Pathways to Progress: Hanming, Singapore

This post is part of a series inspired by Pathways to Progress, Citi and the Citi Foundation's response to the persistent issue of youth unemployment globally. Follow the conversation on social media using the hashtag #Pathways2Progress.

Lei Hanming, a university student in Singapore, has many interests and always knew that she wanted to attend college but was unsure what interests would translate into a successful career. It wasn't until she participated in the Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes (YFC) Program that she realized her true professional aspiration.

"Before I joined YFC I had no idea that a person as young and inexperienced as me can have an influence on someone else" said Hanming. "The YFC program gave me the courage and confidence that I used to lack and now I believe that I can be part of the solution to addressing some of these disharmonies." Hanming recently declared her major—she plans to be an economist. "I aspire to help people make more informed and rational economic decisions and ideally make the society I am living in a more just and sensible one."

The YFC Program is part of the Citi Foundation's Pathways to Progress initiative to prepare young people for today's competitive job market. In collaboration with the YMCA of Singapore, participating young people design and implement social entrepreneurship projects to benefit a local nonprofit organization of their choice. Participants devise strategies to raise funds, mobilize volunteers, and execute public awareness campaigns to increase support and knowledge about their charity's particular social cause. Through these activities, young people develop critical thinking, communications, entrepreneurial and leadership skills. Implemented since 2003, this program impacts 400 young people in Singapore each year.

In key cities around the world, the Citi Foundation works with community and municipal leaders to support programs aimed at helping to reduce youth unemployment and improve the quality of the youth workforce. We're equally committed to supporting research that helps advance the field and contributes to the development of new economic opportunities for youth, which is why we recently released the Global Youth Survey 2017: Economic Prospects & Expectations, a survey conducted by the global market and opinion research firm Ipsos, to understand the economic expectations and aspirations of young people around the globe. According to the Ipsos survey, 77% of young people in Singapore believe that on-the job experience is critical for career success. By providing the experiential learning opportunities that youth in Singapore see as critical to their success, the YFC program is an example of how the Citi Foundation – along with their community partners, are creating Pathways to Progress for young people around the globe. Learn more here.