Asian Youth Ambassador (AYA) Dream Malaysia Awards 2009

Asian Youth Ambassador (AYA) Dream Malaysia Awards 2009. This is the 5th Annual AYA Awards.

I would first like to recognize my sincere thanks to an anonymous Malaysian who nominated me for this award. Really appreciate what you have done, although until now, I do not know who is the person who does this.

Would like to dedicate this awards to all of you who have supported many of the initiatives that I have involved over these years, and to many of you who have offered me guidance, support, listening ears, advice etc, through the ups and downs of my life.

I would like to congratulation AYA for doing this award, and I would like to congratulate all the other finalists as well. They are all very deserving winners, and the world is a much better place, thanks to many sacrifice and efforts that they have put in. To all the nominees, Congratulations for making a difference in the lives of others too!

There are 2 categories of AYA Awards.
a) Most Outstanding Youth
b) Youth Friendly Companies

For Most Outstanding Youth 2009, there are 4 finalists.

1. Edana Lim Parina, 35

"Her dream Malaysia is to see a united Malaysia that respects every race as they are and one that fully acknowledges different strengths in each culture. Edana seeks to play her role in that by hiring all races into her company and do the most with what she has and be the best she can be as a woman. Edana believes in second chances even as she received hers and thus, exercises that motto with her current staff."

2. Ellynita Hazlina Lamin, 33

"Her dream Malaysia is for people to not just be tolerant towards one another but to understand and accept each other beyond race and gender. She aspires to see the lives that she touches in some way — no matter big or small — begin to impact the lives of others. Ultimately, she seeks to create an awareness of the need in Acheh and be able to share that with anyone who is interested to listen or contribute in some way."

3. Jecyrina Nagarajah, 27

"Her dream Malaysia is to see homeless people or beggars have a purposeful meaning to life. She believes that they CAN come out from the circle of poverty and be an active contributor of society. She hopes to see that our society won’t just give them a ‘fish’ but will teach them ‘how to fish’. She is motivated by seeing lives changed for the better and knowing that she made the right choice in doing what she’s doing now."

4. Yeoh Chen Chow, 28

"His dream Malaysia is to see more youth empowerment. He believes that the youth of today has the ability and passion to make a different and improved Malaysia. Chen Chow is currently involved in a few non-profit projects to inspire more young people to dream bigger. He believes in the culture of sharing information and believes in giving back to others to pursue their education."

There are 2 ways of voting.
a) Online - Click Here
b) SMS - "AYA Y 1" (For Edana)/ "AYA Y 2" (For Ellynita)/ "AYA Y 3" (For Jecyrina)/ "AYA Y 4" (For Chen Chow), and send to 36828. There is a charge of RM0.80 per SMS. This SMS is powered and sponsored by Trio Mobile Sdn. Bhd.

In addition to Most Outstanding Youth 2009 Awards, there is also Youth Friendly Company 2009 Awards, and there are 3 deserving finalists.

1. AFS
"AFS is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. Working with secondary school students, AFS activities are based on our core values of dignity, respect for differences, harmony, sensitivity and tolerance. It is not designed as a tourist program, rather it allows students to immerse themselves in a culture and country unlike their own."

2. Leaderonomics
"A social enterprise niched in the field of leadership, Leaderonomics offers a full range of solutions and services for organisations, and individuals of all ages. Its vision is to seek to grow people into leaders, build affectionate communities, and transform human societies. In training corporations and youths, Leaderonomics seeks to play an active role in helping the world’s leaders — of all ages, classes and ethnicities — to adapt and meet dramatic changes in our natural and synthetic environments and to help them grow and develop as leaders. The income generated from these activities is channeled into projects and services that enhances leadership development in underprivileged communities."

3. Theatre for Young People
"Under the auspices of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac), the T4YP young people’s theatre programme provides a platform for young people between the ages of 16 to 25 the opportunity to express themselves by creating meaningful theatre. Essential to T4YP is the idea of building a close-knit community of young theatre practitioners who feel safe to explore and experiment within the boundaries of an established ensemble."

There are 2 ways of voting too.
a) Online - Click Here
b) SMS - "AYA CO 1" (For AFS)/ "AYA CO 2" (For Leaderonomics)/ "AYA CO 3" (For Theatre for Young People) and send to 36828. There is a charge of RM0.80 per SMS. This SMS is powered and sponsored by Trio Mobile Sdn. Bhd.

Hope that all of you would exercise your votes to vote for the deserving finalists.

The voting would end at 1pm on 2nd November 2009.
The awards ceremony would be on 8th November 2009 at KLPAC.
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Asian Youth Ambassador (AYA) Dream Malaysia 2008 Awards

2 days ago, Sunday night, 9th November 2008 was the award night of Asian Youth Ambassador (AYA) Dream Malaysia Awards 2008. It was a fantastic occasion, seeing many hundreds of young Malaysians, who see themselves as united Malaysians. Definitely bring me a lot of hope, seeing how all these people are.

ReCom.org - The Worldwide Malaysian Students Network did not win the coveted AYA Dream Malaysia Awards, but it is still a great exposure. Good to see both our founders - Syamsul Hasran and Mohd Yusuf came down all the way from Penang for it!

For the Youth Friendly Company of the Year 2008, the winner is Smash . It was founded by 3 friends, aiming to build something with a lasting impact. SMASH strives to provide the youths a better alternative to smoking, clubbing, "Mat Rempit" activities, drugs etc. This non-profit-focused hybrid dance and martial arts studio believes in changing the world one youth at a time.

For the 2 runner-ups for this category, they are Life College and Spices .

Life College was not driven by profits, but was birthed out of the desire to see young people's lives transformed through education. They see young people as the future leaders and are committed to develop their minds, skills, emotional strength and character, through the day-to-day classes, camps and talks. They aim to equip the students for life, not just academically. Life College also exhibits her compassion by offering scholarships to orphans and single-parent students, as well as partnering with Beautiful Gates to offer financial aids to the disabled.

SPICES (Support for Parents, Infants and Children through Early Services) was founded by the late Mabel Tan in year 1997, convinced that the solution to help children effectively was by playing purposeful attention to children with special needs, as these were the ones who were often neglected by the community. Since then, SPICES has been providing education to children with special needs - most of them are challenged with learning disabilities - across races, religions and cultures throughout Malaysia.

And both ReCom.org - The Worldwide Malaysian Students Network and ARTS-ED made up the remaining 2 finalists.

ReCom.org, is the Worldwide Malaysian Students Network, founded by Syamsul Hasran and Mohd Yusuf Abdul Hamid in year 2003. ReCom.org emerged out of a dream to contribute to Malaysian students. Creating a platform for a community of students to exchange ideas and experiences in students-related issues, many have benefitted with regards to their scholarships applications, through useful tips and tricks and the various connections buildt with campuses overseas.

ARTS-ED or better known as Anak-Anak Kota, is a community-based arts and heritage program that seeks to explore and provides innovative and non-formal arts and heritage education for young people through collaboration with local and regional arts educators, artists and local communities via visual arts, drama, music, video etc to interpret their notion of heritage. Noted to bridge the young people with the local wisdom for the past 8 years and running, ARTS-ED provides free education and recruits students through schools, colleges and universities.

It is very touching to hear all those award winners to dedicate all the awards to all those nominated. It was a very friendly competition, where everyone is celebrated for their contribution to community. It is interesting to see how everyone is so passionate to give back to community. To me, that kind of spirit is definitely laudable. That's the spirit of AYA Dream Malaysia 2008.

The other award given is the prestigious Most Outstanding Youth of the Year 2008.

The winner is Dhinu Dhanveer Singh, a 24-year-old guy, who was brought up in a family that's on-the-go, he has traveled to various countries, which include Papua New Guinea and Cambodia to build and sow into the local community. Serving as co-founder of a youth-run non-profit organization - SOLS24/7, he provides life skills education to the poor and disadvantaged young lives in these areas. A social worker wokring in East Timor and Cambodia and through sacrificial living that involved the trading of personal possessions, he strives to improve the quality of life and education through means of providing free education, which includes teaching the English Language to the rural folk.

The 1st runner up is Nyanamambiga A/P Ugjayan, a 23-year-old, who was the oldest of 3 children. She sought to help with the financial burden in her family by offering tuition classes, despite being physically challenged and stricken with muscular dystrophy. Putting her passion into action, she also makes a side-income from her arts and crafts. Currently studying in College MCS (Moral Competent Success) for a Diploma in Office Administration, she dreams to pursue her passion for art in Germany and opens an art gallery to provide a better life for her family.

The 2nd runner up is Indrani a/p Kopal, a 29-year-old. She was raised in the city of Kuala Lumpur and the eldest of 4 siblings. She has been afflicted with a hormonal imbalnace in her system that resulted in hair loss since she hit puberty. Despite having a poor self-image, she presevered and gained her confidence through the art of dancing and the inspiration of her dance teacher. Now, an award-winning video journalist famed for She's My Son, she seeks to abolish slavery and strives to improve the social and living standards by capturing the heart of the destitute and bringing these issues to light.

The other 4 equally high credential candidates include:-

Anisa Nishat binti Mohamed Ismail, a 23-year-old, who was born and bred in Malaysia. She grew up with her eyes wide open to the polarization in the local community. Completing her studies overseas and as the former President of the South Asian Students Association, she worked closely with various student associations and was awarded the prestigious Carlton Savage Award by American University in Washington for her contributiong towards intercultural understanding. Since returning home, she is now pursuing a career and is working towards promoting racial harmony and advocating the spirit of excellence in Malaysia.

Michael Teoh Su Lim, a 21-year-old from a small town boy from Penang, who was ridiculed and rejected in school for being weak. He presevered through the odds that were against him - winning and representing the country in 2 international competitions. Currently pursuing a major in Marketing and International Business in Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand, he raises the Malaysian flag proudly being hand-picked to the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) Business Conference. Aside from topping the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) competition twice, he continues impacting the lives of many through global youth and leadership conferences and community projects.

Prakash a/l Suriyamurthy, a 26-year-old, who came from an average family background and suffered from visual impairment. He struggled to secure a job and was turned down on countless occasions. A gifted translater renown translating the Indian epic, Thirukulai, and a couple of psychology textbooks written in Tamil by Dr. Kadir Ibrahim into Braille, it was evident that he didn't allow these circumstances to deter him from setting his sights on a brighter future. With a Bachelor of Malay Studies from Universiti Malaya under his belt, currently he is studying Masters of Translation at Universiti Malaya and a member of Malaysia Institute of Translation. He dreams to learn and translate in international languages, ultimately run his own translation agency.

Ummul Khairiyah binti Abdul Rahman, a 21-year-old, who was born and raised locally. She defied the norm by stepping out to work at the early age of 18. Despite objection and denunciation of family and friends, she remained focused and at a young age of 19, she began earning a 5-figure salary and even establishing her own company "Innovate Smart" - selling marketing strategies. Currently an undergraduate at MMU pursuing her Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy, she actively promotes entrepreneurship through SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) while juggling her job. She also teaches at AMPAC(Az-Zahrah Multi-Intelligence Academy), impacting and inspiring many young people to pursue nd achieve their dreams.

After reading all these outstanding youth, I would say that we should definitely give full credits to the organizing team from AYA for bringing this event to fruitation. As what Kenneth Chin, Organizing Chairman and Founder of Asian Youth Ambassador, AYA hoped to have tall Malaysians with big hearts. As Malaysia moves forward in knowledge and technology, their hope and mission is that we will also move backwards to the days when we did not judge each other by our race, religion or skin colour.

To all Malaysians, lets unite for a better Malaysia! "Bersatu Teguh, Bercerai Roboh!".


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Click here to read more of Chen Chow's posts

Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!

ReCom.org Nominated for the Asian Youth Ambassador (AYA) Dream Malaysia Awards 2008

Thanks to my loyal blog reader for promptly informing on this information.

Thanks to t (a fellow ReComer) for spreading the words on AYA Awards to fellow ReComers.

ReCom.org has now officially been nominated and shortlisted for the Asian Youth Ambassador (AYA) Dream Malaysia Awards 2008 for the "Youth Friendly Company of the Year".

The blurb written in AYA Website is here

Definitely hoping that you guys can help to spread the words around and also to vote to support ReCom.org ! If you have felt that ReCom.org has provided you with useful information, definitely hope that you would chip in to vote for ReCom.org!!!

Thanks for your support!!!

Quoting from the site above:-
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Founded by Syamsul Hasran together with another friend in year 2003, Recom.org emerged out of a dream to contribute to Malaysian students.

Creating a platform for a community of students to exchange ideas and experiences in students-related issues, many have benefited with regards to their scholarship applications, through useful ‘tips & tricks’ and the various connections built with campuses overseas.

To vote for ReCom.org,

Quote:
Step 1:
Type: AYA CO 3

Step 2:
Send to: 36828

Note: Each SMS will be charged RM 0.80.
Powered and sponsored by Trio Moble Sdn Bhd

The final decision for the Most Outstanding Youth of the Year would be based on Judges’ Decision (70%) & Public Votes (30%). Judges will be fairly represented from the partnership of organiser-official sponsor(s).

Voting period starts on 5 October, and all votes must be submitted on or before 3 November (1pm). The Award is considered based on the facts given or obtained of an outstanding spirit (attitude) and not just on the abilities for sports, skills or schooling (unless these are the by-products). The judges’ decision is final and no objections will be entertained.

The winners will be announced at AYA Dream Malaysia Awards Night to be held on 9th of November 2008 at KLPac. Invitation passes will be available for sale soon. Stay tuned!




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Click here to read more of Chen Chow's posts

Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!

Mahathir Science Award for 2008

Thanks to a blog reader who sent me this link from The Star . It is quoted fully below.

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The Academy of Sciences Malaysia is inviting nominations for the Mahathir Science Award for 2008.

This award is bestowed on any scientist, institution or organisation worldwide in recognition of contributions and innovations towards solving problems in the tropics through science and technology.

The categories for the award are Tropical Medicine, Tropical Agriculture, Tropical Architecture and Engineering as well as Tropical Natural Resources.

One award will be conferred each year, covering any of the four fields. The prize is RM100,000, a gold medal and a certificate.

The deadline for submission is March 31. For details, call 03-2694 9898.

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