. The Digital Welcome Weeks, and the ones we used to have in person have different advantages. The challenges of the pandemic forced us to find new solutions - and what is certain is that we will not get back to our old way of doing things. We will continue improving - to find more and more solutions for Youth Inclusion. Together we can ! Salomé Jacqui - Projet Leader MEI South Asia The Welcome Weeks. Our 2 very first weeks in LP4Y. 2 weeks of training to understand what, who, where, when, how. As a consequence of the COVID pandemic, LP4Y had to adapt the Welcome Weeks to a Digital format on the Digital Inc platform. Some modules are created to explain the LP4Y fundamentals, what is the Catalyst posture, the MEI, to meet the Youth and the community, or to explain the different missions. Brief and debrief are organised at the beginning and the end of the day to explain the planning, share feelings or ask questions, and some activity with Youth / Catalysts on the field are occurring to create a first link with the different countries of mission. More and more Catalysts from those countries are recruited, implying an organizational agility about timings and feelings : working as a Catalyst in your own country is different from working as a Catalyst in a foreign country. Sharing time is an important pillar at LP4 Y when we come together, to know how everybody feels about a learning session, about their experience and their own vision. Here are some quotes from the final sharing time wrapping up the first week: “Uplifting experience.” "You made us closer." "I will remember a thousand things. I feel a lot more confident. I am sure I made the right choice. I saw professionalism and kindness. I feel like I belong to LP4Y.” "We are all different but we still have the same mindset for the Youth! Thank you the Talents team for the recruitment.” “The community challenge was so fun. I talked with neighbours I hadn't seen for a long time! Intense and crazy weeks. At the end of the day, I wanted to do more, I had too much energy. Positive energy coming from all of you. I can't wait to see the pedagogy in action.” “I first said that I wanted to go out of my comfort zone, and this comfort zone I imagined is not the one I am experimenting here.” “You don't need to be perfect. You will learn day by day.” "We feel like it is normal to be vulnerable." “We are equal, the Youth and the Catalysts.” “Before I was stressed up, after the inception training I was in orange, and now I am fine. I am happy I met my future co-Catalysts.” “I feel that my future is calling me.” During the last sharing and to wrap up the session, Jessica shared with us a poem she just wrote, being inspired by all the Catalysts sharing their thoughts: Born in different places Raised in diverse experiences Been around different humans We all are distinctive beings yet Something connects us Something binds us That something is our heart. Heart that holds compassion and love for the world at large. Heart that believes in equality Heart that see every other human as one's own Heart that believes everything is possible together. Thank you LP4Y for your essence. The L stands for life in LP4Y but for me the hidden deep meaning behind L stands is Love for community at large. Thank you for connecting all of us with a compassionate heart together. Jessica Arora - Fresh catalyst, Coach in Chennai

Claire Marie Beyet, Youth Inclusion Network On 30th July, the third and last training delivered by Hyatt Regency Pune took place. The subject was “Communication skills in the hospitality industry”. 55 Youth took part in this training and were able to: > Learn more about the different types of communication, > Understand the features and benefits of effective communication, > Apprehend how to solve the barriers to communication, > Receive useful tips on the improvement of their communication skills. With the advice received from Aarti Naik, the Youth will surely be able to manage their communication skills in the hospitality industry, or in their future work and career. We are really grateful for the support and commitment demonstrated by Hyatt Regency Pune during the three training sessions it delivered!

In March, 2021 due to the political crisis in Myanmar, lots of Youth in LP4Y have to flee back to their respective village. However, they didn't give up and came back to LP4Y where they could chase their dreams! A Kan Min, Myanmar Myat Noe Khaing, Myanmar Khin Myat Mon Thar, Myanmar Sai Bo Bo Tun, Myanmar May Thazin Phyu, Myanmar Mya Myint Zu, Myanmar Naing Phyo Win, Myanmar My first steps in LP4Y by Naing Phyo Win : I’m Naing Phyo Win. I live in Hlaing Thar Yar with my family. I have 5 members in my family and they are my father, mother, brother, young brother and me. I started my discovery week at LP4Y in April 2021 and now, I am in “autonomy step” in LP4Y. Due to Covid-19 situation all the schools in Myanmar have been closed since 2020 and again in March 2021, the political situation happened again and it became hard for me to learn or find a job for my living. l came to know LP4Y from a friend of mine and after discovery week, I understood that LP4Y was the place where I could discover my Target Job and my Dream Job. The unstoppable moment with May Thazin Phyu : I’m Youth in LP4Y. My name is May Thazin Phyu. I live in Hlaing Thar Yar. I already knew about LP4Y last 2019. But I could only join in 2021 because of covid-19 and other problems. I had some challenges coming to the center because of our country's situation and it was not safe enough. But I came to the center everyday because I want to learn more and to stay with LP4Y. It was a very hard moment in our country in March. And then I had to flee back to my village with my mom. However, after a month, I came back to TDC- Hlaing Thar Yar to chase my dreams. Thank you to LP4Y and our coach because you were with us in this difficult situation. And also thanks to my teammates. Journey back to TDC Hlaing Tharyar with Mya Myint Zu : I am from Myanmar. I am nearly 19 years old. I live with my family. I started to join LP4Y on February 23 ,2021. And then I reached “autonomy step” in March. During March, a political crisis happened in our country. So, we closed our center for two weeks for our safety. Therefore, I came back to my village with my younger two sisters without my parents. My village is located in Ayeyarwady region. We have to take the bus for 5 hours to reach my village. We left early in the morning for my village. After 5 hours riding the bus I reached my village. I lived in my grandfather's house. Although I reached a safe place I had many difficulties. There is no electricity and pure water in my place and we had to use solar energy. Moreover, there is no learning point in my village and I decided to come back to the TDC center to learn English, computer and business knowledge. My grandfather didn’t want me to come back to Hlaing Thar Yar for my safety, however, I came back here to try for my target job and dream job. My friends are also here. If I didn’t come back from my village I couldn’t improve anything and nothing would change in my life. This is the reason why I come back to the center and continue again. My Volunteer Moment at TDC - Hlaing Thar Yar by Sa Nyan Linn : I started my journey in LP4Y Myanmar as a Coach on 15th of February with lots of excitement and challenging moments, especially the political situation. After one month of mission in the TDC, a huge political crisis had happened and most of the Youth in Hlaing Thar Yar had to flee back to their respective village to keep themself safe. Despite the situation in Myanmar, the Youth in the TDC - Hlaing Thar Yar never let go of their dream to come true by coming back to the center and continuing their training every single day. Furthermore, in the mid of April, the Youth started launching their mobilization session in the community to help the children aged between (7-14) who are away from school since covid-19 pandemic. The mental and physical solidarity power of the Youth are quite amazing. They held the motto “ Together We Can ” and kept going over the situation. And what I can see is nothing can’t stop them from chasing their dreams. Celebrating the water festival with beautiful smiles and an amazing moment at TDC-Hlaing Thar Yar, by Naw Aye De Phaw : The Thingyan, also known as Water Festival is one of the famous festivals in Myanmar, is the happiest moment of the year. In this year, we couldn’t celebrate due to covid-19 and the political situation in Myanmar. However with the help of the Coach and motivation of the Youth, on April 13th 2021, we did a small party in our center. We created our own water festival and everyone had a great time. We prepared our traditional food and had it together. We were really excited to perform our traditional dances and international dances. We enjoyed playing games and creating signs on our t-shirts together and this year will be our unforgettable memories in LP4Y. We couldn’t enjoy it like we normally would during this difficult time but everybody was free of stress the whole day. During the political crisis, the scarcity and lack of job and internship opportunities in Myanmar with Sai Bo Tun and A Kan Min . Sai Bo Bo Tun : In April 2021, one of the very hard moments for me was to search for an internship. I tried to look everywhere around Hlaing Thar Yar where I can stick with my Target Job. The Garment Factory Company “Mini clothes transportation”. There are more than 50 employees in this factory and there are also different departments and I was assigned to “Cutting” for two weeks. I enjoyed this moment so much in my internship moment as I always wanted to work in the operation. The job operation starts at 9:00am and ends at 5:00 pm everyday. I was working under the “Cutting” Department and was attached with the supervisor “Mrs Htwe Htwe” who is taking charge of the whole operation. I learnt most about “How to cut professionally” and the communication between departments. I felt very happy and also got a lot of experiences from there. It Improved my communication and teamwork skills. A Kan Min : I’m A Kan Min and I’m now in “Management Step” in LP4Y. In April 2021 while I was in “Responsibility Step”, I had a big challenge to do my internship search. Even though it was a hard time, I tried hard to find a place where I wanted to join for an internship and I finally found it. The company is situated downtown. The FCY electrical engineering company. It is related to my target and dream job. I stayed there for about two weeks. There were many departments and about 18 employees at that time. The job operation starts at 8:30 am and ends at 5:00 pm. I worked there 5 hours a day. I learned a lot about the basics of electricity (Eg.The resource of electricity, about wire-Cable, about the voltage and circuit breaker, How we can use them…). I loved that moment because the subject that I learned in my internship interested me the most and also helped me improve my requirements. Based on my internship, I got a stronger mind for my dream to come true more than before. The impact on the Community in Hlaing Tharyar- Yangon with Micro Economic Initiatives (MEI) by Train 4 Change - Hlaing Thar Yar. On January 1st 2021, the Youth from TDC Hlaing Thar Yar started doing surveys in the community to start the MEI Program. The topic was: “How to improve Hlaing Thar Yar?”. “Gathering all the information in the community helped us a lot in planning for our MEI project. We have got a lot of informations during this survey program and based on this, we’ve planned to give training to the kids in the community especially Burmese, basic English and general knowledge” said Myat Shwe Sin (in “Responsibility Step”) and Ei Thet Mon (in “Management Step”) Due to Covid-19 and political situations, the project took a little bit longer to start, however in April 2021 Train 4 Change had successfully launched the mobilization session to the community and more than 20 children registered to join the training. This project was successfully initiated on May 19th 2021. We schedule two days a week to give respective training to the children (basic english and general knowledge related to environment & health). The training time starts from 10:00am in the morning and it takes 2 hours for one day. There is also one short break time around 15 mins for the children. After the small break, we play games with the children and also we ask them for their feedback to improve the training. We look at their feedback and comments and based on these we prepare and think the best ways to teach (eg.what we need to improve for them, which way is the best way to teach and easy to catch up by them and to keep them active enough) “The feeling after seeing the reaction of the kids during the training and their smiles are my biggest motivation to move on the project” said Htun Linn Aung. Life Project Plan of Myat Noe Khaing whose big dream is to become HR Manager in an International Company: I’m Myat Noe Khine and I'm 23 years old. Before joining LP4Y, I worked at Medical Action Myanmar (MAM INGO) as a storekeeper in the logistic department. When I did this job, I met most of my foreigner colleagues. Although I understood what they were saying, I could not reply to them. Because I’m afraid and I don’t know how to start speaking english. And also I was afraid they would talk to me. So whenever I saw them, I ran away from them. So I want to know what I should do, I can speak english. And then I had a dream to become HR Manager. But I don’t know how to start, what I should do, what I should learn and how to build self-confidence for the thing which I want to do. At that time, I heard about LP4Y from someone. She told me “if you join LP4Y, you could find what you need to do to make that dream come true and your english speaking skills will also improve”. So, I joined in Dec 2020 and am still in LP4Y. Because I was improving my English speaking, Communication, Leadership, Management skills and Professional Behavior. And I reached “management step” in 17 May,2021. My target job is HR assistant and Dream job is to become HR manager. It’s much clearer for me now to go for my dream. I’ve learnt a lot in LP4Y regarding team managing and communication as a Manager. I also learn to improve myself and skills from running my MEI project in LP4Y. For my dream, I will do it step by step. I will be trying to reach the HR Department in an NGO or International Company within 2 years and my challenge is to be able to continue my HR training after LP4Y.

Babita Baniya, TDC Kathmandu, Nepal Namaste!!! My name is Babita Baniya. I live in Shantinagar. I am 21 years old. I joined LP4Y in February 2021.Now, I am in the Entrepreneur step. Currently I am working on my own. Before coming to LP4Y I worked as a housemaid for two months. But it was really difficult to satisfy them and also I had to work a lot and I was paid very less so I left it. Then after I worked as a labor in the construction of new houses, I worked as labor till I was pregnant for 8 months. I earned a good amount while I was working there and I managed to save 2 Lakhs($1680). But my husband got sick and had to spend that money on his operation. After that I had a baby boy and I was not doing anything at home so my landlady told me about LP4Y. I came to the center with her and I liked the program of LP4Y and I joined it. In LP4Y I learned many things. First day of joining LP4Y, there was computer training. I had never seen a computer in my life. When I touched it I was so scared, I was thinking if I didn’t touch it in the right way I might damage the computer. My friends and coaches taught me how to operate the computer. After that I could type, use gmail, make a budget sheet etc. I also learned English. Before coming to LP4Y I didn’t even know how to speak Nepali well because I come from a really remote place in Nepal where they speak Nepali in different ways. I never went to school, but after coming to LP4Y I learned to read and write both in Nepali and English as I had to learn it to do the training so I took some time at home and learnt it with the help of a sister who was living near to my place. And in the center I tried to speak with my friends and coaches and I improved a lot. I also learned how to communicate with people well. During the lockdown, my husband didn’t have any work, we didn’t have any money left, our gas cylinder was empty and we were not able to pay the house rent. I was so worried. At the same time the sister living near to my room approached me and said let’s sell some vegetables together. So, we went to the market place to see how it works. It was the season of maize so I thought of bringing maize and selling it door to door. First time I bought maize for NRS.500($4.20) and carried it in a basket made of Himalayan Bamboo. I went door to door, I was feeling a little bit awkward and shy but in my mind I was thinking that I have to sell it to get my money back and I managed to sell all of it and came back with NRS.600($5.04) profit. There are 3 size of maize I buy with different price, small size NRS.4/pc, medium size NRS.7/pc and large size NRS.10/pc, and I sell it in double price. I carry it in doko (basket) and sell it near to my area and Baneswor area. If I buy the maize of NRS.700-800 ($5.88-$6.77),when I finish it I get profit of NRS.1500-1600($12.06-$13.44). Sunday, Monday and Tuesday people take fasting in Nepal so I sell more and earn more profit. In these three days if I sell the maize of NRS 900-1000($7.56-$8.40) , I get a profit of NRS.2000-3000($16.80-$25.21). (Because when they fast, they can still eat maize and different kinds of spinach which are considered pure.) I use the earned money on the household goods, pay the rent and for baby care products for my baby. The rest of the money I save and deposit in the finance in my account as well as my son’s account. My dream job is to open a small shop, so with the saved money I plan to open a small meat and vegetable shop with my husband because I have experience and knowledge on selling vegetables. I use my savings for my son’s education and emergency health care. I am really satisfied with the work I am doing now because if you work in another place you have to be in control of others and you earn less, now I am working on my own and I am the boss. I earn around 35000-40000($294.11-$336.13) per month. I learned many things after coming to LP4Y. The most important thing I learned is to dream because I never thought that we could dream and reach that. I learned to be independent, learnt how to communicate with the customer effectively, and how to communicate with known and unknown people. I use this skill in the work I am doing now. Now, I think that I can stand on my feet and feed my family. I am independent now. I want to advise the youth who are in LP4Y that there are enough opportunities if you search. You need to accept whatever jobs you get to gain some experience. We should not be lazy and sit still. Everything is difficult in the beginning but if you start working on it you will reach success. We must be independent and should have courage to stand on our own feet. I want to thank all the coaches of LP4Y. I learned many things in LP4Y. I learned to be independent and be strong. Thank you coaches and thank you all. Namaste everyone!!!!

Last July, the brand new Green Village West Bengal welcomed its very first batch of young women! Catalysts share their thoughts on this opening! Green Village West Bengal staff, India Elodie Cuau - GV Leader: “Opening a Green Village? It was surely a lot of stress and challenge. I do remember the day we were given the "keys" of the castle, I felt overwhelmed by the work to do. Cleaning the place up being left with a ton of garbage, and a lot of renovation work. But 2 months and a half months later, oh, boy, what a result !” Julien Drouineau - PM Mobilisation: “For me the GV opening was a mix of renovation works and mobilization. Handling the workers (mostly electricians), the purchase of material and at the same time making sure that we will have Youth for the opening was a bit of a juggling! Even if it was a bit hard sometimes to live in a building site, I loved to see the place transforming into a GV! At the same time, I was already working on my PM Mobilization mission, which was a good way to remember why we were doing all the work we were doing!” Noémie Battini - Coach: “Launching a Green Village is for sure a big challenge, and you always have to keep in mind that everything you do, you do it for the Youth. My mission was about preparing the pedagogy and integration of the Youth, as well as focusing on the plumbing part of the renovations. My tasks would vary from finding suppliers, to drawing plans of bathrooms, to meeting future partners. Needless to say, I never got bored! The Green Village opened less than two weeks ago and I am now a coach. The renovations are (almost) behind us, and it's quite amazing to see the Youth living and working in the Green Village everyday, and to think that without our hard work they would not be here!” Thomas d’Harcourt - Coach: “At the beginning it was confusing to open something that I didn't know without any building found yet. When we moved to the building and with the arrival of more experienced Catalysts, everything became more real and we entered into a sprint of work and challenges. I found it difficult to find my right place at the beginning because no mission was officially assigned. With the progress of the work and the clarification of my mission I was getting more and more excited. At the end, I really loved the renovation part, felt proud of all the work done, and a bit stressed by the arrival of the Youth. I feel so happy now to be coach! Simran Das - Community Catalyst: “To open a GV it has all the mixed feelings, about if we would be ready in time or if the place will be liked by the Youth. But everything falls into place once the Youth are here. We always have to remember that we need to focus on progress and not perfection. While working for the opening it's also an overwhelming feeling that this place was built from the scratch by the Catalyst now and it will be a Green Village residential training centre once it's completed. In the end we feel proud after seeing the before and after images of the place. The work done by the team and the wait of the Youth make me more motivated to work on the opening. It was nervous the night before as there is going to be a change in everything now, for the good!!

Risna, LPC Cilincing, Jakarta, Indonesia My Name is Kristina Titu. You can call me Risna. I was born in Bajawa on 7 july 1998. I am 22 years old. I am from Flores and now I live in Semper with my cousin. I graduated from NEGERI 1 GOLEWA Senior high school majoring in social Sciences. I have 4 siblings.1 older brother and 3 older sisters. First I want to tell my story before I join LP4Y. After I graduated from high school,I continued my dream at an University in Situbondo,East Java. However, in 6 months, I decided to stop college because my mother passed away and I had to come back to my village. When I was in the village, I helped my family to manage our farm. About 2 months later, my older brother took me to work in a Rehabilitation center for mentally and disability people in Maumere. I worked there for 2 years. During the 2 years I was entrusted with managing one canteen owned by the foundation because the sales of the canteen are used to fund mentally and disability people there. Not long after that I decided to return to the village and I was determined to move to Jakarta. Finally in October 2019 I moved to Jakarta. The first plan in Jakarta was to find the job as soon as possible. My plan was to work in a restaurant as a cashier. However it was so difficult to find that kind of job. I have applied for 3 restaurants in North Jakarta and 1 restaurant in West Jakarta but after the interview the restaurant owner said I was not the right age and maybe I could apply in the following year. There was no reply from all the restaurants I applied for. This Situation had been worse when Covid 19 started. I stopped looking for work and I just stayed at home for 6 months and had no activities. At that moment I felt hopeless and wanted to come back to my village. In this hopeless situation, I heard LP4Y from Mrs.Joseph Atmabrata. Because I had no activities at home and I hope I will get a decent job after joining LP4Y, so I decided to come to the center in Cilincing Jakarta. I’ve been joining LP4Y for 7 month and in 2 month I will finish my PTE. My department in LP4Y as Human Resources. My assignments in my department such as every morning I write down the attendance of my team and explain LP4Y if guests come or welcome new youth. After joining LP4Y I feel that there are many things that have changed in myself and my life. For example, before I could not speak English and now I can, and I'm confident to speak in front of many people. I’m also able to manage my work time at home, being more responsible in my work and I can manage myself. My motivation at LP4Y is that I want to be more professional at work and more responsible in my work assignments. Now I’m in job search, I hope I can find the job soon. By the mock interviews I did in LP4Y I felt more confident to do the real interview at work. After graduating from LP4Y I wanted to work in a company to get money and reach my dream to continue my education to an university. I believe that “Hard work is the key to success” . THANK YOU