Light after learning: Stories of youth finding their way forward

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Posted: Jan 28, 2026 • 6 minute read • SMART • 2 Likes

A simple chance can create a powerful change. A photo of training poster in a WhatsApp group. A neighbour’s offhanded remark on a new opportunity. Moments like these often go unnoticed, yet they can shape the course of a young person’s life.

Across GAR’s operational areas, many youths carry the drive to grow, support their families, and build a future they can be proud of. The Youth Development Programme, under GAR’s Bright Future Initiative, gives them a bridge to reach that future. It offers practical skills, patient guidance, and the confidence to take their next steps with purpose.

For Anis and Naufal, these small beginnings became turning points. Growth happened when determination met the right support, and when they had the courage to say “I’ll try.”

Learning to rise: Anis and her recipe for growth

Anis Rohmani grew up in a warm, bustling household in Langkan village. As the third of six siblings, she learned early how to help, share, and value the strength of family. She has always loved cooking. Before joining any training, she helped run her family’s small food business, Usaha Mandiri. They sold putu ayu (a soft pandan-steamed cake with grated coconut) and risol (a fried roll with vegetables or chicken) through social media, walked around neighbourhoods to serve customers, and often joined community events.

Customers kept returning, and their support became her fuel. “They kept ordering from me, and that made me excited to continue,” Anis shared. Though business was steady, she felt a quiet pull to do more. “I wanted to understand more. I wanted to grow my skills,” she said.

When she learned about a Bread and Cake Making Vocational Training from a village mothers’ chat group, she felt it was a chance to expand her world.

Participants-of-Bread-and-Cake-Making-Vocational-Training — Anis (third from right) with fellow participants of Bread and Cake Making Vocational Training run by PT SMART Tbk (a subsidiary of GAR). The training gave her space to learn and build her confidence as a young entrepreneur.

In the programme, she learned how to choose the right flour, identify good tapioca, and solve small baking problems with confidence. She also discovered better ways to manage costs, time, and ingredients. “I became more confident because the instructors were kind, patient, and very clear when teaching,” Anis recalled. “They made every lesson easy to follow.”

Her progress soon took shape in a new business: Mochiku, where she creates mochi and pineapple layer cakes. She also started applying digital marketing tips to widen her reach. Customers noticed the change. “They said the quality improved and that they enjoyed the products more,” she shared.

Anis hopes to grow her home business into a small shop and build a team of young people she can mentor. “I want to create jobs for younger people. We can learn together, and build the business together,” she said.

Her journey shows how guidance and skill-building give young entrepreneurs the confidence to dream forward.

Welding his way forward: Naufal and the power of perseverance

In Tarjun, South Kalimantan, Naufal Rasidi carried a responsibility. As the eldest of three siblings, he watched his father work as a plantation helper and farmer, harvesting enough to feed the family for the year. His mother cared for their home with warmth and patience.

He chose a vocational school with a focus on automotive engineering because he wanted a practical path to help his family. “My father advised me to take a route that gave me hard skills,” he said. After graduation, he applied to many companies, yet none called back. “I felt sad because I wanted to work. I was unemployed for a year,” he recalled.

A turning point came when a friend shared a photo of a welding course registration poster in their WhatsApp group. PT SMART Tbk’s Tarjun Unit was offering a Community Learning Programme that matched what he needed. He signed up immediately.

Training tested him in new ways. “I thought welding was easy,” he said with a smile. “But it needs precision and patience. You must focus.” His first attempts were far from perfect, yet he never stopped trying. “Every flaw became something I wanted to fix. Bit by bit, I improved,” he said.

His trainers guided him with real-world examples. He enjoyed observing how employees worked and learning how teams handled tasks. “I felt accomplished because I learned things I could use in my future job,” he shared.

Naufal-practices-his-welding-technique — *Naufal practices his welding technique during training to build the skills that would later help him secure work in an underground mining site.*

The training led him to a welding job at an underground mining site in Sungai Durian. Today, he works in the processing and fabrication section, helping build structures for tunnels, washing plants, and power plants. “This job helps me support my family, and it teaches me to keep learning,” he said. “My dream is to keep improving my skills and make my parents proud.”

For Naufal, perseverance and opportunity formed a path he once believed was out of reach.

Behind the programme: Faisal and the purpose of empowering youth

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Faisal opens the session with a simple question and a smile, creating a space where young people feel seen and ready to learn.

Behind people like Anis and Naufal is a team that believes in helping young people uncover their strengths. One of them is Faisal Akbar, our Community Economic Empowerment Officer. He designs and runs GAR’s Youth Development Programme under the Bright Future Initiative.

The Bright Future Initiative focuses on community empowerment across all age groups, from families to small business owners. The Youth Development Programme sits within this larger umbrella, designed specifically for young people who are preparing for work or looking to start simple enterprises. It gives them access to practical skills, mentorship, and training that fits local realities.

Why focus on youth? For Faisal, the answer comes from what he sees on the ground. Many young people leave school unsure of their next step. Some want to work but lack skills. Others want to start small businesses but don’t know how to begin. “The youths sit at a turning point. A little guidance at the right moment can change the choices they make in the future,” he said.

Did You Know?

Youth Development sits under our Bright Future Initiative, which supports the Empowering People pillar of Collective for Impact with a focus on Economic Empowerment. The programme offers coaching classes, vocational training, and scholarships for young people in our communities.

So far, it has reached more than 2,500 youth, contributing to our long-term goal of empowering 20,000 rural youth by 2035 through skills training, mentorship, and entrepreneurship support.

Faisal says his work feels most meaningful when he sees participants begin to thrive. “When Anis brings her new products with confidence, or when Naufal builds his first welding structure, I see how timely support creates change.”

The Youth Development Programme creates space for local youth to learn, grow, and find pathways that fit their hopes.

Change thrives when people believe in their own potential. See how rural women are also transforming skills into opportunity through our Bright Future Initiative.