LIFE today is rife with challenges — from hunger, poverty, war and unsustainability to inequality, for example.
As communities around the world struggle to find answers to the problems, it is important to note that the viewpoint of the young too can contribute to an innovative solution.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Right to Participation belongs to every child. Children have proven time and again that when they are involved, they can make a difference — no matter how small.
Children, when empowered, can contribute in the most inspiring and impactful ways to their families, schools and communities through their involvement in social, economic, environmental, sporting and cultural activities. Firdaus Ahmad Farouk, 15, Loh Shi Ya, 13, and Leah Choy Sze Qin, 7, have first-hand experience of the impact.
Touted as the humanitarian, the environmentalist and the activist respectively, the trio were the recipients of the Tuanku Bainun Young Changemakers Award last year. Young Changemakers was initiated in 2015 to recognise Malaysian children, aged between 6 and 15, for their courage, resilience and inspiring contributions to make the world a better place.
DO YOUR OWN THING
Firdaus, who is from Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur, has volunteered at Feeding the Needy soup kitchen since he was 12. Helping his mother to distribute food to the homeless and underprivileged on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Chow Kit every Thursday night has nurtured a love for humanitarian work in the Asia Pacific Smart School student.
Food preparation starts on either Wednesday or Thursday morning depending on where the food is sourced from. Volunteers, of whom Firdaus is the youngest, pack and transport packets of food to the distribution areas.
“The best form of happiness is making other people happy. When I see the smiles on the faces of the homeless and needy, it makes me feel good to make someone else’s life better,” said Firdaus, the second of four siblings.
Feeding the Needy distributes food to some 600 people, many of whom are children. “I also help to control the crowd and make sure everyone is safe. Sometimes you see new faces but the crowd mostly comprises my street friends.
“Other than providing food, we partner with other NGOs to conduct activities for children such as colouring and art and craft,” he added.
He may be young but Firdaus wants to do more.
“We’re not promoting laziness by providing food every week, we help those living on the street find jobs as well. It’s not just about feeding them but helping them get their lives back together.
“Inshaallah, when I have enough funds, I want to establish a centre to help people on the street restart their lives — help them find jobs and live with their family again.
“I believe the homeless must have experienced some unfortunate circumstances such as losing their jobs or are going through depression and end up on the street.”
Firdaus aims to pursue social psychology at university. “I will then be better equipped to interact with and help people.”
For fellow youngsters, he has this advice: “If it is difficult to join volunteer groups, try to do your own thing — the aim is to make the world a better place. You must visualise your goals, then inspiration can follow.”
LEGACY
It may be unlikely that a young girl from a small town in Johor is a champion of environmental protection but that is the case for Loh.
The resident of Ayer Baloi in Pontian was inspired by a lesson on conserving Earth when she was in Year Five at SJK (C) Chi Chih.
“After reading about conservation in a textbook and watching TV documentaries on the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) concept, I found that there were no avenues available in school to carry out recycling projects. The Earth is so contaminated due to our habits as human beings that I feel very strongly that something must be done,” said Loh, whose father is a building contractor and her mother, a housewife.
Loh persuaded her teachers to help establish a recycling club, which she headed, and launched a recycling campaign in school. From holding a competition between classes to collect the most recyclables, Loh’s efforts expanded to involve parents and the community. The club collected some 2,000kg of solid waste to be recycled last year. This enabled the school to win the Recycling Competition for Primary Schools in Rural Areas, a national event organised by the Solid Waste Corporation.
Now in Form One, Loh has left a legacy of environmental protection at SJK (C) Chi Chih which aims to repeat the win this year. She hopes to kindle similar interest among her schoolmates at SMK Ayer Baloi.
“I am trying to raise awareness at my current school but being a junior, it will take time and effort. When I see students littering, I go up to them and give them advice. We only have one Planet Earth and we must protect it,” she said earnestly.
Aiming to become a teacher one day, Loh hopes that residents in her hometown of Ayer Baloi will be increasingly aware of the importance of recycling. “Then I hope the message will spread throughout the nation.”
CHEF WITH A BIG HEART
The impression one gets after meeting Choy — who is known as Chef Leah with a Big Heart on Facebook — is that she is wise beyond her years.
Articulate and not afraid of giving her opinions, the eldest of two girls seems capable of doing anything if she puts her mind to it.
This she proved at 4 when she started a baking business to raise funds for her younger, brain-injured sister Adele to get treatment at the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, the United States. Adele attends a three-week programme every six months at a cost of RM50,000 per trip.
“I learnt to bake cupcakes from YouTube. I am the baker and mummy is the administrator, and we sell online. In the last eight months, I have baked 12,000 cupcakes and earned RM29,000,” said the home-schooled 7 year-old.
Leah donated RM500 to Food Aid Foundation while keeping the rest for Adele. Food Aid Foundation is an NGO that collects unused or unwanted foods for charitable homes. She is the foundation’s youngest ambassador and she has helped raise funds for refugees and orphans.
Other than baking cupcakes, Leah is into fingerpainting for charity and growing organic produce.
On the role children can play in the world, she said: “With a bit of thought, they can make a difference in the world.”
And on her ambitions, with a sparkle in her eye, Leah retorted: “I haven’t thought about it yet.”
NEXT BATCH
The search for the Malaysian Young Changemakers continues for a second year with a launch at SMK Damansara Jaya in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Programme partners from the Education Ministry, Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, UNICEF and Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kendiri Wanita dan Gadis (WOMEN:girls) attended the event.
At the launch, WOMEN:girls president and founder Low Ngai Yuen said: “The stories from the finalists last year assured us that there are amazing children out there who are the change that we want to see.
“This year, we’re going to schools and communities to introduce the idea of making change so that every child can realise their roles and responsibilities in making the world a better place and it’s such a blessing to see this impetus for change coming from the next generation.”
UNICEF Representative in Malaysia Marianne Clark-Hattingh said initiatives such as Malaysian Young Changemakers highlight the contributions that children can bring to their communities and beyond when empowered to do so.
“It’s very inspiring when young children delve into issues and have innovative ideas on how to tackle them. In Malaysia, there is a tendency not to listen to children: children are to be seen and not heard.
“Sometimes children have solutions to problems. There is a lot to be gained from listening to them and empowering them to make changes. As adults, we need to support this creativity, regardless of our position or status.
“By appreciating that adults don’t always have the answers and by giving young people a voice, we create better and stronger nations,” she said.
Roslina Mohd Roslin, assistant director general for academic support unit under the arts and curriculum division at the Education Ministry, said: “It is not a programme where instructions are given and students follow a set framework, it comes from their heart. The student is in charge of the change he wants to make. The Ministry is always on the lookout to work with other agencies to create programmes that are not only beneficial for them but also the world — to impact their circle of friends, families and communities, and beyond.”
Programme director Abby Latif said 200 schools and civil societies nationwide submitted nominations for the award last year. Sixty submissions were accepted upon meeting the requirements. They were then shortlisted to 30 for deliberation before 10 finalists were selected.
The finalists were invited to the awards ceremony and the final decisions were made after their speech about their projects and an assessment on whether they fit the criterion of a role model.
“This year we’re going to schools to assist in their projects and raise the standards of changemaking in the nation. We have targeted 30 schools and will hold 20 workshops — we are still open to requests from schools to hold the workshops,” said Abby.
“This programme creates a community of superheroes, whom we call young changemakers. The country is in dire need of inspiring stories and these children assure us that the nation will be in good hands.”
Submissions for Young Changemakers 2016 close on Sept 30. Nominations are open to children aged 6 to 15 years old. Details at www.womengirls.org