RYSE

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RYSE (Rapid Youth Success Entrepreneurship/Employability) is a Malaysian research and social outreach project that focuses on youth empowerment through entrepreneurship and employability programs.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The RYSE program is designed to tackle youth unemployment and economic immobility by equipping young Malaysians, particularly from low-income backgrounds, with essential entrepreneurial and employability skills. Its main objectives are to foster an entrepreneurial mindset, encouraging innovation and resilience, and to enhance employability through the development of soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. By collaborating with local partners, successful entrepreneurs, and educational institutions, RYSE aims to create a supportive ecosystem that provides mentorship and resources, facilitating a smooth transition from training to practical application. This comprehensive approach not only empowers individuals but also contributes to broader economic and social development in Malaysia.

How does the program work?

The five mission statements of RYSE are:

  1. Expose youth to stories and experiences in entrepreneurship and employability
  2. Upskill youth with entrepreneurship knowledge, transferable soft skills and entrepreneurial mindset.
  3. Support youth with seed funding, networks and paid work placements
  4. Contribute to Malaysia’s research on entrepreneurship and youth employability
  5. Highlight the current trends in entrepreneurship and employability with academic research

RYSE (Rapid Youth Success Entrepreneurship/Employability) exposes young people to entrepreneurship through several key initiatives:

  • Experiential Learning: RYSE aims to expose participants to entrepreneurship and innovation through hands-on, experiential learning approaches.
  • Storytelling and Sharing Sessions: The program organizes events like "Ready, Set, RYSE" which features talks by local micro-entrepreneurs. This exposes Malaysian youth to real-world entrepreneurship experiences and stories.
  • Tauke Talks Series: RYSE hosts a series of sharing sessions called "Tauke Talks" where small business owners share their experiences in starting and building their own businesses. This gives participants insights into the practical aspects of entrepreneurship.
  • Online Courses: RYSE has offered free online courses like "RYSE Online 2020" that teach young people the skills needed to plan, design, and operate their own businesses from scratch.
  • Competitions: The program organizes events like "The Spirit of Malaysian Taukes Competition," a postcard design competition that promotes the spirit of Malaysian entrepreneurship and helps youth understand the dedication and passion required to be an entrepreneur.
  • Workshops and Webinars: RYSE conducts a series of mini webinars and workshops called "RYSE With Us" that cover various topics related to entrepreneurship and employability, including design skills and time management.

By combining these various approaches, RYSE provides Malaysian youth with a comprehensive exposure to entrepreneurship, ranging from theoretical knowledge to practical insights from successful local entrepreneurs.

RYSE recognizes the importance of role models in inspiring and guiding young entrepreneurs. The program incorporates role models in several ways to support its mission of empowering Malaysian youth through entrepreneurship and employability initiatives.

  1. Tauke Talks Series: RYSE hosts a series of sharing sessions called "Tauke Talks" where small business owners share their experiences in starting and building their own businesses. This gives participants insights into the practical aspects of entrepreneurship from real-world entrepreneurs.
  2. Ready, Set, RYSE events: RYSE organizes events featuring talks by local micro-entrepreneurs to raise awareness about different areas of entrepreneurship in Malaysia. This exposes Malaysian youth to real-world entrepreneurship experiences and stories.
  3. Partnering with local entrepreneurs: RYSE partners with local micro-entrepreneurs to bring a series of talks aimed at raising awareness of different areas of entrepreneurship in Malaysia.
  4. Showcasing diverse role models: RYSE aims to highlight different types of entrepreneurs, including women entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs, through forums and panel discussions.
  5. Instagram Live discussions: RYSE conducts Instagram Live sessions with young entrepreneurs, allowing youth to directly interact with and learn from peers who have started businesses.

By using these various formats to showcase real entrepreneurs sharing their stories and experiences, RYSE provides Malaysian youth with exposure to practical insights and relatable role models in entrepreneurship. This approach allows participants to learn from and be inspired by the journeys of actual business owners.

What is the overall cost?

The program is funded by Citi Foundation and run by the Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloan Management, however, there is no available information about the cost of running RYSE.

How was it implemented?

The program was established in 2019 with funding from Citi Foundation and is run by the Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloan Management.

The creation of RYSE was motivated by several factors. Malaysia faces a youth unemployment rate of nearly 11%, which is more than 3% higher than the national unemployment rate. Low-income youth are particularly disadvantaged, with those from families earning less than RM 1000 per month being almost 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed compared to youth from families earning over RM 5000 monthly. This economic disparity, coupled with associated social issues like increased crime rates and psychological stress, highlighted the need for targeted interventions.

RYSE was developed to fill a gap in existing entrepreneurship education efforts. While the Malaysian government has been promoting entrepreneurship through various initiatives, including incubators and entrepreneurship courses in tertiary education, there was a lack of impact measurement for these programs. RYSE aimed to address this by undertaking long-term studies on students trained under its entrepreneurship syllabus, allowing for more informed policy decisions and efficient use of resources.

The program was designed to leverage the strengths of the Asia School of Business and MIT in entrepreneurship and innovation, while also incorporating the expertise of local partners and successful Malaysian entrepreneurs. RYSE's curriculum focuses on teaching students the practical skills needed to plan, design, and operate their own startups from scratch, with the goal of not only reducing unemployment but also fostering self-confidence and broader life skills among participants.

What impact has been measured?

The most recent impact report on RYSE, which was published in 2022, found that the program had reached 1861 youths that year and successfully upskilled 855 in total. 

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom