Lady Diandra

Youth Co:Lab Gives Room For Youth to Flourish

Unemployment is still a major problem in Indonesia. As an intellectual graduating from university commenced to contribute to the society, Lady Diandra, graduating from UPH’s International Relations cohort 2014, embraced the calling. Starting out as an intern at UNDP during 2018-2019, she is now entrusted to work on a regional project called Youth Co:Lab (YCL). YCL is a regional project focusing on youth empowerment as well as preventing them from poverty through impact enterprise scheme.

Held in 20 different cities, YCL debuts in Bali, 2018 as it started off from a boot camp for youth outside Java. Lady admits that from this one year only, YCL has achieved 1 international award aside of their success in training 15 youth to develop 10 business ideas sold to 20 partners who invested more than 300 million rupiahs.

“For this project, I engage with a lot of national ministries, local government, and youth organizations outside Java. But it is not uncommon for us to also coordinate with UNDP Bangkok or other UNDP offices that are currently working on similar project,” Lady admits.

In 2019, YCL adds Youth Impact Entrepreneurship Initiative under its wing. Previously an intern, Lady gains her promotion to become the project lead for this event. Her job is to maintain partnership, recruit potential youth, arranging curriculum, set measure standards in accordance to assess event’s success, and take care of online mentor-ship. Furthermore, Lady is also responsible for other events such as ideation, boot camp, demo day, and national dialogue. Of course, proficiency in English to communicate, organizing people in an event, and to be admitted in an international conference related to the UN is needed aside of open mindedness, critical thinking, and agility.

For Lady, her education experience at UPH International Relations has helped her in building her career today, especially when complemented with lectures about the role of United Nations for not only the world but also Indonesia and her experiences in community service and organization leadership. Therefore, a value that drives Lady is “dare Greatly” and Romans 5:3-4 that says, “but not only that! We event take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”.