Which story would you like to read? 

My name is Ryan Feari. I am 19 years old. Today, I am representing a vocational training (Life Project 4 Youth Training and Development Center in Jakarta). I live in Kampung Sawah, one of the slum areas in North Jakarta. Most of the people there collect the bottle waste or boxes and then sell them to get money. Many young people who get married do not have a good job or mostly work as stone pickers, getting 1 dollar per day. I have a supportive family. I have 3 siblings, my mother is a house wife and my father is working as a daily worker. He works hard to fill the family's daily needs. I love to learn English by myself. I used to teach English to 30 children when I was in high school. My passion is learning new skills such as public speaking and meeting new people. I am the leader of the learning and development team in LP4Y training center. Me and the team are always trying to follow up on training we receive from partners to Youth in the center. We provide advocacy training to the community. We receive job training preparation from partners such as creating CV, job interview hack from Sodexo, MAP, Excel/ IT Training from Coach Neno STF Driyarkara and ASEAN Foundation about Data science, how to boost our confidence through mock interviews with Decathlon, business management by L’Oréal and McKinsey, administration and marketing from Servier and hospitality from Accor and Citi M Hotel. During my 3 months in LP4Y, I went to IFI Jakarta to watch a movie and had many discussions there. I remember being so impressed by the building and the people working in IFI. I was wondering how the Indonesian people work with the Embassy and have international co-worker. I assume they are great people and work hard for that. This month, some Youth had the opportunity to do internships in PAUL Bakery, Grand Hyatt and IFI. I kept talking with them and it has inspired me on what I want to do later. I would like to do an internship in a big company to really show my motivation and develop the potential within me. I am willing to have an internship in the Human Resources area to learn more about how the HR department works, doing assessment of CV and the most important thing to see the selection process. Using the HR point of view in selecting the talent is a golden opportunity that not everyone can simply have. Me and my friend are still on our journey to really seek out who we are and what kind of future we want to create. We carry out the big mission in our lives that we must break the poverty circle of our family and be the better version of ourselves. I do believe that with the support of many people and opportunities, we can bring our dream into reality. When we invest in a Youth’s life, we actually plant the seed that will grow and have fruits for everyone. This journey to get a decent job, good salary, better life is not easy but possible to do. So here I am, standing in front of you to raise the voice not only for me but millions of Youth who live in extreme poverty, with a limited access to education and opportunities, to show that any kind of support matters. We live in this world that we used to see and judge based on the background, less support from the family and even do not dare to dream. I am grateful that I crossed my fate to meet many committed people that trust me on my dream and support me endlessly. Can you imagine? Today you see me as nothing, just a stone picker every Sunday, receiving a job training 5 days a week. In 5 or 10 years I will be someone who works in a company, has my own business and fly to France to meet my coach. Who knows? I will work hard for that. Because I do trust the process. So, thank you so much everyone for your attention and your support to make me stand confidently! The Youth Internationl Network (YIN) is an international network of 59 socially progressive companies willing to reduce poverty and act for the inclusion of Youth from underprivileged backgrounds thanks to CSR programs, HR policies and business strategies. The YIN has 4 missions: Raise awareness about Youth inclusion with corporate actors and their network ; Support members developing activities and interactions with the Youth ; Connect members to organizations working with excluded Youth ; Facilitate cooperation between members through the organization of events (forums, webinars, workshops, etc.). The YIN is now operational in Indonesia.

We are thrilled to reflect on an incredible week of growth, learning, and inspiration in the LP4Y center in Beirut, Lebanon in collaboration with Cisco: “The Talent Week” The Talent Week is the opportunity for LP4Y’s partner to do a one-week volunteering experience in an LP4Y center to learn from the Youth and also share their knowledge. Farah & Samar from Cisco joined us in the Bourj Hammoud Training & Development Center for the second week of August. It was also a great experience for the Youth, who benefited from their expertise in different topics related to their professional growth: resume writing, interview skills, sales and customer services… Special thanks to Farah and Samar for their support, dedication, and genuine belief in the potential of the 25 Youth of Connect 4 Change. Also, we extend our gratitude to the Cisco team and Karim for your continuous engagement through mock interviews, training, and now through Talent Week. We are looking forward to continuing anchoring this partnership between Cisco and LP4Y for the best of excluded Youth. For 14 years, LP4Y has been developing innovative solutions to accompany, campaign, and engage for Youth Inclusion, here is a great example of it: We share with you a video made with the help of the talented Youth showcasing the events of the Talent Week  to inspire and encourage other partners for more actions together! What about you, how will you engage? If you want to explore potential collaborations, please contact us to discuss it further!

We all know the mythological story of the Phoenix bird who rises from its own ashes. Here is another Phoenix's story from the Green Village Bangladesh. In her 23 years span of life, Aparijita Sharmin (renamed for privacy purpose) challenged poverty, eve-teasing, social trial, child marriage, early motherhood and domestic violences. Through her own words and her Green Village Leader’s eyes, let’s dive into several phases of her journey. Aparijita Sharmin: the incredible journey of an empowered Youth I am Aparijita Sharmin, born in a lower middle class family in Bangladesh. I joined the Green Village (GV) on the 9th of July 2023. Before coming to this place, the situation of my life was beyond explanation. At the age of 16 years old, I was teased by one person that wanted to marry me. Whenever I was going to school, he was threatening me, telling me that he would kidnap me if I didn't want to accept the marriage. This day finally happened. He locked me in a room for 3 days. In Bangladesh's perspective, this is a humiliating and shameful action. Because of the social pressure that the community was putting on them, my parents decided to get me married off with this guy. If not for him, they would have struggled to marry me to another man, as I spent nights out of my house and nobody could know what happened during this time. I had to stop my studies. My parents cut the relationship with me as I ruined their societal reputation. I became a housewife, a prisoner of my own house, avoiding going out not to face people bad mouthing about me. The situation became even worse when my parents heard that I was not the only wife of my husband. They decided that divorcing was the better option even though I had a one year old baby. As you can imagine, being divorced with a child is not an aspiring situation for a Bangladeshi woman. After 2 years of this life, I started to feel that dying would be the best option for me, I had lost all the lights of my life. Thanks to a local NGO, I wound up in the GV. I really liked that place. At first, I was scared when I heard that I would need to communicate with everyone in English, as I do not know English much. I was wondering how I would learn the lessons here. However, with the support of the Coaches I started to understand what they were saying and I am still learning English. Later, I realized that my thirst for learning has been increasing day by day. During my Micro-Company weeks and Job Search weeks I have learned how to update report books, prepare documents like Newsletter, operating email, video conferencing, etc. I am very proud that I have made my own resume. After successfully ending my 3 months professional training, I now have the courage to speak in front of an audience. I am good at computer typing. I even finished my job search with a job offer and worked as a Lab Assistant in a private diagnostic center for the last 2 months. There I discovered how to collect samples, prepare patient reports etc. Before coming to the GV I didn't know many related things that are supporting me in this Lab Attendant job position. I was a nervous, scared, less confident young woman. Day by day I have tried to adapt with the energetic environment of the GV as well as learning my Micro-Company responsibilities. My position was Production and Safety Officer at Micro Company Restaurant. I did not know anything about the job responsibilities and how to fulfill them. Catalysts again assisted me a lot. First, they showed me how to work and then they let me do it by myself. The dedication and efforts Catalysts showed to me to teach different things made me empowered. Those learnings encouraged me and will always be with me in future. Thanks to the way they boosted my confidence, I will never step back from any difficulties. Tonight, I will take the bus to Dhaka, heading to the Bangladeshi capital city for the first time of my life, located 12 hours away from my village. I will work there as a call center assistant and will live with a friend I met in the GV. I am very excited and very proud that my salary has quadrupled since my first job. In Bangladesh there are many women who are widowed, divorced, victims of domestic violences and living a very miserable life. LP4Y is also targeting these marginalized vulnerable Youth and giving them new hope without even charging any money. For this, I am glad to be a part of this. I believe I will fly high and will succeed in my life as I have LP4Y beside me. Marie Metro-Savelli: witness of Aparijita's motivation and resilience As a Green Village Leader, I get the chance to spend time with the Youth and to see them evolving even though I am not with them all day long. To me, Aparijita is a great example of how LP4Y's pedagogy plays a decisive role in women empowerment. At the end of her first week in the Green Village, Aparijita became Production and Safety Officer for the Restaurant Micro Company. One of her missions was to write a weekly report identifying what are the situations that are not adequate with the GV Safety, analyze them and suggest solutions for them not to occur again. Once she understood her responsibilities and their importance, her mindset really changed!  She put so much effort into writing her report: taking pictures, using Google Slides to organize it, sending it via email. Computer, softwares, being solution-oriented… all this was new for her. Nevertheless, she was a fast learner. She would always make sure that I was reading her report and giving her feedback so she could improve for next time. When she entered Job Search, she had to hand over her position to another Youth that just joined the GV. Handovering her duties was not as easy as expected. After a few days she came to see me, to confess that the new Safety Officer was not properly doing her job. Of course, I reassured her regarding the fact that the new Youth needed little time to adjust and would do a great job after a few days. But, I was amazed by how important her old responsibilities became to her and how seriously she was taking it. Being a mother, I knew she was a responsible person when she joined, but being trusted (maybe for the first time) to ensure professional duties was a totally different thing. This motivation to learn, to ensure duties, did not quit her. She managed to convince a Diagnostic Center to give her the chance of having a first job. They saw her willingness to give her best, her flexibility and her honesty. Her manager is amazed by how fast she is learning, and praises her for her communication skills. To be honest, I was a little surprised by the second point. The least one can say is that when she started her training, this was not her best quality. But, I guess she understood the importance of compassionate communication and active listening; skills she had to develop when explaining to her team how to better respect the safety rules. On her last day, a little worried, I reminded her “Aparijita, keep in mind that if people at work annoy you, you need to step back, breath deeply and express yourself calmly, this will help you for sure”. I was worried she would be slightly offended (what I would have probably felt) but on the contrary she hugged me. After 3 months in GV, she perfectly understood that Catalysts were trying to accompany her in what they considered to be the most benevolent way. She henceforth had the smartness to apply those guidance to her new life. I will always keep in mind the day she came back to GV with her first appointment letter. Her appearance literally changed, from sad and angry eyes to a huge smile and lightened face. She was honestly almost not recognizable! Thank you Aparijita for being a beautiful example of resilience and for sharing with us 25 pages of your testimony that I am sure will inspire other women (and gave white hair to Medha). Aparijita (renamed in order to respect her privacy), Medha and Marie Green Village Bangladesh, December 2024

My name is Yair Lynn Naing. I live in Hlaing Thar Yar Tsp. I am part of LP4Y Stars club (alumni from LP4Y program) and I am working in CMA Ships Myanmar as an administrative officer. Here is my story from LP4Y to CMA: how did I join LP4Y, how did LP4Y help me to get a job. Before I joined LP4Y, I was a worker in a market and it was very tiring. I did not want to work in that job. I wanted to work somewhere where I can improve my life. One day, a woman came and informed my mom I could join LP4Y, explaining that it is an organization helping excluded Youth living in poor areas. I am very grateful that my Mom allowed me to quit my previous job and join LP4Y. When I joined LP4Y, the training center was in a monastery in Hlaing Thar Yar. For 9 months, I went to LP4Y center every day from Tuesday to Saturday, learning and working on our small business. LP4Y gave us allowance for breakfast, lunch, dinner, water, hygiene products, professional attire and mobile phone. Thanks for donating LP4Y! LP4Y also helped me to learn how to write a cover letter and resume. I did not know how to write it before. After 2 months in LP4Y, I went to CMA Ships Myanmar for a 10-day internship. I finished the LP4Y program during the COVID pandemic and started searching for a decent job. During the COVID, even if we could not open our center, LP4Y continued to train Youth through video conferencing. I am very grateful for that because if the program had stopped, I would have not been able to find a job. For almost two years, I worked in other companies, hoping that CMA Ships would hire me. And I finally got a job! I still remember the day the manager in CMA called me and said: "Hello Yair Lynn, when can you start to work in our company?" I was so happy to hear that. I started my job at CMA Ships on April 1, 2022. The employees are professional, confident, hardworking, patient, and also good at English. I learned these skills from them. The management of CMA is one of the best I ever experienced. I am so happy to work there because that was my target job. There is no discrimination or corruption in CMA. While working here, I am learning English step by step. Getting better is my challenge now! Thank you LP4Y and donors for helping the poor Youth in Myanmar when we are hopeless. Together we can!

Sandra Halabi's testimony - former coach at LP4Y Lebanon I still vividly remember my first visit to the Training and Development Center of Bourj Hammoud. The narrow streets, the warm and welcoming greetings of the shopkeepers made me feel as if I had known them forever. When I stepped into TDC Beirut, I had a deep sense that it wouldn't be my last and just one-time visit. My arrival coincided with the C4C program, where I witnessed over 40 small children receiving training from inspiring young ladies. Their responsibility and multitasking abilities left a lasting impression. As my days passed during my coaching mission with LP4Y, my initial impression continued to grow. One of the things I admired in my mission is the "Home Visits" which usually give us a chance to see the environment where the youth are living. I was always amazed by the kind-hearted parents who spoke warmly about LP4Y and their gratitude for the opportunities it provided to their children. Their stories never fail to mark an impact on my personal life like the one I will share below. Upon entering the home of Sidra, a youth at TDC Beirut, her mother warmly greeted me with an embrace, making me feel like her own daughter, despite our first meeting. As I prepared to sit with Sidra's family on a small carpet, a little girl, not more than 5 years old, ran over and hugged me tightly, providing a beautiful interruption filled with love. The mother expressed her gratitude for the opportunities her daughter had received through LP4Y. However, her focus remained on her children and the hardships they endured, having fled from war-torn Syria to Lebanon. I was deeply moved, listening to her story and empathizing with her experiences, amazed by her resilience. In response, I asked a simple yet profound question: "And you Fattoum (her name), how do you feel?" With a small, heartfelt smile and tears in her eyes, she looked at me and said, "I am good now. Do you know what my dream is?" Her response caught me by surprise, and I felt a mix of emotions as I inquired further about her dream. She answered without hesitation, "My dream is to find someone who can write down my life story because I am illiterate, and I believe that what I have lived deserves to be shared. It’s like a movie!" Her words left me both curious about her story and apprehensive about what I might hear. I may not possess the writing skills to effectively convey all the information that Fattoum shared with me to the audience. However, if you happen to know a proficient writer or someone talented in crafting documentaries, I am more than willing to facilitate the connection between Fattoum and that person. I wish I could articulate my emotions more precisely, but all I can say is that I deeply appreciate the opportunity to share with you this story and play a significant role in bridging Fattoum's dream. I did not expect better than this ending to wrap up my coaching journey in LP4Y which was absolutely full of gratitude and inspiration! For inquiries: sandrahalabi2@gmail.com

My name is Louise and I joined LP4Y for several reasons, but the one that pushed me the most to go to the other side of the world was to learn. And I learned a lot more than I could have hoped for. Instead of telling you about my experience as a coach at GV Nepal, I am going to share with you the speech I gave to the Youth and my colleagues at my last Graduation ceremony at GV Nepal. It was one of the most emotional moments of my 13 months as a coach. More than one tear was shed (myself first). "Dear Catalyst, dear Youth, It is not without emotion, as you can imagine, that I speak in front of you. You know as well as I do, that speeches are not my specialty, but I will try. I have with me Pabitra who will act as a translator for this speech. I will go slowly, don't worry. It has been 10 months I am with you in Nepal, far away from my family, my friends, from everything I know. It has been 10 months of happiness, of challenges, of learning, of growth. Saying goodbye to my colleagues who are also my friends is so, so hard. I don’t want to say goodbye, actually it will just be a see you soon! I want to say see you soon, Megha in your future shelter in India or Nepal, Maria in Nepal at the Government to make your country grow, Aashmani driving a car wherever you want in the world, Beauty in India at your wedding with someone you love, Puja in Nepal being a trekking guide and helping as much people as you can and Morgane in Bretagne drinking tea with your dogs remembering our good memories. I will miss you so much. All of you. I want to truly thank you for being there for me at every moment, to be like my family 7,000 km from my house, to make me feel like home, and the most important: I want to thank you for your delicious dinner! And you dear Youth of Nepal, how can I say goodbye to you? To be a Coach here? I struggle a lot when I arrive, and also during my mission. I remember me, 10 month ago completely lost in this Green Village. Manisha and Megha did the handover, I was not understanding their English, I had to handle 2 micro-companies, without knowing what is a micro-company! I had to fill a cashbook without knowing what is a cashbook, to make a budget balance without knowing what is a budget balance! I was very, very lost. When I see every month the new Batch arriving, I can see myself 10 month ago. And after a few months, I was feeling more comfortable in my mission, every day I was talking better English, I was understanding more about how to be a Coach. There were moments where I was feeling so good about my mission and other moments where I struggled so much. I had difficulty communicating with you, to make myself understand, to push you to give the best of yourself. It was not an easy task. But I learned everyday. I learned so, so much thanks to all of you. Every time you say "thank you Coach", "I learn so much here"... You have to know that as a Coach I learned even more from you. I learned how to truly listen to someone, how to speak in public, how to explain something, how to handle the finance part of 2 micro-companies, how to speak English, and "tole tole Nepali". I also learned about myself, what kind of person I am and what I want to be, what I like, what I want, what I want to do after this experience. Thank you for teaching me what it is to be resilient, brave, hardworker, kind, smart, helpful… Thank you to all of you for trusting me and sharing with me your story, thanks to you I have another perspective of the world, I understand better which kind of world I am living in. For you Batch 26, it is the end of your training. I remember the first Guidance with you, it was a BIG struggle for me! To make you enjoy and learn during the Guidance. And now, I see you making a speech in front of 30 people with such confidence! You can be so proud of yourself, it is amazing. It is the end of something but the beginning of a new thing, same as for me. You may be afraid, like me, but it’s ok. We are strong, motivated and smart, so we will do it. We are together, you have to know that Green Village Nepal will be always be happy to welcome you as a Star or just as a former Youth. Never give up on your dream, you are ready to bring something to this world. Never forget to dream big, never give up, never let people make you doubt yourself. You have so many capacities, abilities, don’t be afraid to use it because you are a woman, because you come from an excluded background or for any other reason. Be the person you want to be. Don’t be afraid. You can do it. Thank you."

My name is Min Thant Htun. I am a freelance doodle artist and one of the Youth from LP4Y in Yangon, Myanmar. I faced a lot of difficulties to follow my dream and to come to LP4Y, but I am doodling my own way out of poverty! I come from a small town named Kyaukpadaung in central Myanmar, so it was very challenging to live in Yangon at first. Yangon is a developed city where there are numerous opportunities to pursue our dreams, but they are not accessible to everyone as living expenses are costly. You also need a strong network to have access to job opportunities. In my small town, I could not do anything about my dream: it is far less common to have art events in the countryside, and finding a job in this field was impossible. Due to our country's situation, my father did not let me go to Yangon. I argued with him every night. Finally, seeing my strong motivation, he let me go to Yangon. Before letting me go, he told me: “Whatever you do, you must have a purpose.” I was very happy at that time and I was thinking about steps to make my dream come true. When I arrived in Yangon, I had no place to stay. My cousin's sister offered to let me stay at her place and I have been living there since then. During the first two months in Yangon, I was lost. It was hard for me to communicate with other people and I had no money to buy art material, which is expensive. I could not afford it. I felt depressed and thought that dreams are expensive. I did not know how to pursue my dream. To buy material, I started working as an art assistant teacher in a private school for kids. I also started playing football in Yangon every weekend to relax and make connections. This is how I met Ye Ko Ko, one of the Catalysts who is working at LP4Y. I decided to join the program, wanting to get a decent job in Yangon. I received my first 24 marker pens bag as a birthday present from my parents. I drew the pictures and sold them to my friends. But art material is expensive. Sometimes, when I cannot afford it, I borrow it from my friends. Challenges are still there even after joining LP4Y. It takes me about 1 hour and a half by bus to come to the center every morning and every night to go back home. I always miss my home and I face a lot of challenges, but I also learn a lot of things at the same time. In LP4Y, I learned how to use a computer for the first time. Now, I know how to use Google Slides and I have basic finance knowledge. I will work as a digital communication assistant after LP4Y. My long term goal is to become an animator. If you face challenges in your life, do not stop and keep going. You should try to accomplish whatever you decide to do no matter how many challenges you face. It will all be worth it in the end.

On July 14, 2023, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the first edition of the Youth Inclusion International Forum (#YIIF), developed by Life Project 4 Youth (LP4Y) in collaboration with YIN and Y4CN, successfully took place. This innovative event format aimed to unite corporations, institutions, and NGOs to foster connections among these diverse inclusion actors and develop concrete solutions. The central theme of this edition was to address the specific challenges faced by Antananarivo's marginalized youth in their pursuit of decent employment and explore strategies to overcome them. Two main challenges face by Youth in Tana Lack of educational structures The integration of vulnerable young adults into the workforce in Antananarivo is confronted with complex challenges, particularly due to the glaring lack of formal education and skills. This reality significantly hampers the ability of young people to access viable job opportunities and contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of the region. This educational gap, along with the lack of necessary skills, translates into a deficit in technical knowledge, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities, reducing the prospects for stable employment and personal development for these young adults. For example, solar energy is a sector currently flourishing in Madagascar but barely any school offers training in the country. There are more demands than offers when it comes to talent recruitment. Some companies, like Axian have decided to create their own university to train their future employees. Economical barriers Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds or with limited resources often face major obstacles in pursuing higher education due to the high costs associated with education. This reality creates a profound imbalance in terms of opportunities, unfairly excluding some talented young individuals from accessing jobs that could perfectly match their skills and aspirations. This event brought together over 20 dedicated young volunteers, 47 representatives from local NGOs and associations, 16 corporate representatives, and 2 institutional representatives. The forum served as a platform for sharing best practices and making commitments, thus creating a dynamic multi-stakeholder community that facilitated collaborations between companies and NGOs. Thanks to this event, a productive collaboration emerged between NewPack, a packaging company working for the Indian Ocean, and Graine de Bitume and Titanium, two local associations dedicated to the inclusion of young adults. What happened exactly during the Youth Inclusion International Forum in Madagascar? The event's agenda featured: Inspirational testimonies from Falitiana and Sanah, two young beneficiaries of associations who shared their life journeys, from social and professional exclusion to successful integration. Insights from two corporate representatives, including the Head of CSR at DHL and an employee from La Gastronomie Pizza, a restaurant chain in Madagascar, who discussed the initiatives and policies implemented to include Antananarivo's vulnerable youth. An expert panel bringing together diverse expertise, including Cedric Rakoto, Webhelp's Head of External Communication, a representative from an international NGO, Jean Ousmane Camara, Harisoa RAHANITRINIAINA, an educator working closely with beneficiaries at Graine de Bitume, and Sanah, a former beneficiary of the initial program by Passerelles Numériques Madagascar. Workshops focusing on concrete actions to address the challenges faced by excluded youth and raise awareness among businesses. The Youth Inclusion International Forum eloquently reaffirmed the crucial importance of including Antananarivo's vulnerable youth in the workforce. The energizing involvement of young volunteers, stimulating discussions and reactions from participants, and the sincere and inspirational testimonies of the youth highlighted their untapped potential and their capacity to make significant contributions to both businesses and society as a whole. A follow-up event is being planned to assess the commitments made by participants during and after the forum.

I am a young woman who used to live in Navotas City, named Dina. I used to live with my sister and brother only, because our father left us when I was 10 years old and our mother died due to a disease in 2016. When my mother died, my life turned upside down to the point that I attempted to end my own life because “What is the point of doing everything now when my one and only motivation has gone?” But everything changed when the sister of my friend invited me to join Life Project 4 Youth. At first, I was following the training because I was bored at home. And as the time went by, I did not expect to feel as safe and accepted as I was in LP4Y. I was used to face haters and judgmental people outside and trying to bring you down. LP4Y became my home, a safe place where I can be myself and where the Catalysts will accompany us and help us to improve. Not only in the way we speak or write in English, but also how to use Microsoft, Excel and moreover how to be professional. One thing that I will never forget during my journey in LP4Y is that they made me realize that I can be a better version of myself. I finished LP4Y during the pandemic. It was not easy, but I was hired as an admin assistant in one of the companies in Makati City. Unfortunately, it did not last long due to the pandemic. We had a skeletal schedule: no work, no pay. At that moment, I was living in Navotas. I was spending a lot of time in transportation, and it was expensive. I decided to end it. I did extra work in my friend’s small business while applying and sending resumes in as many companies as possible. I got interviews but no one accepted me because of my educational background. I was stuck in that routine for a year until one of the Coaches in LP4Y invited me to send my resume in Bolloré and do an interview. I grabbed that great opportunity, beginning my career as an International Freight Forwarding Operator in Bolloré. First, I became an intern for 5 months under the Finance department. After that, they absorbed me as a custom compiler employee. Finally, after 6 months, I became a regular employee with a new job title as an International Freight Forwarding Operator. Bollore helped me to improve myself and to develop my ability at work. Without the help of Bolloré and LP4Y together, I would have never been who I am and where I am now. My advice to the Youth coming from extreme poverty: stop thinking that no one will accept your application because you do not have that ability and are not entitled since you are not a degree holder. Remember there are a lot of successful people without a college degree. And do not be afraid if you make a mistake because it is the sign that you are doing something. "A mistake does not mean that you are a failure. It is not how far you fall that is important but how high you bounce back to make a difference from your mistake."

In Payatas (The Philippines), the Youth are in charge of a micro-company called “Move 4 Change”. They recently presented their daily activities as part of a video project for Lacoste Foundation, which contributes to funding the center's activities. Handled in a project mode, they prepared a script, shot the videos, recorded the voice-over and worked with Catalysts for the editing. During the project, they were supported by their Coach as well as by the Communication Team, based in a different country and different time zone. The Youth brilliantly overcame all the challenges that came their way from building a project team to finding the right material for the shooting. The quality of their work and involvement is tangible in the video. At LP4Y, we believe that each Youth has a tremendous potential. And you, are you convinced yet?

LP4Y from New York to Nepal Distributing pre-ordered croissants to neighbours in the morning, participating in the prominent LP4Y Galas, assisting in the notorious “White Parties”, promoting the Together We Art partnership with artists, and holding high-school wide assemblies with LP4Y founders and coaches were amongst the activities that the LP4Y club at the French American School of New York was involved in. This is how I first engaged with LP4Y. Indeed, the LP4Y Alliance in the USA leverages all those that care and are eager to join the LP4Y movement, and from the youngest age high school students are encouraged to participate in fundraising and awareness activities either alongside parents or through their own initiatives. Already seduced by LP4Y at the time, I was bedazzled when, 4 years after graduating high school but never being too far from LP4Y, I had the privilege to go on the field to the LP4Y Green Village in Godawari, Nepal. Being immersed in the Green Village pedagogy has far surpassed all the already high expectations I had of LP4Y. Here is what truly stood out to me. The learning by doing approach in action First, what really stood out to me was to see the LP4Y learning by doing approach in action. Mornings start with a professional handshake in company uniform, an energizer, a public announcement of the news, a roundtable of the daily tasks by micro-companies, a discussion on business mantras, and then the Youth split into their micro-company teams, ready for a day of work. The Green Village holds 4 micro-companies: Restaurant, Digital Center, Events, and Sustainable Development, each consisting of different positions (HR, Finance officer, communication officer, team leader…). One event that really touched me was the graduation event. On top of being a truly inspiring moment, it is also one that perfectly encapsulates how the micro-companies work together in the LP4Y “learning by doing” approach: “For a graduation event happening every month, Event Micro-Company team members will prepare speeches in English, will order beverages from the Restaurant company, will ask the Digital Center to print certificates and buy frames… Of course, everything needs to be billed, quotations are to be made, professional invitations and emails are sent, and everything is to be photographed and reported in weekly reports, newsletters, social media accounts, and business presentations.” I was so impressed to see to what extent the girls do everything by themselves, working as a team to reach that common goal and distributing tasks. This is just a single joyful example, but alongside mock interviews conducted by partners, weekly guidance done by coaches, handovers of positions, English classes, and all the tasks that need to be fulfilled in each micro-company, these women truly learn how to work with each other, build public speaking skills, promote their confidence, and learn how the business world works, all in a practical way. This all makes the Youth ready to autonomously find jobs and succeed in their positions. The strength of the LP4Y ecosystem Second, all of this would not be possible without the entire LP4Y ecosystem. This ranges from HR to the brilliant coaches they recruit, including the pedagogy team that guides coaches, the partnership team, the leaders, the local partners and the list goes on. Compared to other more sporadic NGOs, LP4Y is truly organized. Each person implicated in the project has a specific role that makes them excel at it, and this is reflected in the rapid development of the Youth. It was truly admirable and inspiring to see such passion at all levels of the ecosystem, whether it be internally, in partnerships locally and globally, where everyone is so determined in fighting for Youth inclusion together. The motivating environment and the brave women that take part Lastly, I could not talk about the beauty of LP4Y without talking about the determined and smart women that take part in this project. Having seen both a new batch and a batch graduating, you truly see the difference in confidence levels, in English, in public speaking, in sharing knowledge and in autonomy that all the Youth gain after a short 3 months. The smile, determination, and shine in the STARs (LP4Y alumni), is also so inspiring and truly makes you want to partake. Testimonies of those graduating the program, whether it be during job search to inspire the batch entering in the professional world or those done in front of the Ministry of Luxembourg during his visit, have been more than inspiring and truly open your eyes to how LP4Y is here to bring out the spark already in each Youth. Overall, I am beyond grateful for having been on the field, I am now more than ever eager to not only pursue supporting LP4Y, but also replicate all the energy, smiles, and bravery I have seen in the Youth and all the LP4Y ecosystem into my future endeavours to also have a positive impact on this world. I strongly encourage all those who can to partake in the Travel to Grow program to see the beauties of LP4Y and its members on the field and keep on supporting this incredible project that truly deserves to grow and be replicated because: Together We Can! Elise Descamps, after visiting Nepal Green Village for one month

It is undeniable that recruiting Youth for professional training is not an easy job. There are so many challenges that Catalyst and Youth face in the field. Cliched factors such as lack of parental approval, huge demands to immediately look for any job as long as it makes money and as well as lack of confidence in themselves. Despite the difficulties, Catalyst and Youth did not give up on innovating and diversifying the mobilization strategies to train more Youth. After discussing with several Catalysts regarding best practices and getting some input from Indonesian NGO partners, the team tried to "adjust" to the culture and needs of the target, the Youth. We now have 3 projects of mobilization in Jakarta such as LP4Y goes to School, Job Fair and NGO collaboration events. LP4Y Goes to School In fact, unequal education and unpreparedness to train a work-ready young generation, makes the “LP4Y goes to School” project one of the mobilization strategies in the educational sector. LP4Y collaborates with several schools whose education participants come from underprivileged families in North Jakarta. The "LP4Y goes to school" project offers one-day professional training to students/alumni in schools, such as English for professional purposes, or resume-making. The training is adjusted to the needs of each school but always related to professional preparation. In May 2023, more than 50 active students and alumni gathered for a one-day English training (game/brainstorming) and shared dream session led by Youth from LP4Y Jakarta at SMK 3 Strada. The high enthusiasm showed that the Youth succeeded in carrying out its activities well. Job Fair Convinced that LP4Y is the perfect-alternative place for Youth to develop their potential, skills and readiness to enter the professional world, we also started actively participating in job fairs. The high enthusiasm of Youth and Catalyst in promoting LP4Y at job fairs, alongside several well-known companies, catches the attention of applicants who come to the booth easily. Catalysts provide free consultation sessions for job seekers regarding resumes and job application documents. This job fair activity is very helpful for LP4Y Jakarta in developing networks, building recognition among the community and showcasing Youth's project management skills. NGO Collaboration LP4Y is not the only organization working in the field of Youth inclusion in Jakarta, there are several other social organizations spread across the slums. With the same vision and mission to fight poverty and provide unlimited opportunities for the younger generation, we decided to organize a collaborative event with various NGO that focus on improving Youth’s skills. With this project, Youth from different backgrounds can meet and inspire each other. In June, LP4Y had the opportunity to collaborate with the Red Nose Foundation, Jesuit Refugees Service and Refugees Learning Nest in organizing a joint sports activity. The collaboration was very well received by many partners in Jakarta. We believe that the more we are involved in activities in sectors that are directly impacting the community (education, health, etc.), the more people will trust LP4Y pedagogy.