Participants doing their best impression of animals during the ice-breaking session at the start of YGXC Camp. — Photos courtesy of WWF Malaysia
THE year-long Youth Green X-Change (YGXC) programme recently concluded on a high note, with youths pledging to do their part in keeping Mother Earth healthy, particularly the rivers in Sarawak.
The three-day (March 20-22) YGXC Camp at Matang Wildlife Centre, some 40km from Kuching, hosted various activities for
all 92 participants aged 16 to 35 in which they had the opportunity to learn more about river pollution due to indiscriminate dumping of solid waste; as well as the importance of 5Rs – Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Repair and Refuse – which is an extension of the more widely-known 3Rs.
The YGXC is a youth outreach programme conceptualised by Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak, Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (Azam) and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia, in conjunction with the board’s 20th anniversary.
It is jointly conducted by the Environment Department, Teachers Training Institute (IPG) Batu Lintang Campus (Kuching), Sarawak Energy Bhd, Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd and ZHA Environmental Sdn Bhd, with support from Forest Department of Sarawak and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC).
It was launched in April last year during a youth seminar, followed by a host of various programmes including competitions on environmental-based photography, short films, essays and feature-writing, an environmental outreach programme for the media, the YGXC roadshow at Summer Shopping Mall as well as publication of weekly environment-focused articles on The Borneo Post, The Borneo Post SEEDS and Utusan Borneo between November last year and March this year.
The YGXC Camp was the highlight of the programme as youths from different backgrounds across the state were roped in to share their concerns on the environment and aspirations, as well as to put their ideas into actions through a viable project that they could undertake.
After a series of brainstorming sessions, the campers proposed the following:
•Zero-Waste Carnival – a competition to collect rubbish thrown along rivers.
•A reality television show that promotes environmental awareness.
•River adoption programmes for schools, villages and housing areas.
• Early environmental awareness intervention among children.
Panelists comprising senior officers and conservationists from NREB, WWF-Malaysia and SFC provided constructive feedback to youths on how they could further improve on their proposed action plan.
Of the four proposals, the reality television show held the most potential with regard to implementation by the youths within one year.
Campers also had a field day during a ‘gotong-royong’ (work party) themed ‘Nature Beautification’ to help upkeep Matang Wildlife Centre. The activity was held in conjunction with World Forestry Day on March 21, and World Water Day on March 22. Participants also had a chance to learn about night photography from a self-taught night wildlife photographer Badiozaman Sulaiman, as well as attend a talk on old tyre recycling by ZHA Environmental’s technical engineer Fong Tze Hang.
One of the YGXC campers Nurfatin Naja Mohamad Redzuan, a 20-year-old student of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), remarked: “I think the camp was really great because we got to see nature up close and just be ourselves throughout the activities. River pollution is the most worrying problem to me because we need water in our daily lives. It may not be much but I want to start recycling things properly from now.”
For matriculation student Michelle Slan, she enjoyed the ‘Nature Beautification’ activity the most.
“I will try to encourage more people to practise good habits in taking care of the environment,” the 19-year-old said.
Kimberley Ting Hie Ping, 17, of SMK St Elizabeth, Sibu rated the experience as being ‘nicer and better than she had expected’.
“I thought sleeping, surrounded by the jungle, would be bad but it wasn’t. I enjoy the brainstorming sessions a lot. I am very disturbed by river pollution because we can see the drastic drop in the quality of water. I will do my best to start more environmental activities at school with my teachers and friends,” said the fifth former.
For Edwin Brain, a student of Sarawak Matriculation College, it was an experience that he could relate to from living in a village.
“The brainstorming sessions were very exciting,” enthused the 19-year-old.
“I’m very worried about water pollution because I know how badly people treat the rivers. I will strive to educate people about proper waste disposal to ensure that the environment would be less polluted.”