Making this career transition means forgoing the trimmings of the private sector. More interested in the challenge of nation-building, these selfless men and women have made the leap because they know that they can leverage the resources of a large and growing economy to make an acutely felt social impact.
Across the world the long neglected call to public service is being answered by Generation Y, one of few labels assigned to the people born between the late 1970s to the 1990s.

While Western governments were successful in recruiting their best and brightest during the 1950s, for Indonesia this age group is the first to go into government even though the private sector promises a meteoric rise.

Equipped with experience from world-class organizations and education from top-tier universities, these young professionals are rewriting run-of-the-mill books on leadership and influence.

From microfinance to environmental stewardship, from public education to public health, the ideals behind their endeavors are inspiring peers to heed this cue and champion important causes of their own.
These young professionals, who are still on an early incline of their development arc, share certain traits.

To begin with, they have been raised in an intricately interlocking world, where the problems societies are facing have become connected in nature and far grimmer in terms of impact.

Growing up when talk of globalization was all the rage has made them more empathetic to world affairs and more embracing of international influences. They have developed a precocious understanding that the solutions we seek for this evolving world require more lateral thinking, featuring the ability to adopt a decidedly interdisciplinary, multicultural and multi-sectoral approach.

At the same time they are deeply compassionate and unquestionably nationalistic, having borne witness to the turbulent times of the late 1990s in Indonesia. They recall what could easily happen when decent people sit on their laurels and passively observe how momentous events play out.

It is small wonder then that this age group has become a restless lot. Highly adept at managing time
and multitasking and quick to jump into opportunities to switch roles and locations, they are willing to adapt to ensure Indonesia becomes a better nation, not just for them but also for succeeding
generations.

Exposed to sophisticated technologies at an early age, they can be counted on to think out of the box
to turn this prospect into reality, knowing that the limits of what is currently deemed possible could change instantly with the speed of innovation.

And because these technologies are often applied over diffuse networks, they have become accustomed to doing their best work in collaborative, transparent and meritocratic settings, chaffing in command-and-control and seniority based structures. By going into government, they will sow the seeds for the sweeping cultural change inside the bureaucracy that are long overdue.

The Modernisator event offered a glimpse of the face of Indonesia’s next generation of leaders. They are purpose-driven, conscious of global issues, patriotic, results-oriented, creative, technologically savvy and egalitarian. They represent the crème de la crème of Indonesia’s high youth quotient, reflected in the fact that over half of the country’s population is no more than 29 years old.

While these rising stars are well on their way to helping Indonesia become a more prosperous and more dignified country, there are more like them who are capable and show potential, but unfortunately have not had similar educational and professional experiences. The question then is how can we identify and develop these overlooked pockets of talent?

Philanthropy has a greater role to play. In Indonesia, philanthropic organizations are sprouting up
with a steadfast mission to broaden Indonesian access to the best educational institutions at home and abroad.

They are striving to fill a gap left largely unaddressed by the nation’s educational system. Until recently, Indonesia has not prioritized creating a globally competitive level of education.

The tight budget has led to standardizing mediocrity, but even meeting this bar has been complicated by Indonesia’s uneven distribution of teachers and the limited number of scholars sent abroad.

Privately held entities can more efficiently locate talent and better leverage networks and arrange funds to raise the quality of Indonesia’s youth quotient.

Yet to maximize impact, the approach of philanthropic organizations should be to only select a small group of academic standouts to support each year.

The reasoning is that focusing on a few minds so that they can become globally competitive may enable these hoped-for leaders to make big waves when they return, lifting the livelihoods of more people
than would an approach that spreads resources thin by trying to fund as many applicants as ideally possible.

Philanthropic organizations need not go for broke in a valiant bid to develop an Indonesian intelligentsia that would be commensurate with the size of the population. All they need to do is identify a handful of talent that will value the privilege they have been given and pay it forward by assuming leadership roles and then opening doors for others, extending the sweep of societal change.

The number of deserving applicants for assistance from philanthropic organizations has increased multifold.

This should soothe nerves because it indicates that Indonesia has a deep pool of talent. As Asia takes up the mantle of being the main arena for driving global economic growth, they will become the country’s backbone for a competitive knowledge-based economy.

Indonesia should activate the private sector, including philanthropic organizations, to help scoop up and support her finest among Generation Y.

Although education expenditures now make up 20 percent of the state budget, the Indonesian government still requires private resources, especially the infectious enthusiasm of socially minded young professionals, to bring the country’s educational and, by extension, civil service standards closer to par with its regional competitors.




To maximize impact, the approach of philanthropic organizations should be to only select a small group of academic standouts

    
The writer is chairman of Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

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