Digital entrepreneurship skills have become a fundamental need for marginalised youth facing limited access to formal employment. Beyond the technical skills and life skills training they commonly receive, youth under the care of social service institutions also need exposure to alternative productive activities they can pursue independently, one of which is selling through online marketplace platforms.
This need is one of the key focuses of ICARE Youth, a community service programme organised by a team of lecturers from Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES), collaboration of Psychology and Nonformal Eduction Study Programme at the Wira Adhi Karya Social Service Home (RPS WAK). The program, chaired by Anna Undarwati, S.Psi., M.A., Ph.D., with team members Yogi Swaraswati, S.Psi., M.Si., Hendra Dedi Kriswanto, S.Pd., M.Pd., and Dr. Mintarsih Arbarini, M.Pd., was held on 1 and 3 September 2026 and involved 38 youth under RPS WAK’s care, supported by three UNNES Psychology students, Gloria Winda Kurnianto, Uthe Khoirunnisa, and Arminda Eka Febriani.
The programme guided participants through one concrete skill: opening and managing an online store. Participants learned step by step how to set up a store account on the Shopee platform. The material covered store registration, setting up a profile and account information, opening a linked bank account, and uploading and describing products to make them sale-ready. Participants were also introduced to the basics of order management and buyer interaction, two elements that are key to keeping an online store running.
The training was designed not merely as a technical skill, but as an entry point into the concept of digital entrepreneurship. For marginalized youth who often face limited access to formal employment, the ability to sell online opens up an alternative productive activity they can run independently, with far lower capital requirements and barriers to entry than conventional business ventures.
In addition to the Shopee training, participants also received information on free government competency certification opportunities. This information complements the digital skills they had just gained, while opening an additional pathway to have their existing competencies recognised and certified.
The second day builds on the psychological strengthening provided on the first. Where the first day equipped participants with mental readiness and clearer career direction, the second day translated that readiness into concrete steps they can put into practice right away.
This activity is part of an effort by the Psychology and Nonformal Education Study Programme, Faculty of Educational and Psychological Sciences (FIPP) UNNES, to support several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 on Quality Education, SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities. Through a combination of psychological strengthening and practical skills, ICARE Youth aims to ensure that youth under RPS Wira Adhi Karya’s care are not only mentally prepared, but also have a real path toward economic independence.
