KidZania empowers children
NOR AIN MOHAMED RADHI PETALING JAYA ainradhi@nst.com.my
NEVER underestimate kids. This is especially true for five KidZania CongreZZ alumni, who had expressed their thoughts and solutions on current issues, during a round-table discussion yesterday as part of World Children’s Day celebrations.
The five, aged between 8 and 13, took turns to discuss and express their views at the #kidstakeover event that was organised by KidZania Kuala Lumpur, New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd and United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Malaysia.
The discussion on topics such as bullying, Internet use and safety, gender equality and the environment was held in three rounds; the first and third round in English and the second round in Bahasa Melayu.
Despite the robust dialogues on the topics, there was a strong emphasis on bullying.
The youngest participant, Sierra Yim Sivaseelan, 8, offered a solution to resolve it: “We should stop fighting, by sharing, being helpful, and being polite to each other.”
Aliff J. Azizee, 11, said family support and attention was important in solving bullying cases.
“Maybe the bullies did not receive much love and attention from their family members which caused them to bully others.”
On cybercrime, Aditya Ram Kumar, 12, said it was not safe to give private information (on the Internet) to strangers.
“The person can use your information to blackmail you,” he said.
He said the Earth might need to be “restarted” someday if the people continued to pollute the environment.
Liew Mindy, 13, said the current generation was hurting the environment more than helping it.
“Yes, we are helping the environment as a lot of recycling and tree planting activities is being carried out. However, it is not enough to fix all the damage that has been done.
“We must do more by putting (more) recycling bins (in public areas) and be more environmentally friendly.”
12-year-old Amber Hani Mohd Firdaus, when asked about how to change the perception that certain behaviours were appropriate for men but inappropriate for women, said she believed in gender equality.
“Men and women can do anything they want and we don’t have the right to judge them because they have the right to do whatever they want. Furthermore, God has created us equal.”
The round-table discussion was judged by actress Lisa Surihani, who is also Unicef Malaysia ambassador, KidZania Kuala Lumpur mayor and general manager Shahrul Nizar Ahmad,
editor (education) Hazlina Abdul Aziz, editor Jami’ah Sokri and Unicef Malaysia Development and Public Advocacy chief of communication Laurent Duvillier.
Despite Alif winning the “Best Speaker” award in the event, all participants were given equal prizes in a surprise twist at the end of the round-table. The move was to emphasise the message that all children are heroes and they deserve to be heard.
Commenting on the round-table discussion Lisa said: “All the judges were impressed with their answers and participation.
“It shows that the participants are alert to what is happening around them,” she said.
Shahrul said the round-table event served as a great platform to exhibit the children’s opinion and action on issues.
“These young minds, they brought a lot of ideas and view to the table today (yesterday). It shows that our kids are sophisticated and concerned about the world and what is happening around them.
“Therefore, it is our responsibility as parents, teachers and citizens to provide them with a conducive environment where they can nurture their abilities, as well as be passionate to learn new experiences.”
He said since the launch of KidZania Kuala Lumpur in 2012, it had always been its vision and commitment to educate and empower children to make the world a better place.
“Through the years, we have been happy to see how KidZania Kuala Lumpur has positively impacted the kids who are involved in our programes.
“It is through continuous collaboration with partners like Unicef and NSTP that we are able to develop enriching programmes and initiatives that give children a platform to strive in.
“We look forward to continuing this partnership to support and give a voice to children in Malaysia and the world,” he said.
NSTP creative marketing general manager Angeline Tan said it was important for adults to remember that “the little voices that they hear around them” were important.
“Sometimes, the voices are cries for help, not in form of emergencies but just to be heard. These voices have substance and ought to be heard.
“NSTP is proud to be part of this and we hope to continue to strive for the wellbeing of children and support them.”
Meanwhile, Unicef representative to Malaysia, Marianne ClarkHattingh, said children had the right to be heard, regardless of economic status, religion, ethnicity or disability.
“When given the opportunity, children can express their views constructively and be powerful agents of social change. This round-table is further proof of that.
“We have a responsibility to create a space for them to be heard and to be listened to.
“We’re happy to be working with KidZania Kuala Lumpur and NSTP to promote child participation and showcase the potential of children in Malaysia. We hope this will be the beginning of a long-term collaboration.”