Piloted in 2002/2003 to commemorate the centennial celebrations of both Citibank and YMCA in Singapore, the Citibank-YMCA Youth For Causes programme has proven to be a runaway success. It has since grown from strength to strength, receiving prestigious endorsement on a national level by President S R Nathan as an event of President’s Challenge 2009. The Citi Foundation has quadrupled its ‘seed funding’ for the programme to S$160,000, up from S$40,000 during its pilot run in 2003. The programme is reinforced by a mentorship initiative, where project teams are guided by working professionals from Citibank and YMCA of Singapore

Last year, the Citibank-YMCA Youth for Causes was conferred the Singapore Youth Awards (Team) 2008 under the Community and Youth Services category by the National Youth Council. The Singapore Youth Award is the highest youth accolade in Singapore. It commends youth or youth organizations who open up new horizons and acknowledges their exemplary service to the community.