THE EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH
The recent Youth Forum in London offers inspiration and ideas to participants to champion the cause of youth back home
“THIS is not a closing ceremony but the opening of new initiatives and new energies. Go back home, go to the grassroots, engage with the young and ensure that they are empowered. Share with them what you have learnt and leave no one behind.”
That was the mandate of the outgoing chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) Kishva Ambigapathy to youth representatives at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre last Wednesday, where the three-day Youth Forum came to a close, as they prepared to hand over their communiques to the Heads of Governments meeting in London.
It was an emotionally charged moment; certainly so for 28-yearold Kishva, who had spearheaded many initiatives during his twoyear term as chairperson, but he is leaving with the knowledge that there are others with the same commitment and vision to carry through his legacy.
As he walked down the stage for the last time as the CYC chairperson accompanied by thunderous applause, Kishva must have remembered one particular postman in Tanjung Malim, who had instilled in him the leadership qualities that have brought him this far.
That man was his grandfather, the late Pandian Veerapathiran, who would have been proud to know that his grandson had not only reached out to youths worldwide, but had also been instrumental in bringing the Commonwealth Youth Council Secretariat to Tanjung Malim.
Kishva had wanted the secretariat to be somewhere where the young rural could be engaged and involved in their activities. He wanted them to be part of the Commonwealth celebrations and activities by bringing others to their doorsteps to exchange and implement ideas.
Now, carrying on as a member of the Queen’s Advisory Panel on Young Leaders, issues faced by youths in the Commonwealth countries, especially Malaysia, are top in his agenda.
He worries about the radicalisation of youths, unemployment, mental health and bullying which is rampant everywhere. But, he also knows that the voice of the young are being heard loud and clear, and there are many like him in the hall who will continue to resonate their views and causes to get their voice heard.
Among the many inspired and fired-up youths attending the forum was Heidy Quah, 23, who received the Queen’s Young Leaders’ Award in recognition of her advocacy and aid work for refugees in Malaysia through her non-governmental organisation, Refuge for The Refugees (RFTR).
Six years ago, with her best friend, Andrea Prisha, they made it their mission to provide education to refugee children, and the wonders of social media saw to it that they succeeded in raising enough money to support 35 schools and care for more than 2,000 refugee children.
She is also the One Young World Ambassador for Malaysia.
“The award had opened so many doors!”, gushed Heidy when met at the closing ceremony.
“When the Queen has given her endorsement, it has also given me a lot more credibility for the work that I do. It helps to establish relationships and partnerships. People trust you a lot more,” said Heidy, recalling the historic moment she received the award from the British monarch last year.
How has life changed for Heidy?
“I have been to so many more places; to Colombia for One Young World, back to London for the Trust Conference organised by Tomson Reuters Foundation — one of the largest gathering of human rights defenders where top workers in the field, government officers, lawyers, policy makers and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates discuss issues on human trafficking, slavery, prostitution, refugee issues, domestic violence and human rights! It is just being able to go in depth into the field that I am interested in and to build connections and partnerships,” she added.
Heidy is happy with what she had managed to achieve for refugee children, seeing them get basic education.
“Our kids, who once couldn’t read and write, are now getting scholarships from top universities. Now, we are going a little bit more into social entrepreneurship; to see that these children are empowered with skills, so that they can earn a living as well.
Having to depend on the generosity of Malaysians, Heidy is encouraged that Malaysians do dig deep in their pockets once they understand the gravity of the issues.
“Malaysians are willing to give, but there are also some who will need to be educated more on the issues and once they are, they are the ones who will pull in the resources. For example, we put a call for RM10,000 because a child needs surgery, and within a day, I can get that amount. And that really speaks a lot about Malaysians because, you don’t just see the wealthy giving, you also get students giving up their pocket money for charity.
Santha Nair Chandran, a primary school teacher and an old student of the SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom Kuala Kangsar, also attended the Youth Forum to voice concerns about children in education and children mental health awareness.
The English language teacher, who crowdfunded her way to the forum, pitched ideas to create a learning hub and a talent development academy for the future generation.
“I would like to create one learning hub in the school that I teach, a sustainable development hub which provides space for teachers to teach leadership qualities,” she said in earnest, adding that there were many talented and clever students who should be given the opportunity to excel.
The forum had sufficiently fuelled these youth leaders to go back and motivate others and get the wheels moving. With the Youth Secretariat in the country, a lot more can be achieved, and a lot more youth can be reached.