We have seen it: Young people feeling both excited and anxious about their first internship, part-time job, or full-time employment.
The school-to-work transition can be nerve-wracking, especially when you are unsure about how to “act professionally” in a workplace setting. While there is advice galore online, the context is different, and the experience is rarely personalizable.
That is why we partnered with the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD) to host the “Level Up Your Professionalism” workshop on 12 June, at the office of our corporate partner, JSM, for the youth participants of the 2026 summer edition of our Community Business Internship Program.
Designed to help young people aged 16-22 build practical professionalism skills immediately applicable in real-world settings, the workshop focused on communication, first impressions, basic workplace etiquette, reliability and accountability, and setting healthy professional boundaries.
For the youth participants hailing from diverse academic and socio-economic backgrounds, who are preparing for internships and employment opportunities but lacking exposure to professional environments, the workshop guided them to learn and practise skills through interactive activities, with the hope that they would leave the workshop more confident and equipped with the knowledge to carve out the next steps in their personal and professional development.
What Does Professionalism Look Like?
Kicking off the workshop, we paired up the 18 youths and asked them to introduce themselves and share an awkward experience in professional settings, whether it was job interviews, part-time or full-time jobs, or volunteering.
Next, we dived into the conventional definition of professionalism, before putting the youths into five groups, where they discussed and shared one professional response and one unprofessional response to the different scenarios, including scenarios that are applicable to the context of ethnically diverse youths.
With communication skills becoming increasingly crucial when AI-proofing ourselves, we tasked the youths with creating professional responses in mock interview practices, where they had to answer questions such as “Tell me about yourself?” or “What is your biggest strength and weakness?”
For these youths who are just starting their career journeys, we made sure they had the skills, knowledge, and mindset to set and respect boundaries, so that they could guard the health, time, and values of themselves and their colleagues.
A Youth Professionalism Workshop that Nurtures Self-Confidence
So, did our workshop achieve what it set out to do?
We are glad to hear that a significant number of participants felt they had a highly distinct, well-defined, and assured understanding of what it means to act professionally, and that the majority of participants said that they would recommend the workshop to their peers.
In comparison to before the workshop, participants’ confidence levels in communication, networking, and completing professional key tasks more than doubled. Moreover, all participants left the workshop feeling confident about at least one professional habit to continue practising.
Said Julie Chu Kwai Yee, “ One thing I have learnt from this workshop is setting boundaries with a clear understanding of myself and the workplace. One ‘professional habit’ I plan to start or continue after this workshop is practising self-introduction, finding a mentor, and refining my CV.”
“One thing I have learnt from this workshop is the importance of communication and how there is not just one ‘right way’ to be professional,” said another youth participant.
As is characteristic of all FSI programs and initiatives, the target beneficiaries – the youths – were by no means the only ones who benefited from the workshop – the FYD volunteers found the workshop informational, too.
“After practising self-introduction and interview answers today,” said Khan Hanfa, an FYD volunteer, “I know exactly what my skills and achievements are. I can be more confident when talking about them rather than blanking out.”
Work with Us to Empower Disadvantaged Youth
We would like to thank JSM, our dedicated corporate partner, who not only provided pro bono legal support to our community of under-resourced entrepreneurs, but also generously sponsored the venue for this workshop.
Our heartfelt gratitude also goes to our long-time, mission-aligned partner, FYD, for supporting us in hosting this workshop and countless initiatives previously.
Said Aiman Nadeem, Executive Director of FYD: “As a youth‑led organization, we were excited to support Foundation for Shared Impact’s Skills Lab by recruiting participants, promoting the workshop, and sending volunteers. Many of our members remember how confusing and intimidating early work experiences can be, so it mattered to us that young people had a space to practise interviews and networking without fear of judgement. The workshop was intentional, practical, and genuinely youth‑friendly, and our volunteers also came away with new skills and insights. For us, this partnership showed what is possible when organizations trust young people and design with, not just for, diverse communities.”
Also finding the workshop fruitful was Areeba Ahmad, a volunteer from FYD: “The participants arrived prepared, engaged warmly with each other, and received practical feedback from the volunteers. The FSI staff had a natural ability to connect with nervous youths, turning what could have been a stressful mock interview into a genuine learning moment. I would definitely join more workshops from FSI again!”
If you would like to support our youth empowerment initiatives, whether through skills-based volunteering or strategic partnership, get in touch with us at education@shared-impact.com. Alternatively, consider making a tax-deductible donation to us so that we can expand the reach and impact of our programs.
