A Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise Project Communication from the REF CR 201007-0009 July 2010 Why the REF Matters Empowering Youths to Make a Better Start “Malaysia has made substantial investments to nurture the energy, creativity and talents of its young people to contribute to nation-building. However, there remain some vulnerable adolescents who require additional support and attention as evidenced by the country’s net secondary school enrolment of 66% for boys and 72% for girls for 2003-2008*. Lack of life-skills based education place Malaysian adolescents at greater risk of substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, bullying, teen pregnancy as well as HIV and AIDS… …Young people’s participation in Malaysia is still limited to community work through uniform activities in school. A strategic approach is required to empower adolescents to benefit from participation so they may reach their full potential.” - UNICEF in Malaysia * Source: State of the World's Children Special Edition, 2009 The lower rates in secondary school enrolment are cause for concern to Malaysia as it indicates a number of young people are being left behind and unable to profit from and contribute to the country’s progress. Financial pressures may force some students to leave school prematurely or if they remain in school, because of these pressures, conditions at home may restrict the students’ progress and results. For others, the lack of effective life-skills based education in school, besides leading to a greater risk of negative outcomes, may also result in a lack of appreciation of the importance of education, contributing to the significant dropout rate. With the current difficulties facing the adolescents outlined in the excerpt above, the country is faced with a big challenge to support their development and growth. But as ordinary individuals or as a small community, we may sometimes feel either that it is not our problem or that we are powerless. We may feel we are in a dilemma. Why should we act? How can we make an impact on such a big challenge? We act because we recognize that we live in an interconnected world and that we are all brothers and sisters interdependent on one another. We act because we realize that in the well-being of all lies our complete well-being. We do the best we can and we can do so only when we help others be the best they can. Above all, we act simply because we are able to. Through providing the opportunity for education we will be able to empower others to make a better start. And so it is our duty to so order our life that we can act to make this a better world, with a regard for others. We act for the sake of the less fortunate because we believe they deserve a better life. We can do this through the RCBKS Education Fund (REF) whose vision is to make a positive difference to adolescent lives of all races from the lower income group who are high potential but are currently under performing, and who desire to help themselves. “…it is our duty to so order our life that we can act to make this a better world, with a regard for others.”
Transcript
A Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise Project
Communication from the REF CR 201007-0009 July 2010
Why the REF Matters Empowering Youths to Make a Better Start
“Malaysia has made substantial investments to nurture the energy, creativity and talents of its young people to contribute to nation-building. However, there remain some vulnerable adolescents who require additional support and attention as evidenced by the country’s net secondary school enrolment of 66% for boys and 72% for girls for 2003-2008*. Lack of life-skills based education place Malaysian adolescents at greater risk of substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, bullying, teen pregnancy as well as HIV and AIDS… …Young people’s participation in Malaysia is still limited to community work through uniform activities in school. A strategic approach is required to empower adolescents to benefit from participation so they may reach their full potential.” - UNICEF in Malaysia * Source: State of the World's Children Special Edition, 2009
The lower rates in secondary school enrolment are cause for concern to Malaysia as it indicates a number of young people are being left behind and unable to profit from and contribute to the country’s progress. Financial pressures may force some students to leave school prematurely or if they remain in school, because of these pressures, conditions at home may restrict the
students’ progress and results. For others, the lack of effective life-skills based education in school, besides leading to a greater risk of negative outcomes, may also result in a lack of appreciation of the importance of education, contributing to the significant dropout rate. With the current difficulties facing the adolescents outlined in the excerpt above, the country is faced with a big challenge to support their development and growth. But as ordinary individuals or as a small community, we may sometimes feel either that it is not our problem or that we are powerless. We may feel we are in a dilemma. Why should we act? How can we make an impact on such a big challenge? We act because we recognize that we live in an interconnected world and that we are all brothers and sisters interdependent on one another. We act because we realize that in the well-being of all lies our complete well-being. We do the best we can and we can do so only when we help others be the best they can. Above all, we act simply because we are able to. Through providing the opportunity for education we will be able to empower others to make a better start. And so it is our duty to so order our life that we can act to make this a better world, with a regard for others. We act for the sake of the less fortunate because we believe they deserve a better life. We can do this through the RCBKS Education Fund (REF) whose vision is to make a positive difference to adolescent lives of all races from the lower income group who are high potential but are currently under performing, and who desire to help themselves.
“…it is our duty to so order our life that we can act to make this a better world, with a regard for others.”
Beyond the vision, the REF has clear objectives which are to: Assist students stay in full time education and
provide them with access to appropriate “life skills” training opportunities.
Provide students and their families with a network of opportunities so as to expose them to a range of career choices
Develop students to their full potential by helping them “be the best they can be”.
Nurture students into good citizens who will in time involve themselves in activities for the betterment of their own communities.
While the above are lofty objectives, they are within the reach of a serious Rotary club of business, professional and community leaders that have valuable knowledge, skills and experience to offer to the community. In order to achieve them we need to get closer to the students, beyond just giving money. Yet we can only do this as volunteers operating with limited resources and constraints as working individuals with families. We believe we can comfortably achieve this through the REF as conceived, a holistic initiative with a number of high impact programmes that include providing education opportunities, leadership training, values education and mentorship along with financial assistance. In the REF, leadership training and values education are open to students of all income groups with an express objective of promoting diversity. While financial assistance and mentorship, because of limited resources, are open only to students of the lower income group. Mentoring is an important key to our delivery success. Rotarians and volunteers provide mentorship, mainly career guidance to the students who have been given financial assistance. Students are also taught financial responsibility by requiring them to provide information on how they spend the money. Mentors visit them and their families or guardians regularly. The REF targets average to above average students who demonstrate a desire to help themselves. This suggests that these students do not need “social worker” intervention to handle emotional or behavioural issues. The goal is to keep these students in school and develop their grades to a point where they will be eligible for one of the many tertiary education assistance programmes. With mentoring complemented by the other programmes, a small group of Rotarians and volunteers is able to change mindsets and transform lives positively. Being at the frontlines with the young students and providing the personal touch gives great hope to
Students at the REF Leadership Camp them. Indeed at that age, money alone without the nurturing touch of mentors may lead to misuse and consequent negative impact. Yet as mentors, we cannot be over-zealous and interfering of the lives of the students. We must remember that we are not here to change who they are. We are here to help them become who they are, to help them discover their full potential and to help them become the best they can be. All the participating mentors of the REF are brought together periodically at the Mentors Group Support Meeting (MGSM). At the MGSM, mentors identify issues and responses, and share learnings and experiences in order to continuously improve the programme. While the mentors are not technically equipped to handle social problems of the students, they are not completely helpless. The REF works closely with experienced psychologists and counselors who can be called upon to help should the need arise. Expert support like this ensures that the programme attains a high degree of effectiveness. In order to deliver a high standard programme to the students, wherever possible and where funding allows, professionals are engaged to assist in designing and running the various programmes of the REF. For example professional training consultants EQ Training and Development is involved in the Leadership Camp and the Values Workshop, while HELP University College’s Faculty of Behavioral Science is involved in the Youth Mentoring Workshop for mentors. The REF is a promising project. While still in its infant year, the activities have revealed a number of interesting and unexpected synergistic benefits, making it a hotbed of powerful ideas. These include the sharing of ideas among participants such as information on available scholarships, dealing with examination preparations and the use of the Facebook social network to follow-up and
Rotarians Karen Chong and James Lau interviewing a potential candidate
motivate each other after the Leadership Camp. Opportunities to participate in Rotary club projects have enabled students to receive free medical check-ups and.
to be exposed to the importance of volunteerism A student has benefited from the vocation of a (physician) Rotarian by receiving free treatment for a medical condition while another has benefited from the network of the Rotary club by being referred for subsidized aptitude testing and professional career counseling from HELP University’s counselors. Eventually however, the biggest positive impact to the community that can be derived from the initiative of establishing an Education Fund will come by being able to share the model with other organizations and Rotary clubs that want to start one too, ensuring further reach of the REF effort. With this in mind, all critical processes of the REF are documented in detail with a member specifically assigned to lead the effort on documentation. This allows for replicability and scalability of the project with a high degree of quality. Good documentation will also facilitate the smooth transitionand succession of committee members working on the project.
About the Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise RCBKS Education Fund
Programmes of the REF The REF is a four-pronged holistic initiative comprising the following:
Education Assistance Award (EAA) is a 1-5 year financial assistance programme for upper secondary schooling or vocational training, uniform, books, stationery, canteen food and transport. The award is worth about RM2000 per annum and among other guidelines, the student should be from a family whose household income does not exceed RM2000 per month.
Youth Mentorship Programme (YMP) assigns trained volunteer mentors to the students selected under the Education Assistance Awards above, to provide guidance, encouragement and review of schooling progress.
Leadership Training Programme (LTP) is designed to develop leadership and team building skills. It is typically a 4 day/3 night camp-style programme which provides participants with experiential learning opportunities.
Values Education Programme (VEP) is typically a 1-2 day workshop developed to teach life values such as Self-confidence, Honesty, Responsibility, Compassion, Humility and Diversity.
Activities of the REF to Date The REF has achieved its programme goals for this Rotary year. Since its official launch on 14 November 2009, the REF has already to date raised well over RM150K in funding. It has begun financing 15 students under its financial assistance programme. Three students (of the 15 above) are currently funded by designated sponsors under the Sponsor-a-Student Programme. The REF trained 38 mentors in January 2010 comprising Rotarians and volunteers from the public. Twenty-four mentors have been deployed to date, of whom 17 are Rotarians and 7 are non-Rotarian volunteers. The REF has also successfully organized a 4-day/3-night Leadership Training Camp on 15-18 March 2010 and a 2-day Values Education Workshop on 8-9 June 2010, for about 50 students. The first quarterly Mentor Group Support Meeting among mentors/future mentors was held on 12 April 2010. Besides the above, the REF has received recognition by featuring on the 8pm NTV7 News on 29April2010 and has won several Rotary District Service Awards for 2009-2010. Donors can also now donate electronically to the REF via CIMB Bank internet banking through the “CIMB Cares” community service portal. For More Information on the RCBKS Education Fund you may contact [email protected]
Besides providing benefits to the students, RCBKS as a club has also derived significant benefits from carrying out the REF. It has provided a powerful cause for members to rally around, challenging the club to do better than before. The REF integrates together many projects that have been done over the years bringing better focus and purpose to the work of the club, streamlining programmes from Community Service, New Generations and Vocational Service avenues of the club. One of the most important considerations in conceiving the REF is that it must mobilize otherwise latent and available talents and resources of the club without over-taxing its members. With the support of the whole club, the REF has managed to do this well with a simple concept and administrative structure. The project has also brought significant positive publicity for Rotary and the club. By placing the club as one that can meet important needs of the community, the REF has helped toward growing and retaining a strong membership, enabling RCBKS to continue to be effective in serving the community. Although we are a small community, we can make a significant impact to individual lives through the REF, making a difference, one life at a time. We are reminded of the Starfish Story by Loren Eiseley. One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
Awardee Sahdan with his mother
“When we believe strongly enough in something, we work hard to make it happen. That is who we are, that is how we meet the big challenge. That is why the REF matters.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…
“I made a difference for that one.”
UNICEF’s and other similar reports remind us of the difficult lives some others experience because of the lack of education opportunities, a cruel blow dealt through no fault of their own. Yet when we look into their eyes, we see ourselves and we discover our common humanity. When the participating students experience the REF, they are strengthened when they know someone cares. And so as Rotarians and friends of Rotary, we act by pooling together our resources, establishing the REF and supporting it strongly as a worthy cause. When we believe strongly enough in something, we work hard to make it happen. That is who we are, that is how we meet this big challenge. That is why the REF matters.
The RCBKS Education Fund was officially launched on 14Nov2009 as a project of the Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise. The objective of the fund is to support the development of youths of age 15-19 from lower income families, who desire to “help themselves” become useful members of society, by providing them with education opportunities, leadership training, values education and mentorship, putting them on the start of the road to a better life. For more information contact [email protected]
