Empowering young agents of change
YOUNG Malaysians want to m ake a difference. And, now, they’ve a platform to do so.
Through Unicef’s newly launched Project i/AM (Inisiatif Anak Malaysia) cam paign under U-Report Malaysia, students are invited to becom e agents of change by taking ownership of social issues at hom e, in schools, and in their com m unities.
U-Report, its project m anager Keith Woo explains, is a tool to scale up big data, and opinions on social issues, like corporal punishm ent, unity, abuse, and sexual groom ing. The tool, which am plifies young voices so that they’re included in nation building, is used in Project i/AM workshops nationwide to identify, investigate, ideate, and im plem ent solutions from the bottom up.
“The data is not for gathering dust. It’s for us to prom ote healthy, and positive, social change.
“We don’t just conduct surveys, we also listen, and engage with participants to gain insights into social issues.”
The goal, says Woo, is for everyone to contribute and m ake a difference, no m atter how sm all.
“Many sm all changes can add up to som ething great,” he says.
The first of five workshops was conducted on Sept 6 at Wism a HELP, Kuala Lum pur. The pilot session, which saw 78 students using U-Report to reach out to over 200 youths, tackled bullying and cyberbullying as these are a growing national concern.
“We can all help m ake the country safer offline and online. It’s tim e to stop pointing fingers and expecting answers from others. We’re the solution to our nation’s problem s. If we all do our part, we can m ake a difference,” Woo believes.
Selected students will partner with U-Report Malaysia to carry out anti-bullying projects within their own com m unities.
“We want to tell the youths that we trust them , and we’re counting on them to be part of the solution. We m ay not have the answers to everything, but at least we can do som ething.
“Young people are concerned about issues in the country, yet there are no real platform s for them to get involved. And the m ore we ‘tak kisah’ (couldn’t care less), the m ore likely social issues will worsen,” Woo argues.
The next workshop will be held on Oct 14.