Adolescents empowered with skills for their future

Jakarta, 23 November 2024 – Today, 50 young ‘change makers’ from DKI Jakarta showcased their innovative solutions for social good during a demonstration day of the Innovation Challenge (Generasi Terampil) programme, attended by government officials, education institutions, private companies and investors. Adolescents presented ten innovative solution ideas, in digital and non-digital form, ranging from climate resilience and environmental protection, including promoting efficient waste management and tackling pollution; promoting adolescent health, including mental health, wellbeing and combating bullying.

Continuing on World Children’s Day commemorations, marked annually on 20 November, the ‘Demo Day’ event was a finale for the Innovation Challenge 2024 – a partnership between UNICEF, Yayasan Daya Kreasi Anak Bangsa (Markoding) and the DKI Jakarta Provincial Education Office. The 50 finalists were selected by a panel experts, comprising specialist mentors, from a total of 2,739 young people, mostly aged between 12 and 19 years, with 58 per cent girls. Participants developed their 21^st century, digital, green and entrepreneurial skills through a series of training sessions promoting project-based learning, and by mentorship from private and public sector specialists – who were inspiring role models for the young people participating.

“Providing opportunities for young people to build job ready skills is an essential investment in Indonesia’s future. Events such as today’s Demo Day and the Innovation Challenge enable young people to develop and showcase their talent and impressive capacity to develop 21^st century, digital, green and entrepreneurial skills.” said UNICEF Indonesia’s Chief of Education. “I am very proud of what these young people have achieved by participating in this programme, and I am confident they will draw upon these skillsets for personal empowerment and for shaping their future.”

Since 2019. the Innovation Challenge has empowered more than 20,000 adolescents, including those from marginalized background, who are currently pursuing their studies through formal secondary schools, vocational schools, religious schools and community learning centres. A key motivation of the Innovation Challenge is to empower young people, particularly girls, as they navigate non-traditional areas of employment, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The importance of 21^st century skills to navigate a potentially disrupted future is examined in the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs Report. Creative thinking, together with three other self-efficacy skills – resilience, flexibility and agility; motivation and self-awareness; and curiosity and lifelong learning were recognized as important skills to adapt to changing future workplaces. However, only 26 per cent of 15 years old students in Indonesia have been assessed as being able to perform low-level creative thinking skills and only 5 per cent high level creative thinking skills, according to the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report.

It is hoped that the Innovation Challenge can be scaled up to reach more marginalized adolescents outside of Jakarta so that more can benefit from quality skills development opportunities. UNICEF will work to deepen and expand its collaboration and partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, education institutions, and the private sector to realise this ambition, including to further integrate this programme into the schooling system.

“Generasi Terampil is a program that has steadily strengthened through continued iterations. Our vision is to see this program integrated into intra-curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular school activities, providing adolescents with more opportunities to engage in positive pursuits where they not only recognize issues but also actively contribute creative solutions for a better future, whether through digital technology or other forms of innovation. We are proud to witness these young people grow as agents of change, increasingly attuned to addressing future social challenges,” said Amanda Simandjuntak Co-Founder and CEO Yayasan Daya Kreasi Anak Bangsa (Markoding).

For more information about the Innovation Challenge programme and to see voices from adolescents, teachers, and mentors, go to: Innovation Challenge: Generasi Terampil

Note to editor:

About the Innovation Challenge: Generasi Terampil

The Innovation Challenge: Generasi Terampil consists of workshops, training, and mentorship opportunities for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old. The programme offers training for teachers and education personnel to develop skills on differentiate learning to better support adolescents, especially girls, and those with disabilities. This programme was initially started as a pilot project 2019, and since then has reached more than 20,000 adolescents in three provinces in Indonesia, DKI Jakarta, Central Java, and East Java.

This programme is conducted through a partnership between UNICEF, Yayasan Daya Kreasi Anak Bangsa (Markoding) and DKI Jakarta Provincial Education Office, and with support from Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.