DAVID YAP
President Oztry Youth Assist
Inspired by the belief that “Youth are Australia’s most precious resource”, David Yap, Jeanette Yap and a small group of Rotarians and well wishers founded the non-profit Oztry Youth Assist on May 20, 2003.
An active youth service volunteer, David, a member of the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga, NSW, and President of the Police & Community Youth Club (PCYC) of Wagga Wagga, (from 2002 to March 30, 2005), initiated the introduction of the WhyTry life skills program to Australia in July 2003.
A first group of Australians attended Facilitators Certification Training on July 24 -25, 2003, held in Wagga Wagga. Participants included ten Police Officers from various PCYC ( Police & Community Youth ) Clubs in New South Wales; two TAFE teachers; school student welfare counselors, Mission Australia officers, Rotarians and one parent.
The Rotary Club of Balwyn, in Melbourne, provided financial support to enable 40 school psychologists and student welfare teachers and 3 police officers to attend Oztry’s second Facilitators Certification Training ( two groups ) held at the Police Academy, Melbourne during the last week of April, 2004.
The successful completion of Oztry’s WhyTry Demonstration Schools pilot project in June to December 2004, has benefited 500 students in 18 high schools.
To take up the challenge of trying to develop Oztry Youth Assist into a financially sustainable social enterprise, David resigned from the position, Director Business Development, at the Riverina Institute of TAFE, on July 16, 2004, to become the full-time volunteer President of Oztry Youth Assist for one whole year.
Please help Oztry Youth Assist become a financially sustainable non-profit organisation.
David as a volunteer committee member of the Selangor State Vocational Guidance Association, in 1974-5, was invited by many secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to speak to packed school halls of students on topics such as:" Winners vs Losers in Life"; " You were born to win"; "You have got what it takes..".
Strong interest in personal development courses (including Achievement Motivation Training, by David McClelland of Harvard University) and seminars led to motivational speaking to fee-paying audiences of private and public sector executives and business people on topics, such as, "The power of a positive self-image."
In 1974, David attended training in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, to become a Certified Facilitator of the 'Adventures in Attitudes' ( a 30 hours personal development program for adults). Public speaking, as a personal hobby, also led to part-time lecturing on export marketing (based on having done business in 20 countries) and the leading a popular "How to manage your own business" weekend workshops attended by some 2,000 people in 1985-87.
David was active in community development projects. As the adviser to the Selangor Federation of Chinese Trade Associations, consisting of 52 trade associations, 19 of which were manufacturing associations, he initiated and was pioneer director of several companies owned by trade associations keen to pool their resources to derive cooperative benefit derived from their members' existing distribution networks.
Prior to migrating from Malaysia to Australia, David established the international operations division of a Malaysian public listed company. The division, under his direction as general manager, achieved export sales of $ 32.5 million in its second year, a result of effective teamwork. David was also a hands-on director of several companies involved in exports consultancy, furniture manufacturing and exports (employed over 400 people), direct selling and management training.
In Australia, David served as general manager of a profitable property-based Unit Trust group in Melbourne, which owned a $ 50 million portfolio of residential and light industrial land subdivisions, a small shopping centre and retail property. David has also worked as general manager of a highly profitable seafoods processing and export company in Victoria.
In 1988-90, David was managing director of an Australian Immigration Department Accredited Business Migration Agency which presented investment opportunities to dozens of business migrants from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
As Senior Trade Executive, International Trade, with Australian Business Chamber in Sydney for 3.5 years before moving to Wagga Wagga, he managed the Chamber's Vietnam Rep Office and China Desk, assisting Australian companies to enter the Vietnam market and also actively promoted exports to China.
David holds a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the University of Malaya, 1969 and was recipient of a Ford Foundation Fellowship for a Masters in Public Administration course at Syracuse University, New York, 1970-1971.
David joined the TAFE NSW Riverina Institute as Director Commercial Development in February 1999. He led a team which successfully achieved financial turnaround, as well as net profit in each of his financial years at TAFE, until his resignation in July 2004.