Govt urged to give more support to youth entrepreneurs
KOTA KINABALU: Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe has urged the government to provide more support to youth entrepreneurs, including setting up an incubation centre in Sabah for youths to bring their innovative and creative ideas to life.
Phoong said he had mooted the setting up of Sabah Youth Aspiration Centre (SYAC) during his tenure as the state youth and sports minister to provide a platform for youths to conduct business and market their brands. He said the proposed SYAC served as a one-stop centre not only for commercial activities, but also to render government and banking services, as well as an incubation centre for start-ups.
“Young people have a lot of good ideas but they lack funds, network and resources. We hope that youths will have a bigger platform for them to bring their ideas to life,” he said, adding that Riverson is ideal for SYAC.
Phoong said that in a press conference on an upcoming event, STORE-Y Market, organized by Hair Architect, an e-commerce and event organizing company, that will take place at The Walk, Riverson, from May 12 to 15. There will be 38 merchants and 17 food and beverage (F&B) vendors at the market.
The event will be officiated by Phoong and Kadamaian assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick on May 14, 3pm, at The Walk, Riverson.
Phoong lauded the effort by Hair Architect to provide opportunities for youths to start up their own business and showcase their products, who otherwise may not be able to afford costly shop rentals.
He said youth markets should be widely promoted and supported as these markets enabled not only youths, but also vulnerable groups such as single mothers and rural folks who lacked resources to do business. He hoped that STORE-Y Market would be held more frequently as it has the potential to become a tourism product, and in turn, uplift the arts and crafts scene in Kota Kinabalu.
On another note, Phoong has called on the Youth and Sports Minister to disclose the spending of the RM10 million Sabah Youth Entrepreneurs Jaya Scheme (Syabas) programme. He said the government should come up with more mechanisms to support youth entrepreneurs, including providing grants for youth markets.
Meanwhile, Katryn Haw, cofounder of Hair Architect said STORE-Y Market, pronounced as ‘storey’, is curating individual stories from each participating vendor to highlight their tales.
“Understanding the ‘why’ of a company is what ultimately sets them apart from the others, not only in building credibility and trust but also in engaging their audience through their unique and compelling journeys.
“The purpose of STOREY is to drive meaningful conversations and build a united community that inspires one another through that forged connection.”
In conjunction with Harvest Festival, she said STORE-Y, Chapter Two focuses on the beginning of each company. The first edition of the event was held in January this year.
Haw said the STOREY Market also included Stairway to Hope children, who would be creating and selling handicrafts. Stairway to Hope is an alternative school for underprivileged children who do not have the chance to attend proper schools in Malaysia due to the lack of documents needed to apply for a student visa from the Immigration Department, she said.