May 7, 2026 — Prestasi Junior Indonesia (PJI), together with Starbucks Indonesia, recently engaged with strategic government stakeholders to strengthen support for youth entrepreneurship and creative economy development through the Starbucks Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Program (SCYEP). The meetings were held with Irene Umar, Vice Minister of Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as Leontinus Alpha Edison from the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment of the Republic of Indonesia.
The engagement highlighted the collaborative effort between Starbucks Indonesia and PJI in empowering Indonesian youth through entrepreneurship education, creativity, and experiential learning initiatives implemented through the JA Company Program framework. As one of PJI’s flagship entrepreneurship initiatives with private sector partners, the Starbucks Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Program encourages high school and vocational school students to establish and manage student companies through hands-on business experiences, mentorship, product development, and national-level competitions.
During the meeting with the Ministry of Creative Economy, Vice Minister Irene Umar emphasized the importance of creating wider exposure and opportunities for students to showcase their ideas and creative products.
“If there is an open call, perhaps it can be expanded more broadly so the impact can be felt more widely. It is not only the students who become involved, but also schools, mentors, and parents. From there, healthy competition and greater exposure opportunities for students’ creative works can emerge,” said Irene Umar. She also highlighted the importance of branding, packaging, and visual merchandising in strengthening the competitiveness of locally developed youth products, particularly in the growing creative economy sector.
Meanwhile, discussions with the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship as part of a broader community empowerment ecosystem. The ministry acknowledged that initiatives such as SCYEP closely align with efforts to strengthen youth capacity, innovation, and economic participation.
Leontinus Alpha Edison stated, “We appreciate the Starbucks Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Program as a tangible example of collaboration in encouraging youth empowerment through entrepreneurship. Amid the dynamics of the global economy, this program serves as a strategic platform for students to develop business skills, innovation, as well as social and environmental awareness.”
The Starbucks Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Program has engaged thousands of students from various cities across Indonesia. Through mentorship and experiential learning, participants are encouraged to develop business ideas rooted in sustainability, circular economy principles, creativity, and collaboration.
For PJI, these engagements represent an important step in strengthening cross-sector collaboration beyond the education sector, where PJI has long collaborated with schools and the Ministry of Education. By connecting with institutions focused on creative economy and community empowerment, PJI continues to expand support for entrepreneurship education as part of preparing Indonesian youth to become innovative, resilient, and future-ready changemakers.
The discussions also reinforced the importance of collaboration between government, private sector, and educational institutions in building a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem for young people in Indonesia. Through practical learning experiences and direct mentorship, initiatives such as SCYEP are expected to encourage more young Indonesians to transform creativity and ideas into impactful and sustainable ventures.
