Budiey
Children prove that age is no barrier to being the change they want to see. In conjunction with Universal Children’s Day, three Malaysian children, aged between 6 and 15 were recognised today with the Tuanku Bainun Young Changemakers Awards for their courage, resilience and inspiring contributions to make their world a better place.
The Awards were presented at the inaugural Young Changemakers Summit 2015, organized by Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kendiri Wanita dan Gadis (WOMEN:girls), Ministry of Education, Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun, Digi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd. (“Digi”) and UNICEF.
The Patron for the Awards, Her Royal Majesty Raja Permaisuri Perak Darul Ridzuan Tuanku Bainun Binti Mohamad Ali presented the Awards to the three young heroes, 14 year old Firdaus Ahmad Farouk from Kuala Lumpur, 6 year-old Leah Choy Sze Qin from Alor Gajah, Melaka and 12 year-old Loh Shi Ya from Pontian, Johor. `The three young changemakers were selected from a finalists of ten children. (See attached for the ten finalists and their inspiring stories).
Judges for the first Tuanku Bainun Young Changemakers Awards 2015 include Dato’ Seri Noraini Jane (Board Members of Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun), Chris Ng (Children Theatre Educator and Artistic Director of Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun), Indra Kumari Nadchatram (Communication Specialist, UNICEF Malaysia), Philip Ling Oon Hun (Communications and Sustainability, Digi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd.) and Puan Norazmah Mohd Yunos (Assistant Director – English-Sub, Co-Curricular and Arts Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia).
The Chairman of Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun, Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Dato’ Seri Azureen said, “Sifting through more than 70 nominations to the final 10 young changemakers’ stories, I must say that I am very touched and very proud of our young. At such a young age, they are committed to make a difference to their lives and the lives of others. It is indeed our hope that their stories will motivate more young people to look at the community around them and question what they can contribute as well. We need to do more to include and involve young people on top of ensuring that they have every opportunity to do good because they are our agents for the future.”
Celebrating children’s right to participation
The Young Changemakers Summit 2015 gathered 150 future changemakers and more than 50 enablers to illustrates that when given the chance, children can share their creativity, courage and optimism to help change the world around them.
The featured Keynote speaker, Manila-based Efren Peñaflorida is no stranger to pioneering change in communities. When he was 16 years old, Efren started a youth group in his high school aimed at diverting students’ attention away from street gangs, and towards community activism and personal development.
Joined by other classmates, they named the group “Dynamic Teen Company”. They eventually pioneered the idea of the “pushcart m”, wherein pushcarts were stocked with school materials such as books, pens, tables, and chairs, and then used on Saturdays to recreate school settings in unconventional locations such as the cemetery or trash dump. In March 2009, Peñaflorida was featured as a CNN Hero as part of the news network’s program to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to help others.
The Young Changemaker 2015 summit also included the I WANT TO MAKE CHANGE TOO!! session with Key Opinion Leaders such as Hakim Albasrawy of Makespace, Chris Ng from PKTB, Syed Azmi who is a changemaker himself, Altimet renowned musician and rapper, theatre legend Normah Nordin, Rakyat Post reporter and Changemaker Che Az and Chun Wah Hoo of NGO Hub Asia among others to facilitate 150 young people to pledge on the changes they can make for their community and environment.
As part of Digi’s Empower Societies initiative, Digi gave out Lenovo Android 4.4 tablet with a free internet package for one year to the young changemakers to support and enable them with the power of the internet to create a better future for them and the cause that they are championing.
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Right to Participation is a right that belongs to every child. Participation matters because children have proven time and again that when they are involved, they can make a difference. Children are contributing to their families, schools and communities through their participation in social, economic, environmental, sports and cultural activities. 2015 marks Malaysia’s 20th anniversary acceding to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Young Changemakers 2015
The 10 finalists are:
Six year-old Ahmad Alfian who started following his mother to charity events since he was 3 years old. Alfian started using his own tabung money to do more charity, buying maggi packs for the Kelantan flood, sponsoring school van ride for a Rohingya boy, giving money for the Syrian fund, buying ice creams and choki-choki and giving it out at school and shopping malls.
Eleven year-old Anilov Fabien Tingang from Baram, Sarawak will wake up at 5.30am every morning to go to the nearby jetty to shower and prepare for school all by himself before crossing the creaking bridge to get to school. This hardworking boy risks a journey of 2 hours to go to school in his torn shoes and old school uniforms so he can get education and excel in school.
Chan Hui Kie is a 14 year old student in a rural Band 5 school in Kedah. Literacy, being an urgent issue, with over 200 illiterate students in the school; Hui Kie, together with several Form 2 schoolmates, started a literacy mentor-mentee initiative to teach her Form 1 friends how to read. They patiently and lovingly encouraged their mentees throughout the project and successfully helped them go from illiteracy up to 7 years in reading growth! The average word recognition of a Standard 1 level passage increased from 32% before the program to 89.2% by the 18th week.
Fourteen year-old Firdaus Ahmad Farouk from Taman Tun Dr. Ismail have been active volunteering for the soup kitchen since he was 12 years old and he knows that it’s his responsibility to help the needy and he’ll do whatever he can to help them.
For 15 year-old Khairul Atim, he was more interested in making sure that all his peers and also kids from his village in Pulau Omodal in Sabah to read and write. He has been teaching about 20 bajau laut kids from his village basic literacy as well as environmental studies since they live in a water village. Coined Mastal Aririk (Cikgu Kecil), Khairul Atim envisions a literate bajau laut community to preserve his village’s marine ecosystem.
Last year, 12 year-old Loh Shi Ya suggested to her school that they should have a Recycling Club and when the school approved, she head the club to raise awareness on recycling among her schoolmates and implement the 3R concept in the school and local community. The club managed to collect around 2,000 kg of solid waste to be recycled and became the National Champion of Recycling Competition for Primary School in Rural Area organised by the Solid Waste Corporation (SW Corp).
When Leah Choy Sze Qin was 4 and a half years old, she started baking to help raise funds for her sister Adele who has brain injury. Leah managed to raise USD 6,000 for her sister, grew fond of baking cupcakes to raise money and her second round of fundraising managed to raise over 700 ringgit for the refugees stranded in the boats.
Muhammad Nur Ikhwan and his sister never knew that they would ever leave Kedah or even get a birth certificate that’ll allow them to go to school. They both moved to Sungai Buloh in 2007 and went to kindergarten with other 6 year olds to learn how to read, write and count. In 2 years, Ikhwan managed to catch up with his peers and obtained 4 As and 1 B for UPSR. He is now currently sitting for his PT3 exam and also the Head of Academic Bureau at Rumah Kasih Harmoni where he teaches qur’an recitation and also maths to the kids there.
When his bestfriend Saleh got involved with drugs, 15 year-old Muhammad Raqib Hamzah knew he had to help him and become his main support system. Raqib joined Drugs Youth Free Association (DYFA) and got Saleh involved in programmes for rehabilitation. Both of them started a music band called NO SURRENDER to spread inspiring messages to youth about a clean life from drugs.
Eleven year-old Nurul Amalina Firdaus suffers from leukemia and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM). She is a very hardworking student and is always happy and cheerful. She submitted a journal of her daily life and hopes that her experiences could help inspire her peers to not give up and always go on to enjoy life.
Live Instagram ( @womengirls ) and tweet updates (@womengirls_ ) will be available during the event.
About YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS 2015
The Young Changemakers is a celebration of young people who are making social impact through their initiatives and projects that they’ve started within their communites. The Tuanku Bainun Young Changemakers Awards recognise these young changemakers to enable their stories to be heard and inspire other children to change the world.
About Universal Children’s Day
Universal Children’s Day on 20 November brings together communities across the world to honour children and their rights. November 20 is also the day the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted in 1989. The CRC, the most signed and ratified treaty in the world, is the first international human rights instrument to explicitly recognise children’s civil and social rights. These rights entitle children to participate in their families, schools and communities; and practice their social responsibility in accordance with their evolving capacities. Malaysia acceded to the CRC twenty years ago, on 17 February 1995.
About Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun (PKTB)
In 1979, during the United Nations International Year of the Child (IYC), the Malaysian Secretariat to the UN recommended that to commemmorate this historical occasion meaningfully, something tangible should be established which could benefit the children of Malaysia at all times. In 1989, at the Annual Children’s Day Celebrations in Stadium Negara, DYMM Raja Permasuri Agong Tuanku Bainun reiterated the need for such a centre, as expressed by Article 13 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989:
“To recognize the rights of the child to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. To respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activities”.
About Ministry of Education
With its vision for Quality Education Begets Learned Individuals for a Prosperous Nation, the Malaysian Ministry of Education aims to upholding a quality education system that develops individuals to their full potential and fulfills the aspirations of the nation.
About UNICEF
About DiGi Telecommunications Berhad
Digi provides mobile voice, internet, and digital services to 11.7 million customers in Malaysia. It is known as a game-changer for the Malaysian telecommunications industry with a solid history of product and service innovation. Over the years Digi has built a solid mobile internet business that enables true connectivity for all Malaysians, creates socio-economic development, helps businesses to grow through use of technology, and in doing help accelerate Malaysia’s growth. Digi continues to inspire Malaysians by giving customers’ access to fun and uplifting internet content, and empowering them to share what means most to them. Listed on Bursa Malaysia, it is part of global telecommunications provider Telenor Group and is a leader in driving progressive and responsible business practices. Digi was recognised as one of Forbes’ 100 World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2014. For more information about Digi, visit www.digi.com.my.
