Why this CEO left the corporate world to help transform the lives of youths
As a young undergraduate student, 33-year-old Ivy Tse had one goal in listen – to country a job in the corporate globe. It was a career dream she never idea to question.
"I was and then sure that when I graduated, I wanted to piece of work in the corporate world. What attracted me was the step and prospect of climbing upwards the corporate ladder. I was quite ambitious and competitive, and I however am in some ways," said the current CEO of not-turn a profit organisation Element of group vii Foundation Singapore.
Tse's pin into the non-profit infinite was ane she never saw coming. After completing an internship at Procter & Adventure, 1 of the biggest multinational corporations in the globe, Tse continued on as a full-time staff. Then one day, she was hit with a sudden realisation.
"I was in a coming together, listening to the presentation of a very respected manager on the team. He was a trusted counselor whom fifty-fifty the big bosses would go to for advice. His teammates spoke very highly of him. I thought that perchance if I worked hard, in x years, I could be like him," Tse recalled.
"But this dream was interrupted with the thought of, 'and then what?' All along, I had this supposition of what I wanted to do, but all it took was a simple thought to question this dream."
Feeling a lilliputian lost about her time to come, Tse reached out to friends for communication, i of whom put her in touch on with Martin Tan, the co-founder of Element of group vii Foundation. The pair met upwardly for java and a few weeks later on, Tse went down to one of Element of group vii's sessions, where Tan was conducting a mass talk with a group of inferior college students.
"I still call back this very inspirational moment," Tse shared. "Martin was sharing his story on why he decided to start Halogen. He revealed that he had ii daughters, who were probably ii and vi years old back then, and he oftentimes wondered what kind of world they would grow upwards in.
"And so he reached out to the students and said that some of them might be his daughters' teachers in the time to come. Or their managers or bosses by the time they enter in the working world. Some would be policymakers that will change the nation where they live. That's why he saw no other reason than to pay frontward now. Information technology was a very powerful moment for me and I left very thoughtful nigh whether I actually needed to climb the corporate ladder."
Despite having been agile in community development groups and embarking on volunteer trips in Southeast Asia during her school days, Tse had never considered a job in the non-profit sector. Afraid that she would lose an opportunity, Tse fabricated the decision to get out her corporate task to join Halogen, get-go starting out every bit an events executive before eventually taking on the role as CEO of the organisation.
"I think I was really lucky. At the time, I don't call up Martin or myself realised that the fit would exist so good to the point that I would be here for eight years," she confessed.
"I was then certain that when I graduated, I wanted to work in the corporate world. What attracted me was the pace and prospect of climbing up the corporate ladder." – Ivy Tse
HELPING YOUTHS TO FLOURISH
Element of group vii Foundation Singapore was founded in 2003 with the aim to inspire youths to make positive changes in society. The organisation's suite of programmes circumduct around 3 themes – leadership, entrepreneurship and mentorship, all focusing on edifice resilience and inner strength in youths and equipping them with soft skills needed to help them to succeed.
The organisations programmes are available to all youths, regardless of income or family background. "Our goal is to transform a generation. Every youth needs to flourish, and to do so, they need these central skills," Tse explained.
1 of the organization's signature programmes is the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE, pronounced as 'not bad'), a funded programme designed to activate the entrepreneurial mindset and build business organisation skills in youths from underprivileged backgrounds.
Equally function of the sixty-hour NFTE curriculum, participants are tasked to develop their own business plans. They are paired upwardly with corporate volunteers, who act as mentors along their journey. By equipping youths with an entrepreneurial mindset, the programme hopes to teach youths the importance of being resourceful and resilient even in the midst of setbacks.
Halogen also runs the almanac National Young Leader Award that non but recognises everyday young leaders, but also provides applicants with the opportunity to hone their leadership skills through masterclasses and dialogues.
"1 very important belief of the organisation is that young people are very resourceful, beyond what we retrieve they are capable of. But very often, all they need is a spark. In Singapore, we are quite lucky that there are opportunities if you hustle, just what's difficult is getting a immature person to desire to hustle," Tse said.
"In Singapore, we are quite lucky that there are opportunities if you hustle, but what'south difficult is getting a young person to want to hustle." – Ivy Tse
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SOWING SEEDS
As CEO of the arrangement, Tse sees her role as existence a "steward for the flavor", sowing seeds for the next generation. "The goal is to build something sustainable that can go on to outlast or outlive our private stints at the foundation, to keep the spirit of what makes us do good work alive. I think my job is to build a construction for Halogen, across whether people recall it was me leading the foundation or not," she said.
What drives her to practise the work that she does is non the idealistic notion of changing the earth, merely rather, seeing the value in the smallest of efforts.
"In youth development, we don't always get the privilege to reap and harvest the fruits of our labour. It'due south a long-term journeying and information technology is important to have people in the company who are willing to sow the seeds."
Recognising that not every youth that Halogen works with will plow out to be the next president, prime minister or customs changemaker, the system believes in the importance of helping youths to thrive where they are.
"It can exist as simple equally moulding a futurity teacher who and so influences the next generation. Or instilling resilience in youths from challenging backgrounds, who emerge from difficult times and become a positive influence for their younger siblings. Having the power to do this is what excites me," Tse said.
Tse too admits that as CEO, it is hard for her to be on the basis and interacting with youths all the time. Thus, she finds motivation in the team. "They are a very important reminder of why I am hither, and my task is to pave the way and so that they can do the great work that they practise for the youths that nosotros all take a common centre for," Tse said.
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A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
Since joining the system viii years ago, Tse shared that she's had very few days where she would wake up dreading to become to work, despite the challenges that come with leading a non-profit organisation.
As a charity, Tse opened up about the perennial challenge to ensure that Halogen is financially sustainable. "That'southward a huge office of what I worry about the most. Peculiarly now with COVID-19, the situation is getting more uncertain," she revealed. "Information technology's not just nigh raising money, but also rallying people for our crusade and getting them excited about what we do."
One of these challenges come from the nature of Halogen's work itself. Describing the work as "preventive", rather than "rehabilitative", Tse explained, "Rehabilitative ways that if a kid has depression, we go the kid out of information technology. But to a big extent, nosotros tin can't measure if by incorporating a growth mindset in a immature person, nosotros prevented the child from experiencing depression or anxiety downstream."
But that's what makes Halogen's work all that more than of import, especially given the land of the world today. "The world is a lot more ambiguous now, and it tin can be a pretty challenging fourth dimension to grow upwards in," Tse said.
Highlighting the importance of resilience in a time like this, Tse continued, "That'southward where the truthful exam of character lies, and we desire to pay it forrard and do our part to help mould these youths, wherever we have a part to play."
"In youth development, we don't ever get the privilege to reap and harvest the fruits of our labour. Information technology'due south a long-term journey." – Ivy Tse
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/people/ivy-tse-halogen-foundation-youth-development-singapore-236761
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