Abdul Karim: Vital for youths to be properly equipped

February 18, 2014

Abdul Karim (second right) accepting a memento from Ashraf (second left) during the closing of #ayckickstart2014 yesterday as (from left) Aloysius, Mohd Ariff and Sharkawi look on.

KUCHING: It is important that the youths of today are equipped to lead society when it is time for them to inherit the future.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of Angkatan Zaman Mansang (Azam) Sarawak 2014 on Sunday, Assistant MInister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah pointed out that leadership is not limited to the political field alone.
   

“You might not be political leaders, but you could become community leaders, activists and people who generate change. That is why the programme this weekend is varied. Everyone has different interests.”

He added that youths are an important sector of the community, not to be swept aside but instead nurtured.

“The problems of youth is similar from generation to generation, so agencies and organisations must work together to make sure we can guide them into becoming good souls.”

Around 100 youths took part in the #ayckickstart2014, held at One Hotel Santubong here. These youths are part of the 300 new members of the Azam Youth Central, based at Medan Pelita, Kuching.

#ayckickstart2014 is an activity to groom the next generation of Azam Young Souls under the Young Souls and the City programme for urban youths in and around Kuching city.

Its core objective is to provide a platform for local urban youths to participate actively in the development of their city through enhanced social, cultural and youth entrepreneurial activities.

The two-day and one-night programme included sessions that covered various development topics such as ‘Engaging and Empowering Youths in Social Development’ by the Ministry of Social Development senior assistant principal Paul Kawin Pipo, ‘Nurturing a Green Generation’ by environment control officer Vijaya Menon from Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB), and ‘City with a Soul – DBKU Agenda’ by Datuk Bandar of Kuching North City, Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai.

The sessions also covered ‘Treading the Clash of Generations’ by administrative and diplomatic officer Syed Nizamudin Syed Khassim, ‘Dream To Greatness’ by Telemachus Lo from Azam Toastmasters Club, and motivational sessions by Mohd Ariff Irwani Azahari.

Azam CEO Datu Aloysius Dris said he found the amount of potential and talent that surfaced over the weekend programme impressive.

“We are seeing the fruit of what we started in 2012, of trying to listen and see how we can come together and learn from each other. And we did,” he said.

Also present were Azam Youth Development Committee chairman Mohd Ariff Azahari, Youth Development Committee deputy chairman Sharkawi Yassin, and Azam Youth Central deputy chairman Ashraf Hardy.