Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The 3 Cs - Challenge, Consulting, Cause

We hosted the leaders of tomorrow today. The eloquence of our young guests, the foresight, the maturity, the unhurried calm and considered demeanour shone through from the four undergrads we spoke with this morning. Goh Aik Chuan, Yeoh Keat Loon, Naresh Subhash and 'Touty' Pholsena make up four-fifths of a team of undegraduates from three tertiary institutions here (SMU, NTU, NUS).

(above: Touty, Keat Loon, Aik Chuan, Naresh & Ruby who's Mgr of Youth Challenge S'pore)

The tie that binds these young adults is a programme initiated by Aik Chuan under the Youth Challenge Singapore umbrella called "Consulting for Cause". Its aim is to bring business solutions to non-profit organisations and their social enterprises. The idea was hatched one and a half years ago and barely two weeks earlier, the group had touched base with the social enterprise in Laos. There, the team members pooled their training and knowledge together to present solutions to their 'client' after extensive research of the needs and issues that needed to be worked out. It was a rojak of expertise each brought to the table, but what looked at face-value disparate was in fact a potpourri of valuable skills. The students were pursuing degrees in Economics, Marketing, Business, Information Systems and Digital Film-making.

The first project has come and gone and we hear a follow-up trip is being planned down the road. Also in the pipeline are three more potential consulting assignments - a second one in Laos, another in Cambodia and one right here in Singapore. The call goes out to tertiary students equipped and able to contribute towards such causes. There's so much that our education system has bestowed on students here and the young people of today are the next best minds (apart from professional business consultants) we can share with communities where consultants are grossly lacking.

If you are keen to be a contributing business consultant or a student (especially in Engineering) who is confident and big-hearted to devote time to consulting for a cause, get in touch with Youth Challenge Singapore today at 6336-3434!

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