More than half of the world’s youth, ages 10 to 24, can be found in Asia and the Pacific; yet the majority lives in poverty, lacks access to quality education, and needs additional skills to secure meaningful employment. From 2007 to 2011, the Unlocking the Potential of Asian Youth initiative seeked to address these needs by providing young people, ages 14 to 20, with support in three critical areas: life skills, education, and career preparation. Supported by the Tiger Woods Foundation, the initiative empowered disadvantaged youth, ages 14 to 20, in the following countries:

• Thailand – Youth at risk in three northern provinces were provided with vocational skills training, entrepreneurship skills, and seed capital for business startups;
• China – Educational scholarships were given to disadvantaged youth in five cities to improve their life skills and career prospects;
• South Korea – Youth living in four homeless/runaway shelters in and around Seoul received life skills training, education, and career support.