ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP)
Capturing the ASEAN Spirit
Through Knowledge-Driven Volunteerism & Community Engagement
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
Table of contents Voices of leaders
3
Collective Foreword
5
Distribution of Volunteers based on country
6
The Journey of AYVP@AsiaEngage
8
Building an ASEAN Regional Identity
10
Bio-Diversity Sites i) Kampung Dew, Perak
2
ii) Mersing, Johor
iii) Setiu, Terengganu
iv) Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP)
12
Celebration after Conservation
20
Voices of the Volunteers
22
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
23
In the news...
24
Programme Report 2013
Voices of leaders YB Mr. Khairy Jamaluddin Minister of Youth and Sports
“The Asean community in 2015 would not be just about government-to-government relationships and summits, or economic agreements, but of creating a community of ASEAN people with one vision and one ideal. Ordinary people-to-people engagement is important in building a sense of ASEAN community. The volunteers did not only come together just to get to know each other individually, but to take part in building regional camaraderie and realising the impact of our shared future together in ASEAN.”
Prof. Datuk Dr. Noor Azlan Ghazali
Vice Chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) “I assumed the role of Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia on 1st January 2014. As VC, I fully endorse UKM’s continued support of the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme. This programme deserves our full support as it significantly contributes to the development of leadership qualities among ASEAN youths. This is a noble cause as these youths will become the future leaders of our ASEAN Community. As leaders in in their respective disciplines, these youths have dedicated themselves to uplifting the quality of life of communities across ASEAN. We salute them for their commitment and wish them the very best in this self-sacrificing endeavor.”
Prof Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hassan Shahabudin Former-Vice Chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
“We believe that knowledge from research has academic value when published. However the real value is when it is transferred to benefit communities locally, nationally or internationally. That is true social innovation. The knowledge flow is by no means unilateral. We too gain by learning from the communities we serve. In UKM we put a premium on community engagement as a way of transferring knowledge for participatory, bottom-up, people-centered development as well as for inculcating ethics, values and responsibility through real world lessons from the community as the classroom. Volunteerism is a key aspect of these activities.”
H.E David L. Carden
United States Ambassador to ASEAN “USAID’s support of the AYVP contributes to the ASEAN goal to improve capacities and empower young people so that they contribute to and benefit from more stable, democratic, and prosperous communities and nations. Volunteerism is a key factor in encouraging people participation and establishing common action within the community. The ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme is a dedicated platform for young volunteers to take heed to this call to action.
H.E. Alicia Dela Rosa Bala
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community The ASEAN Secretariat is always supportive of the youth who have great potential to be agents of progress in the development of an ASEAN Community not only in terms of politics and economics but also people empowerment. To quote “indeed, ASEAN peoples must dare to dream, but all the more - care to share.” 3
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
4
Programme Report 2013
Collective Foreword
One of the powerful and meaningful ways that we can bring various sectors of ASEAN people together is through community engagement and volunteerism. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging the region’s youth in tackling the shared challenges faced by the ASEAN community. It can benefit both the region and the youth involved in volunteerism initiatives by developing understanding, strengthening trust, enhancing community wellbeing and forging an ASEAN identity. The ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) is an instrument that will create opportunities for youth across the region. This will be through the thematic areas of Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, Social Entrepreneurship, Youth-friendly Health services, Education Development, The Environment, Protecting ASEAN’s Heritage, Disaster Response, Risk Reduction and Recovery, Sports and Recreation. As they do this, they learn about each other and strengthen intercultural relationships, increasing ASEAN awareness and contributing to a strong ASEAN identity – a younger generation who not only volunteer but also develop leadership qualities, coloured with the strength of humility, kindness and compassion – with strong minds and also generous souls.
“The core principles that drive the make-up of this programme are: It is a knowledge-driven community engaged programme which provides invaluable opportunities for volunteers to make relevant and apply theoretical knowledge to meet real world needs, to meet with the needs of the communities at the various biodiversity sites. This journey requires volunteers to expand upon multi-disciplinary knowledge, be organised, be disciplined and understand committed, to work in teams, the needs of others and respect different cultures and empower communities as well as learn from them.”
There will be challenges and not all volunteerism initiatives have positive outcomes. But if we do this well, developing a system for regional volunteerism to flourish effectively and recognizing the quality and merit of our various programmes/ projects, we will develop and leave for the next generation a legacy for volunteerism that will have a long-lasting effect on the development of our youth and all our communities across ASEAN. The inaugural programme for ‘The Development of ASEAN Youth Eco-Leaders through Volunteerism and Community Engagement’ has seen the volunteers spend five meaningful and highly impactful weeks with each other and the local communities in four different biodiversity sites in Malaysia. Through the sharing of knowledge, culture and experiences, the engagement of the volunteers with the local community is truly the embodiment of Bringing ASEAN Closer to the People. It is hoped that the inaugural programme will serve as a catalyst for the volunteers to create a multiplier effect of knowledge driven and community engaged volunteerism amongst young people across the region.
Prof. Dato’ Dr Saran Kaur Gill Deputy Vice Chancellor, UKM & Executive Director of AYVP@AsiaEngage
5
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
Volunteers by numbers
vietnam
13
volunteers
cambodia
12
volunteers MYANMAR
8
volunteers
malaysia
18
volunteers INDONESIA
13
volunteers
6
Programme Report 2013
Philippines
14
volunteers brunei
7
volunteers
thailanD
4
volunteers
97
TOTAL volunteers Gender Distribution
40% 60%
LAOS
4
volunteers
singapore
4
volunteers
Age Distribution 26-30 years old
14%
47%
39% 18-20 years old 21-25 years old
7
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
The Journey of AYVP@ In 2008, when cyclone Nargis, a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar struck the country, asean member states responded to a country in need. Volunteers under the umbrella of Asean Volunteers Program (AVP), were mobilised to help communities recover from the disaster. This successful one-off initiative indicated the need for a more sustainable program that could effectively coordinate and manage the deployment of asean volunteers for regional community development.
In 2010 at the request of the ASEAN Secretariat, USAID through the ASEAN-U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility (TATF) drafted “startup and operational” guidelines for an ASEAN-led volunteer programme. However, the ASEAN Secretariat faced significant challenges in implementing and managing the programme. This was because it would have required tremendous resource, commitment and efforts. Therefore, the startup of the AVP was delayed until a more opportune time. This opportunity came in 2011 when the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Industry & Community Partnerships) of UKM met Dato’ Misran Karmain, (former Deputy Sec Gen of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)) at the AUN Board of Trustees meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos. Dato’ Misran recognised and appreciated UKM’s commitment to community engagement. UKM was then invited to send in a proposal for the development and implementation of the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme.
8
Programme Report 2013
AYVP MISSION STATEMENT As UKM worked on the proposal, the ASEAN secretariat contacted the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports and they found that both organisations had a similar vision and the foresight to support the development of AYVP. The proposal to develop the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme was presented at the SOMY meeting at Hanoi on the 18th October 2011 and supported by the former Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek during the Seventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY VII) on 20th October 2011. Subsequently, it was endorsed by all SOMY member states.
The AYVP is a dedicated youth volunteerism platform to implement regional volunteerism projects that mobilise ASEAN youth to develop innovative solutions to the social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges of communities across ASEAN, while forging a sense of regional identity and cross-cultural understanding among ASEAN youth.
The AYVP Mandate
AYVP’s main goal is to drive youth volunteerism and community development that involve young people with a targeted demographic age of between 18 and 30 from higher education, colleges, youth organisations, NGOs and working professionals across ASEAN.
This led to the birth of the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP). The AYVP Secretariat at UKM, together with the two other entities (ATNEU and AUN USR&S) are housed under the umbrella of AsiaEngage. The Executive Director of AsiaEngage and her team, work in close partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat, Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Education to identify, develop and implement impactful knowledge-driven youth volunteerism projects involving multiple stakeholders.
To create the multiplier effect across ASEAN countries, AYVP will work to develop as a regional hub that provides technical assistance in developing expertise and capacities for other ASEAN member countries to run knowledgedriven volunteerism and community engagement programmes in these eight thematic areas: 1) The Environment 2) Protecting ASEAN’s Heritage 3) Disaster Risk Reduction & Recovery 4) Rural Development and Poverty Eradication 5) Social Entrepreneurship 6) Youth-Friendly Health Services 7) Education Development 8) Sports and Recreation
9
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
Building an ASEAN Regional Identity “Before AYVP, I just know ASEAN as an alliance of countries in South East Asia. I could not feel the togetherness. But then after the sessions on ASEAN and ASEAN identity, I got the message. Although we are different, but we share some similarities that make us ASEAN” Sri Rizki (Indonesia)
Passion, energy, leadership, impact - brought together 97 youth volunteers from across ASEAN, for five weeks, (15 August – 20 September), to the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP@AsiaEngage) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
During the first week, the ASEAN Youth Eco-Leaders were hosted at UKM- the only University in the region that is located in about 100 hectares of forest reserve. One of the university’s research strengths is in the field of the environment and climate change. Therefore, exposure to UKM’s rich biodiversity and environment research was a fitting start to the programme. They spent the first week getting acquainted with each other and the journey of AYVP@AsiaEngage. Lectures and group activities were held at the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) which saw interactive discussions on ASEAN identity, community engagement initiatives and environmental issues in the region. Much preparation also took place for their 3-week immersion at the 4 biodiversity sites i.e. Kg. Dew,
10
Programme Report 2013
“The thing that has most impacted me during the first week is how we have an ASEAN identity. Besides shared values and traits, we also share common environmental challenges such as deforestation, pollution and waste management. Thus, we should come together as a region, combining expertise and strengths to combat the situation.” Alanna Tan (Malaysia)
Perak, Mersing, Johor, Setiu Wetlands and Kuala Selangor Park through an orientation with site coordinators and first aid training from the UKM Medical and Health Centre. The Eco-Leaders also engaged in discussions on the environmental context of ASEAN, from which they developed awareness of the issues shared by the region. Shared problems call for shared solutions - a learning process for these promising young leaders, as they lived for three weeks with communities in one of the four bio-diversity sites around Malaysia The Eco-Leaders had ample time to explore the campus, especially its rainforest, as well as learning from the best practices of 3 of its environment programmes - the Green Rose, Rainforest Discovery and S.E.E. Nature. They gained historical insight and environmental perspective on the ASEAN as a regional bloc, while contextualising it into their respective ethnic, national and regional identities. They also learned innovative strategies on youth leadership and multistakeholder partnerships. Finally, Eco-Leaders have developed a sense of camaraderie, even outside the sessions of the programme. On their free day, they explored the City of Kuala Lumpur and visited tourist spots such as the KLCC Towers, National Museum, National Mosque, Central Market, Batu Caves, Bukit Bintang and China Town. AYVP@AsiaEngage Idol Night also witnessed the unique cultures of each country through their songs, dances, and skits, as well as preparations for the performance of “The ASEAN Way” – the theme song for the inaugural batch.
11
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
Bio-Diversity sites
Firefly habitat conservation & community based eco-tourism
Kampung Dew, Perak Based at the “Kelip-kelip� jetty near Sungai Sepetang where tourists make their way to view the firefly beetles every night, the volunteers worked hard daily to support existing local community initiatives on forest conservation, as well as environmental education. Efforts were geared towards boosting community-based eco-tourism, as locals are largely dependent on income generated from tourists in the area. Among the activities they engaged in were firefly-surveying, host plant tagging, and tree planting along the river banks. They worked collaboratively in two main groups in order to enhance the natural surroundings of the jetty area which is the starting point of firefly tours, as well as to train local tour guides with basic language lessons and information, education and communication (IEC) materials. Each group came up with a website, a pamphlet design and a script for the ecotourism campaign. In addition, they organised a community exhibition and a series of school talks to raise awareness on the importance of proper solid waste management and keeping the river clean.
Site Coordinator Dr Norela Sulaiman Site Facilitators Nur Izzad Fahmi ah Harizah Nadiah Hamz Najwa Khalil rs ASEAN Youth Eco-Leade Haji Ismail Bin aus Fird d ma ham Mu agbas Lum tu Lug yd Llo Laurence Fazlinda Bt Kamarudin Vuong Tu Chau Soknim Soeng Sujardin Syarifuddin Trini Yuni Pratiwi Andreas Nathius ynha Vansanaphon Vongxa Thu r Mya Thanda Hla Aye Salvador Nikka Tatiana Munion n Zuleta Kyle Esperanza Rafana a Cyrollah Rasol Disom Jose De La Cruz Bryan Quek Wei Hong Rungtip Junlah Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh h Nguyen Phan Thao Trin Ton Nu Tuong Vy ni Norul Kamilah Mat Jela ir Tah ti Bin qah Nur Ati Nik Masyitah bt Nik Lam Farhaanah Sabaraya
Firefly Habitat Conservation
Tagging trees & collecting data
Planting of Berembang trees Boat ride to learn about firefly habitat 12
Programme Report 2013
Eco-Tourism
Signage making to label plants along the river
Training for boatmen
Production of multimedia & IEC materials Analysing mangrove species for data collection
Multimedia for tourists to understand firefly habitat
Foster family Unique to this site is that they were staying with foster families within the community, and were able to not only form a close relationship with their foster parents, but also able to absorb the local culture and language. Many referred to their foster parents as “Abah” and “Mak.”
y the ReflectionsDb eam T w e g n u p m Ka “In the duration of our immersion and community engagement, the ASEAN Youth Eco-Leaders acquired the skills and transformed from volunteers who are required to engage the community and become bridging leaders of the Kampung Dew Community. As they now believe in the fact that complex social issues cannot be addressed by just one best solution but by collaboration, participation and ownership of community & other stakeholders.”
Website developed to promote eco-tourism
“Community engagement as part of developing Kampung Dew towards ecotourism site is necessary. Its basis of strengthening the community relationships as well as bringing knowledge to the villagers would be maximally achieved by providing facilities and sufficient educational activities that will then lead the people to develop their village.”
13
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
Bio-Diversity sites
Enhancing environmental awareness and minimizing pollution in coastal communities by promoting the practice of community based recycling Mersing, Johor
Site Coordinator azali Dr. Shahriman Mohd Gh Site Facilitators mad Nurliyana Binti Moham Aziz dul Ab ah jah Na on Ain Tomim Mohd Fakhrul Azizi Bin rs ASEAN Youth Eco-Leade ti Hj Kifli Norhayatunajibah Bin n Khairunnisa Mat Serudi Lay a Channanik Sangva Lim Ratana Soy Ewan Darmawan m Sri Rizki Kesuma Ningru iati Rida Nuraf th Amphonh Keovongko i Ma Ja Htun Nang Aye Aye Htun Muralla Hannah Faye Manzano Lim on Sis a ind am Theresa Eliz Louie Dela Cruz Francis P Aguilar Mohd Shaleh Muhammad Adha Bin ri ras Na a wir Pat Vu Ngoc Bich Ha Thi Nga Sar Sopheavy Atiqah Nadiah Zailani Angelina Tan Li San Le Thi Thien An Nur Syafawati Hamzah Kal Reaksmey Nhim
Mersing is situated on the eastern coastline of Johor and is known to many as the gateway to some of the most beautiful islands and marine parks of the coast of Johor. The Marine Ecosystem Research Centre (EKOMAR), UKM is a field station that aims to bring economic development to the area and improve the quality of life of its locals by providing incomegenerating opportunities while conserving the natural ecosystem. There were twenty-five Eco-Leaders assigned to Mersing, to engage with the coastal communities there. After three weeks, they were truly instrumental in initiating a coastal community recycling program at 3 different villages, i.e. Kampung Penyabong, Kampung Tanjung Resang and Kampung Air Papan. Their efforts were geared towards enhancing environmental awareness and minimising coastal pollution. They conducted basic environmental audit of the beach and villages, and identified the “footprint� of trash and its key processes. Data gathered was used to launch awareness campaigns amongst the locals, especially school children. They also set-up community-based buy-back centres, and established methods that turn trash into marketable crafts, in hopes of encouraging the communities to turn their trash to cash.
Recycling material buy-back centre constructed for local community.
14
Programme Report 2013
“Our activities had the privilege of attention from all levels of Johor community, from the local villagers, to the District Office and all the way up to the Sultan of Johor, who visited during his Kembara Mahkota. Due to our limited stay, what we have been done is only the start of a long journey in encouraging local engagement in environmental conservation. We do hope that others will continue our work with more intensive projects to ensure the sustainability of these activities in the future, with support from AYVP, UKM, the local authorities and local community.
Reflections by am the Mersing te “We loved the process of working with a team of talented people and engaging with the local community because of the warm fellowship. Building the collection center in Pasir Lanun and working with cement, brick and sand helped us learn construction work skills. Learning handicrafts gave us a chance to know how to turn recyclable materials into the something useful as well as art work such as baskets from newspaper and flowers from plastic bottles. Having games for the primary school students and helping them understand more about ways to protect our environment was also our great event.”
“Finally, we became locals by first understanding common local rules and norms. We appreciate locals by tapping in the local resources for our innovation. For example, the abundance of fish resulted in our preference to choose net as the container of our garbage collector. We turned the lack of awareness or ineffective way of dealing with waste as an opportunity to make a difference.”
Turning trash into cash - selling handicrafts made from recyclables
Interacting with the local children
Designed and assembled a mobile garbage collector for a local school
Recycling centre set-up near the beach for tourists 15
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013 Site Coordinator Dr Jamilah Mohd Salim
Bio-Diversity sites
Towards restoring and conserving a sustainable wetland ecosystem for the community Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu
Site Facilitators Muhd Fawwaz Afham Bin Mohd Sofa Nur Atiqah Binti Abd Rah man Nur Afny Syazwany Binti Abu Zarim ASEAN Youth Eco-Leaders Mohamad Zainul Akhir Angtola Huy Ty Keithya Oung Sareth Chum Aulia Jepri Ali Saiful Ajanti Qitbiya Ilhami Khonesak Keomaneevon g Cho May Than Nan Ei Mon Angelee Lorraine Lallave Go
Sonny Peru Cosme Ace Mark Becayo Anicet o Calvin Tan Kai En Boonsiri Chutidamrongp an Le Tan Tien Nguyen Anh Tu Kim Dua Nguyen Dang Phuong Tram Siti Farius Shamsudin Alanna Tan Jay Lynn Quek Yew Aun Nurul Nabilah Binti Mazlan
BEACH CLEAN-UP The beaches of Terengganu serve as nesting site for four species turtles and two species of river terrapins. Solid wastes or marine debris that end up in oceans pose a significant threat to the survival of these animals. Understanding the solid waste problem faced by coastal communities, the EcoLeaders carried out a concerted effort against marine debris by carrying out beach clean and waste segregation initiatives every morning. In just two weeks, the team collected a total of 817 kgs of trash with an average collection of 60 kgs per day!
Setiu is located in the north of Terengganu covering an area of 135,905.80 hectares. This district is similar to other parts of Malaysia and Southeast Asia countries by having a tropical climate with hot temperature, heavy rainfall and high humidity. The twenty-five Eco-Leaders assigned to Setiu worked on restoring the degraded and semi-degraded wetland ecosystems. Their efforts were geared towards reestablishing wetland conditions that are similar to the original condition of areas that have been altered by human activities, by re-planting mangrove saplings that can slowly re-establish the hydrology of the degraded wetlands. They engaged with local communities to document river biodiversity and identify three biological elements (vegetation, fishes and invertebrates), as well as the basic physical parameters of the river, in hopes of raising awareness on the health of the river ecosystem. There were also several clean-ups that took place at the beach shore, river banks and in the mangrove nursery. Other activities include Environmental Education (EE) activities which taught school children how to maintain green surroundings in their areas and an exhibit of their own recycled handicrafts for the Turtle Interpretation Centre. The Eco-Leaders also engaged in knowledge-sharing with local microentrepreneurs of Setiu Women Entrepreneurs (PEWANIS) who taught them how to make traditional lekar (craft) and kerepek pisang (banana chips). In addition, they actively helped organise the community’s cultural festival, known as Program Mari Berbudaya di Setiu, or the Setiu Culture Day.
Bio-diversity Awareness
Aquatic invertebrates sampling & Firefly watching – as indicator analysis – as bio-indicators of the species for environmental health quality of water. and eco-tourism potential. 16
Bird watching – understanding birds as an integral part of Mangrove vegetation wetlands eco-system. analysis – to understand the vulnerability of mangrove ecosystem.
e eco-
Programme Report 2013
Local Culture Awareness
Lekar making – a traditional basket made out of Nipah
Wau making – the art of traditional kite making
“Environmental conservation and restoration is everybody’s responsibility. Efforts to rehabilitate degraded habitats must involve key stakeholders to establish short and long term project goals that will address important issues”
Reflections by the Setiu team
“Community dynamics and environmental issues are equally important. The environment and the community are interdependent on each other, and the best solutions need to tackle the challenges on both sides”
Hari Raya Celebration
“The three-week program at Setiu allowed the Ecoleaders to gain insights on the dynamics of humanenvironment interactions and analyze the impacts of human behavior on ecological conditions. By allowing nature to replenish itself, a continuous supply of resources such as food and timber is assured solutions need to tackle the challenges on both sides”
Community Engagement
School garden enrichment – mural painting, replanting of trees and interaction with teachers at two schools, SK Rhu Sepuluh & SMK Lembah Bidong.
Mangrove replanting & clearing of mangrove nursery – replanting mangrove saplings with the local community to restore the mangrove eco-system.
Turtle Conservation – waste collected in the area turned into materials to be displayed at the Turtle Interpretation Centre and releasing baby turtles to the sea.
17
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
Bio-Diversity sites
KSNP for RAMSAR – saving the Wetlands and Flyway
Site Coordinator Balu Perumal Sonny Wong Ahmad Tarmizi
Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Selangor Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP), is situated at the mouth of Selangor River, Malaysia and covers approximately 800 acres of mangroves and mudflats. Eco-Leaders in KSNP learned how to bring about a more sustainable use of the wetlands and be part of the network on wetlands conservation in the region, and worldwide. They took an active role in rehabilitating the wetland eco-system through the restoring of mangrove nurseries and planting of mangrove seedlings, hand-in-hand with secondary students from two local schools. They also planned and implemented Environmental Education (EE) activities with park visitors, to raise awareness and empower the local communities to share in the responsibility of improving the quality of the environment and attaining sustainable development. This was done through Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) materials about bird flyways and RAMSAR.
Mangrove rehabilitation with local students
Site Facilitators Baei Mohd Arrabe’ Ahmad im Noor Azleena Abdul Kar in rdd No Ain Nurul rs ASEAN Youth Eco-Leade n udi Ser t Ma Rafizah Keovichet Ly San Sel Sokkheng Somontha Bambang Sutrisno Ricky Sudiarto Putra Rindha Deviana Sari Phonepasith Sotitham Lia Khan Suum Chaw Chaw Ei Tin Aung Win awan Annie Jane Llegunas Lag a ann dre An Jasmine Diorka Suleik Xu Wanwei hai Noorulhuda Chalermt a Haji Talip Hjh Nurul Amal Akmalin m hie Ng ai Ho ong Tru Luu Ho Sy Quy Zulkifli Noor Farahdiana binti hamed Rasheed Mo Bt am Beg h Zahirra Ng Bee Yin hd Said Nuurul Nadrah Bt Mo ad Adzali ham Mo lia Tulip Adzar
Developing and presenting CEPA materials
RAMSAR (Convention on Wetlands of International Importance) A key area of learning at KSNP was the Ramsar convention. Ramsar was crafted by the international community to ensure the conservation and good use of wetlands. In order to raise awareness on this issue, the Eco- Leaders organised public events and interactive activities to share knowledge on the different Ramsar sites around the region. These also served as venues for dialogues with the local community and government about the roles that each stakeholder plays in protecting the wetlands. 18
Programme Report 2013
“Learning something new can be a scary experience especially, when it comes to making a decision. However, once we experience it, we realize that it’ll make us a more reliable person. It was the same for us here in KSNP as we conducted activities and became decision makers. Throughout the programme, we had gained many experiences especially working in multi-cultural team and making the necessary adjustments.”
Reflections by the KSNP Team “We think we raised awareness of the environment in general, and the importance of the local wetlands ecosystem in particular with the local community. We also introduced ASEAN to them when we carried out activities with these. We probably had the most impact on the school children we interacted with, these students are going to be future leaders and they need to know the importance of their environment.”
Mural painting with local students Community event
Environmental Education activities with local school children
Exposing the young to ASEAN Understanding the importance of the wetlands eco-system 19
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
“As I approach the end of the programme, I am feeling both motivated and inspired! This programme is like the “turtle hatchery” in Setiu where it encourages ASEAN youth to dream and make it happen.” Nguyen Kim Dua (Vietnam)
Celebration after Conservation
After 3 weeks away, the volunteers came together again at UKM for a week of sharing of knowledge and experiences gained at the biodiversity sites. The volunteers processed the different experiences and learning they had at the sites to work on their project reports which showcased these experiences and its impact on the volunteers and the communities. The culmination of the five weeks is the Grand Celebration that brought together the volunteers with partners and other stakeholders to showcase the learning, the culture, the song and dances of various countries and communities across ASEAN.
20
Programme Report 2013
“The feeling is bittersweet, for the past weeks strangers turned to friends and friends turned to family. Approaching the end, means saying goodbye and goodbye is just the beginning after all. The struggles, experience and memories we shared this is the beginning of a strong network.” Norhayatunajibah Hj Kifli (Brunei)
“I hope you remember that as you came together, you did not only get to know each other, but realised the IMPACT of our shared future together in ASEAN.” - Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin
21
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
Voices of the Volunteers.. “I experienced this lesson that - Sometimes having just good intention is not enough; you have to be well equipped in order to make a change” Mai Boonsiri (Thailand) “When we go to the communities, we should come like a half-empty glass. We should be able to take as much, before even sharing with them what we know and what we have. The differences in our individual strengths sum up the strength of our differences” Ace Mark B. Acenito (Phillipines) “In today’s world, we have become too materialistic. Capitalism dominates the city life. In here, I learned to appreciate the simplicity in the Kampung. Sometimes, the simplest things in life are the most sustainable.” Ajanti (Indonesia) “To be honest, I never felt being an ASEANer. I never thought of myself as ASEAN. But AYVP provided a platform for us to network, so we can achieve that ASEAN Spring that Prof Saran was talking about. I come from an environmental background, but what I learned was mostly about POLICY. Here, I learned a lot of good environmental PRACTICES” Ty Keithya Oung (Cambodia)
“Continuity. We must think about what will happen after this programme, and how it can last. We must remember how important our roles are, no matter how small” Quek Yew Aun (Malaysia)
22
“I had a lot of wonderful experience learning from my friends, from the way they talk, think, organize and take action. In my daily working back home, rarely do I have chance to be in such open discussion which conducted by an experienced, fair and smart people. My opinion was heard, appreciated and considered as equally as other’s. It is not the level of English proficiency that matters, the most important thing is your attitude and willingness to open yourself, to learn from others. Every time I have chance to talk to them, I feel I am growing” Nguyen Anh Tu (Vietnam) “From this project, I have experienced that being a leader, I should be able to do and experience everything no matter it is hard or easy or I have never done before. Moreover, I also found out that “the more I work, the more I know and learn”. These are all the significant experiences that I got during the program” Nang Aye Aye Htun (Myanmar) “The most significant experience for me is the home stay programme. Our foster family made our stay in Kampung Dew more interesting. They brought laughter and love to us. It was very touching to see them and feel as well that they treat us just like how they would treat their own children. There was no discrimination or whatsoever even though we were of different race or religion. They gave me the motivation and the reason to continue working so hard to improve the community” Bryan Quek (Singapore) “I think the most significant experience that I have gained from this program is the way to organize and purpose to organize the project. I promise that this lesson is very worth for my life and I will expand them at the future. After I get back home I will try most of ability to push myself to help our environment!” Khonesak Keomaneevong (Laos)
Programme Report 2013
Acknowledgement We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those that have provided support, assistance and encouragement to make this programme a success. Ministry of Youth and Sports, Malaysia Ministry of Education, Malaysia The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) State government of Perak, Johor, Selangor and Terengganu Local government of Taiping, Mersing, Kuala Selangor and Setiu Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Kelip-Kelip Cahaya Alam Perak (KECAP) Pengusaha Wanita Setiu (PEWANIS) Local communities at Kampung Dew, Kuala Selangor, Mersing and Setiu Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM
23
PROGRAMME REPORT 2013
In the news.....
Headline MediaTitle Date Section Page No Language Journalist Frequency
24
efforts Crossing borders through conservation Sunday Star Color 13 Oct 2013 Circulation Star Education Readership 10 ArticleSize English AdValue LUWITA HANA RANDHAWA PR Value Weekly
Full Color 320,964 1,072,000 437 cm² RM 20,351 RM 61,053
Programme Report 2013
25
Backcover
The ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) Secretariat Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Industry & Community Partnership) & Executive Director, AYVP@AsiaEngage Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Level 5, Keris Mas College Admin Building 43600, UKM Bangi Selangor, MALAYSIA Tel : 603-8921 5779 / 4659 Fax : 603- 8921 4660 Email : ayvpsecretariat@asiaengage.org Website : www.asiaengage.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/AYVPAsiaEngage