Party flags and balloons hung in a café where young people were revelling in the music. Not exactly what you would expect at a traditional job fair, but that describes the scene at the recent Job DongSan, which loosely translates to “Job Recruitment Party” in the Korean language. The event was jointly organised by YouthHub Korea and Seoul Social Economy Centre at the Roh Rang Café.

Six social enterprises—Current Korea, Bridge Mobile, Sul Fun, GamgiDukgi, Touch for Good and Zenny Closet—collaborated at this Microsoft-sponsored event to deliver a fun and innovative forum to engage with young job seekers. As South Korean youth have limited knowledge of the rewarding job opportunities available in social entrepreneurship, Job DongSan provided the ideal platform for these small and mid-sized organisations that create self-sustaining social programmes to showcase themselves and network with job applicants.

Eung Tak Lee, Deputy Department Head of Current Korea, presents the job description and values his company is looking out for.

More than 110 job seekers and HR professionals gathered to check out what was brewing at Roh Rang Café, a popular destination for young people in Seoul. The warm and cosy atmosphere of the venue helped facilitate an open discussion between the participants and prospective employers.

“Who says job fairs can’t be fun and packed with enjoyable activities?” asked Young Kyoung Kim, Leader of YouthHub Korea. “With the staging of Job DongSan, we put a new spin on how job events can be organised to appeal to a new generation of job seekers. Through this novel approach to recruitment and job matching, the participants were encouraged to express their aspirations more confidently and explore available job opportunities.”

The event kicked into full gear with a cover band performing the latest pop hits, and the venue was soon packed with young people eager to learn more about what a career in social services has in store for them.

Jobseekers engaged in conversations with potential employers in a fun and casual setting.

Job seekers were encouraged to dress in a manner that reflected their personalities, instead of formal office wear. The youth directly approached the participating organisations regarding available jobs, while job managers offered in-depth information about their companies and the diverse job requirements.

“It was good to receive plenty of relevant information on the job positions. Moreover, I was able to gain a better understanding of the kind of employees that social enterprises are looking for today,” said one of the job seekers.

Job DongSan is part of the “Bring IT to Youth” programme, a Microsoft YouthSpark initiative that strives to open opportunities for job placement and start-ups in the social innovation field. Organised in conjunction with nonprofit organisation Beautiful Foundation, Bring IT to Youth is also provides educational talks on essential skills to help improve the employability of Korean youth.



“The low youth employment rate of 24 percent shows that a large proportion of our young people are not matched to the right jobs. Yet many small and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea are facing a manpower shortage, and this is especially true for social start-ups that lack the level of exposure received by large corporations. Job DongSan serves to help address this challenge, and gives social enterprises an added boost to attract bright, young South Koreans,” said Young Hoon Kim, Director of Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Korea.

Day 1
Fifteen employee volunteers used their flair for artmaking by working together with 40 children from Canossaville Children’s Home to create Christmas decorations, including paper ornaments, ice-cream stick snowflakes and crepe paper pom poms, to liven up their premises!


Day 2
Back by popular demand, we headed down to the historical Red Cross House to give a fresh coat of paint to 3 training rooms. What’s more, one of our talented employees even left a beautiful mural of Audrey Hepburn on the wall!


Day 3
Our friends from Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled always enjoy days out with our employees. This year, eight of us accompanied ten beneficiaries to the new Singapore Sports Hub to take a look at the world-class stadium, experience riding the MRT and help them buy their own lunch at the food court.


Day 4
Seven elderly residents of the Lions Befrienders Bukit Batok branch were treated to lunch and a fun grocery shopping trip with Microsoft volunteers. The day did not stop there, as the cheery volunteers also ensured the beneficiaries headed home safely with bags full of groceries. 


Day 5
Microsoft interns and Student Partners (MSPs) had so much fun previously with IDA’s Lab on Wheels, they decided to repeat the experience during the 12 Days of Giving. Six interns and MSPs headed out to the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) to teach 15 young people how to code, inspiring them with the possibilities of technology.


Day 6
Eleven Microsoft employees reunited with 50 friends from one of our main nonprofit partners, SPD. We were pleasantly surprised as the beneficiaries presented us with a mini Christmas musical they had specially prepared!


Day 7
Hamper packing is extreme volunteering, and Microsoft employees never fail to disappoint the good folks at Food From The Heart. Fourteen volunteers packed a whopping 166 hampers, benefiting many needy families. This was the highest number of hampers packed by a volunteer group in a single session!


Day 8
Christmas is a season of love and it is always a joy to give! On top of providing our annual Christmas wish list for 40 children at Sun Love Home, eight employee volunteers put together a full programme consisting of lunch, a magic show and balloon treats for the children and their parents.


Day 9
Staff members from CARE (Children-At-Risk Empowerment Association) strive to make a difference in the lives of young people. In appreciation, three Microsoft volunteers took the chance to thank them by teaching the CAREgivers how to code. Afterward, they were introduced to Microsoft’s latest fun and innovative technologies!


Day 10
Christmas caroling, a tea break and bingo games were enough to bring laughter and smiles to 60 elderly residents of Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital. It was a heart-warming event that brought festive cheer to all, including the 11 volunteers!


Day 11
Everyone wants to visit the new Singapore Sports Hub, including our friends from SPD. Eighty employee volunteers accompanied 40 beneficiaries during a rare day out for lunch and some Christmas shopping.


Day 12
It is not often that the elderly at the Lions Home for the Elders in Bedok get visitors. But on one recent afternoon, 10 Microsoft volunteers took time out from work to visit, filling the halls with Christmas carols and good cheer during a special Christmas Bingo session for 60 beneficiaries.

While the following statement will be perfectly understandable to a coder: <p><?phpthe_field('field_name'); ?></p>, it might be completely incomprehensible to most. Programming language and codes are the backbone of the many technologies that are now an essential part of our daily lives, and as a result, more people are learning to ‘speak code’.

To introduce young students to the exciting world of coding and computer game creation, Microsoft conducted a short learning session on Kodu Game Lab, a visual programming language, in September. Held in conjunction with the American Chamber of Commerce Corporate Community Day in Singapore, Microsoft collaborated with the Singapore American School (SAS) to introduce students to the basics of programming.

A volunteer showing a student how to use a function of Kodu Game Lab to enhance his virtual world.

Lalit Mohan, Microsoft Singapore’s Education Solution Specialist, first briefed the volunteers on the basics of Kodu. The volunteers then conducted a hands-on training session to help prepare the participants for the main event—the Kodu competition, in which the students got to pit their coding skills against each other. The students used their imagination to create virtual worlds, such as a fictional city bustling with roving robots and landscapes featuring towering mountains and winding rivers.

“As Kodu is designed to be accessible to children, the students managed to pick up the application really quickly,” said Danish Lukawski, Tech Evangelist Intern for Microsoft and a volunteer at the event. “After learning the basics of Kodu, they were already starting to use its more advanced functions to liven up the worlds they created.”

Each student presented their entry to a panel of judges, including Blair Hall, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Singapore, and Greg Tirrell, Deputy Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. The submissions were judged based on their design, ease of navigation and how well the Kodu worlds were configured.

Students playing with Xbox One that was launched in Singapore less than a week before the event.

"It was heartening to see what these smart young minds can do with coding technology after just a few hours of coaching. We were very impressed with the worlds they created, and it was delightful to hear each of them speak with such pride and excitement about their creations," said Eveline Tseng, from the Bureau of Consular Affairs Section, US Embassy of Singapore.

Coding is becoming an increasingly relevant skill today, as it promotes critical thinking—a discipline essential for the successful student. Through initiatives such as Microsoft YouthSpark’s We Speak Code campaign, Microsoft hopes to encourage youth to pick up coding, while helping them to explore more career opportunities in the technology sector.

YouthSpark Profiles highlight young people in Asia Pacific who are dedicated to changing the world through technology and inspiring others along the way.

Name: Gargi Nepal
Country: Nepal
Occupation: Student at Trichandra College

Born visually-impaired, Gargi Nepal has never let her disability discourage her from learning new skills

Born visually impaired, 24-year-old Gargi Nepal has overcome many of the barriers faced by people with disabilities to hone her computing skills. Today, the 24-year-old college student is dedicated to addressing the lack of assistive technology in Nepal, leveraging her own learning experiences to pave the way to a brighter future for other visually impaired students.

What were some challenges you faced when you were younger?
When I was a secondary school student, the school I attended was not able to provide a learning environment conducive for visually impaired students. Our textbooks were not readily available in Braille script, and I was unable to participate with sighted students in various classroom activities. I believe the lack of specialised teachers and assistive technology in Nepal is a key hurdle that many visually impaired individuals still face today.

How did you overcome these challenges to become proficient with technology?
Through my friends’ recommendation, I enrolled in the Technical and Skill Development Centre for Blind and Disabled (TSDCBD) in Kirtipur as part of my college education. Through the training, I realised how technology can help me communicate with others easily, such as through emails, and allows me to learn more about the world via the Internet. I also discovered the wonders of the Dristibachak software, which, to my delight, allowed me to read and write in the Nepali language.

After achieving an adequate level of technical proficiency, I decided to volunteer with Forward Looking Nepal in late 2012, serving as the computer instructor for visually impaired people in the rural Palpa district. This was my first teaching experience, and it gave me the confidence that I can make use of my skills and ability to help those with special needs.

Gargi (pictured left) shares her views on how to empower visually impaired people at the Kanthari International Conference for Social Entrepreneurs in India

How have you been able to use your experiences to help other visually impaired students?
While working with Forward Looking, I was tasked with teaching high school students as well as their instructors; the majority of whom had never had experience with a computer before.

Being able to teach them about computing software was very rewarding—it also reminded me that the lack of access to learning opportunities faced by disabled people is even more pronounced in underprivileged communities. Assistive technology can play a big role in transforming lives, and I used my past learning experiences to introduce new techniques that can help visually impaired students learn faster and pick up computing skills more easily. I am delighted to learn that some of the students I trained are now themselves capable of imparting computing knowledge to others!

What are your next steps, and how has Microsoft been able to support your purpose?
My immediate goal is to start and lead a campaign to provide more extensive IT training to visually impaired people across Nepal. In our country, most disabled people are deprived of learning opportunities due to the lack of facilities. It is estimated that out of the 78 schools providing education to visually impaired children, computer education is available at only three of them. I believe Microsoft can provide the support that individuals like us need to bridge the digital divide—and empower visually impaired students in Nepal to be computer literate.

The global Hour of Code 2014 effort, which saw more than 20 million students in 76,000 classrooms around the world learn to code, took place recently during Computer Science Education Week, 8-14 December. To celebrate, Microsoft hosted coding events across Asia Pacific in 10 different countries, empowering young people through computer science education – helping them to be creators of technology, not only users.

Indonesia
Together, @america and Microsoft Indonesia hosted an Hour of Code event, training 80 junior high schoolers using code.org resources. In addition, 22 educators from the Partners in Learning network from in and around Jakarta learned basic coding using code.org resources, and learned that computational learning is a tool to enhance teaching as well as to get students excited to code for their future.

Japan
The Hour of Code was in full swing in 4 locations across Japan, including at a career session at the Microsoft Japan office in Shinagawa. Microsoft employees introduced TouchDevelop, Code.org materials and Visual Studio to 120 students. Meanwhile, five Microsoft Student Partners, who are currently developing a train the trainer programme for teachers and nonprofits that are supporting youth by integrating coding into their courses, also taught coding skills to younger students. 

Korea
The Little Pink Coding Party debuted at Microsoft’s Korea office. Together with nonprofit DreamTogether, 107 girls in grades K1 to 9, from 52 schools along with 50 teachers from the Partners in Learning programme, parents of students and some educational experts from other nonprofits learned how to code. Thirty Microsoft Student Partners and Korea’s Imagine Cup champion team, Bomon, took part in this event as mentors.

Nepal
A total of 100 volunteers, including Microsoft Student Partners, conducted more than 130 Hour of Code events at colleges and schools all over Nepal. Nearly 14,000 students, between the ages of 9 and 19, learned to code and got to know how important computer science can be for their future.

New Zealand
Microsoft New Zealand actively encouraged teachers and students to participate in Hour of Code events as a lead up to the WeSpeakCode campaign in March 2015. They also partnered with High Tech Youth Network to host events at their three main studios in West Auckland, Otara and Hamilton.

The Philippines
A total of 82 Hour of Code events were held in the Philippines with the help of 28 Microsoft Student Partners. Some events were rescheduled due to impending Typhoon Hagupit, but that didn’t stop the teams from accomplishing their goal of teaching K-12 students and others from non-tech colleges how to code.

Singapore
DX Interns and Microsoft Student Partners taught TouchDevelop to youth from the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) with IDA Lab on Wheels. In addition, as part of the 12 Days of Giving, Microsoft employees hosted 7 staff from nonprofit Children-At-Risk-Empowerment Association (CARE) at the Microsoft Singapore office in a train the trainers session on how to teach their beneficiaries to code using Code.org’s resources and Kodu Game Lab.

Taiwan
For the Microsoft Hour of Code initiative in Taiwan, staff partnered with the New Taipei City government and the American Innovation Center (AIC) to launch the Million Coders campaign. The Deputy Mayor of New Taipei City announced the participation of 1440 schools and 43,200 students in the week of code. The partners plan to expand the campaign goal to reach 500,000 students within the next twelve months. The campaign calls for other cities to join together to bring one million students in Taiwan the experience of learning to code.

Thailand
More than 200 students and educators attended a Kodu Game Lab training and enjoyed a full day of coding.

Vietnam
Microsoft Vietnam’s DX and MSP teams organized coding events that encouraged 1442 students from local universities and secondary schools to code the day away. More events are being planned under Microsoft’s YTIC project that will see hundreds more students participate in 45 official Hour of Code Events in Vietnam in 2015.

To wrap up Computer Science Education Week, we thank all the people involved in making this year’s Hour of Code campaign a success, especially the young people that participated. View video here. 

This post is part of a series of articles that highlight Microsoft employees in Asia who are creating a positive impact in their local community, and inspiring others along the way.

As the Principal IT Manager at Microsoft, Khoo Sang Chin has served in various capacities to support customers in optimising their IT operations. On top of his daily work activities, the Singapore-based industry veteran is also committed to volunteering his time and technical knowledge for a rather different purpose—making technology accessible to everyone, especially the underserved communities whose needs are often overlooked.

Sang Chin (top right), with another volunteer, spending time with two beneficiaries at the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled

Having been with Microsoft for more than 13 years, Sang Chin was greatly inspired by the conviction shared by the company and his colleagues to create a positive impact through volunteerism. He wanted to contribute to the shared cause by extending the benefits of technology to less privileged individuals.

“While most Singaporean youth and working adults are quite technologically savvy, there is still a group of people who require more support in realising the benefits of technology. I believe we can achieve this by helping make technology easy to use and more accessible to the elderly and needy children,” he said.

Sang Chin was one of the volunteers involved with Microsoft’s recent We Tech Care Open House, held in support of the President’s Challenge 2014. During the event held in November, the volunteers set up a “PC Clinic” to provide guidance and IT support to the general public, especially senior citizens.

“The Open House was a huge endeavour in terms of the planning and event coordination,” Sang Chin recalled. “Working together with my fellow volunteers, I am glad to be able to help many members of the public learn some basic computing skills.”

Sang Chin's volunteer activities include conducting an IT audit at Canossaville Children's Home

Another memorable experience for Sang Chin was his participation in the AmCham Corporate Community Day at the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled, where Microsoft volunteers and their family members spent a day interacting with the home residents. Windows Touch devices were used to make the various games and activities more fun and engaging for the residents.

Sang Chin said, “Our volunteer work did not require a great deal of effort or deep technical skills. It was really more about spending time with the beneficiaries and showing that we care for them. The smiles and laughter, their gestures of appreciation, made me feel that we have made a real difference in their lives, even if it’s just for a day!”

These activities have certainly provided Sang Chin with a new perspective on the impact volunteering work can have on the community. He hopes to inspire others to play a more active role in volunteer activities, while further exploring the use of technology to enrich the lives of those who are less fortunate.