Following several days of classroom learning and preparation in Hong Kong, these high-flying young executives from companies such as Mastercard, AIA, Sonepar, Citigroup, Bank Simpanan Nasional, IMC Group, Swire Properties, and others, will travel to Tianjin and Chengdu, China in order to support the Hetong Senior Citizen Welfare Association in launching a new social enterprise that will more effectively deliver services to the country's growing population of elderly.
 
The aging population in China poses significant challenges for the country given that by 2035 there will be an estimated 280 million people over the age of 60.  This is compounded by the fact that there are now fewer children to provide for them due to several decades of the one-child policy.  As the elderly population grows disproportionately large, the demand for facilities and services will continue to increase, presenting both a critical need and a real market opportunity.
 
The objective of participants on the YLP is to determine what business model will best capture this market and to write a concise plan that can be implemented by Hetong in Sichuan, where the earthquake of 2008 affected nearly 46 million people and left many elderly homeless. The plan must be financially sustainable and also demonstrate positive social impact.  At the conclusion of the programme the participants will present their plan at a conference in Chengdu to potential investors and others who may be interested to be involved in the implementation.
 
This is the 15th YLP delivered by GIFT throughout Asia.  Demonstrating unrivalled experience in immersive executive learning programmes, GIFT has worked with emerging corporate and public sector leaders on a wide variety of socio-economic development issues, developing enterprises and new investment models that deliver positive social impact.
 
The YLP has taken the team to Aceh, Indonesia to strengthen the supply chain for cocoa as a key part of economic development after the tsunami; to East Kalimantan, Indonesia to write a new model for community development on an oil palm plantation; to Shanxi, China to provide a plan for market access for organic cotton from China's first registered farmers' association; and many more.
 
In speaking about the development of the programme, GIFT CEO Chandran Nair said, "Starting the fifteenth YLP is very validating and really demonstrates the demand for new approaches to Executive Learning.  Over the last several years working with young high-potential managers of global companies, it has become clear that the skill sets necessary to be an effective leader today are different even from a few years ago. The team at GIFT is excited by the opportunities the YLP continues to present and looks forward to many more programmes in the future."   
 
 
About GIFT: www.globalinstitutefortomorrow.com
GIFT is a social venture think tank that prepares future leaders of corporations, government and civil society to think differently about the role of business in society and in so doing creates new investment opportunities for dynamic social enterprises in the region. 
 
About Hetong Senior Citizen Welfare Association: www.zglry.org/english.asp
Hetong is a non-governmental organization founded in Tianjin on April 20th, 1995. According to the related legislation for non-governmental organizations, it has an independent system, and it doesn't enjoy any regular public finance or allowances. Also, it is scrupulously abides by the following principle: nongovernmental, organized, self-governmental, voluntary, nonprofit and nonpartisan. With a history of 12 years, the Trinity of Hetong Aged People Welfare Association, and Hetong Charitable Foundation for the Aged are together to make Hetong the Chinese non-governmental brand to serve the elderly people's society.