32 participants attend environmental awareness workshop
KOTA KINABALU: Thirtytwo participants of Building Resources and Capacity for Environmental Awareness gave the workshop a thumbs-up, saying the modules covered by the speakers were informative and inspiring.
“This is not the first time I am participating in a workshop of this nature. The modules in this workshop refresh my knowledge in a variety of fields, which are relevant to my job,” said Junaydie Sihan, who is the chairperson of Kinabalu Park Mountain Guide Association.
On behalf of the association, he extended his gratitude and appreciation to the organiser and sponsor of the workshop for providing them with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills that will come in handy in their line of work.
Another participant, Christopher Peter Ebi echoed similar sentiments, saying the workshop provided an immense amount of knowledge for the participants.
“It has given me a surge of confidence to better interact with visitors to Kinabalu Park in the future.”
One of the two female participants, Rosinika Kuropong said the workshop was engaging and simple to follow, especially the communication module.
“We can practice the communication skills learnt in our job on a day-to-day basis,” she said.
Dr. Rahimatsah Amat of Sabah Environmental Trust (SET) said the workshop, as part of the community outreach program, needs continuous support from relevant stakeholders.
“We hope this initiative by HSBC will increase the capacity and knowledge of caretakers, connecting the mountain guides and porters, and preserving the environment and will eventually cumulated into a train-thetrainers programme in the coming years,?he said.
The participants comprised 26 members of the Kinabalu Park Mountain Guide Association, 5 from the Kinabalu Park Porters Association and 2 from Kinabalu Park. They attended the workshop on July 24-26, held at Celyn Resort, Kundasang.
The participants completed 21 hours of lectures, workshops, practical sessions and presentations during the three days and two nights’ workshop. Among some of the modules covered were natural resource management, communication, and photography skills.
Throughout the workshop, participants actively engaged with each another during group presentations and activities, as well as practical sessions.
Organised by SET with assistance from NEPCon (Nature Economy and People Connected), this workshop is part of an environmental awareness programme in Sabah.
The workshop is sponsored by HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad as part of the company corporate sustainability efforts to enhance and strengthen the capacity and capability of the Kinabalu Park’s caretakers.
The first workshop was held on May 2-4. The third and last workshop will be held in September. Selected caretakers will be handpicked for a study trip to Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA).