Young Social Entrepreneurs Regional Programme makes debut in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) Regional Sabah programme will take place from February 24 to 25 in Kota Kinabalu.
The programme is co-organised by the Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC).
The YSE Regional Sabah programme aims to inspire, equip and enable youths with the social entrepreneurial know-how and networks to launch or grow their social enterprises.
Applications are open to youths aged 18 to 35 and based in Sabah. The deadline to apply is January 28.
Participants will undergo a series of business clinics, capacity building, and networking workshops at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC). They will get to meet and learn from Singaporean and Malaysian professionals in various areas such as design thinking for good business, social impact assessment and pitching skills, as well as share their challenges and solutions with peer social enterprises.
Jaryll Chan, SIF Director of Programmes Division, said: “We are excited to bring YSE Regional to Sabah for the first time. Malaysia is home to many enterprising youths and the social entrepreneurial scene in Sabah is vibrant and thriving. The SIF wants to support young changemakers to turn their social business ideas into reality, and in turn, uplift lives.”
On the final day of the programme, each team will pitch their business plans to a panel of judges.
The top three teams will have the opportunity to further their YSE journey in the 2024 edition of the main international programme, YSE Global.
SCENIC will cover the accommodation and travel expenses to Singapore for the top three shortlisted Sabahan teams.
Viviantie Sarjuni, General Manager of SCENIC, shared that the opportunity to host YSE Regional Sabah arose after SCENIC was introduced to the SIF through an agency in Malaysia’s federal government.
She said: “I am deeply grateful to the Singapore International Foundation and Malaysia’s federal government for the trust and opportunity to collaborate in empowering young changemakers in Sabah. This cross-border collaboration will allow SCENIC to not only showcase Sabah’s potential but also its societal challenges. By presenting a multifaceted view, SCENIC contributes to bridging the state and federal governments’ perspectives concerning pressing challenges in Sabah such as poverty and economic innovation.”
Viviantie emphasised that such challenges required collective action, and social entrepreneurs from Sabah as well as nationwide could play crucial roles in addressing these problems creatively.
“To all youths in Sabah, never underestimate the power of your ideas as they could be the game-changer Malaysia needs. Innovative solutions have the potential not only to create successful businesses but to contribute positively towards our society’s well-being,” she said.
Melisa Lim, co-founder of Langit Collective and winner of YSE Regional Kuala Lumpur (2017), shared that her team learnt a great deal from their YSE mentors and speakers such as guiding principles on pricing and managing relationships with her community farmers.
Langit Collective is a Malaysian social enterprise that aspires to bring economic empowerment to rural communities and smallholder farmers in Sabah and Sarawak through agricultural means.
“One of the most valuable gains from YSE was our connection with a mentor based in Thailand, facilitated for us by the SIF. Being an SIF YSE alumnus also provided us access to the social entrepreneurial networks and knowledge in the Asean region,” said Lim.
Since 2010, YSE Programmes have been nurturing a growing network, which now comprises more than 1,400 youths of 43 nationalities, representing 674 social enterprises.
For enquiries and more information about the programme, please email yse@ sif.org.sg.