iEARN Youth Summit & International Conference 2011

From the 17th to 23rd July 2011, two of  Sri Aman's Toyota Eco Rangers Club members, Nur Farhanah and Syaqira Farouk attended the iEARN Youth Summit & International Conference 2011 which took place in Kaouhsiung, Taiwan. The theme of the summit was "Green Life, Green Tech, Great Era!" Both of them were also selected to be presenters at the Youth Summit on the topic "Embarking Towards a Greener Future".


Sunday, 17 July


After four hours of cramped leg space and a tiring flight with nothing to do other than talk and sleep, we arrived at the Taoyuan International Airport. Puan Yeo asked for directions and after a few wrong turns and a bit of getting lost, we made it into the highspeed railway train. From there, it was another one hour of cramped leg space with beautiful landscape sceneries until we arrived at Kaohsiung. We caught a taxi and finally reached our hotel, Garden Villa. After registration we found out that we had no rooms and were relocated to Han Hsien International Hotel-a 20 minute bus drive from Garden Villa. We decided that it was time to call it a day as soon as we set foot into the room as we were physically and mentally exhausted. Well, what would one expect after lugging huge luggage all over the place the whole day.

At the Taiwan High Speed Railway Station

Registration at the Garden Villa Conference Centre

Monday, 18 July

We woke up early and headed down for breakfast. Took the shuttle bus they prepared to Garden Villa to attend the opening ceremony. The countries attending the conference as well as the youth summit were introduced one by one. Standing tall with a total of three delegates from Malaysia, we waved to the rest of the world. A total of 42 countries attended the event. We listened to the opening speech and the few announcements made before snapping a few group photos. Yes, a group photo of all the delegates from the 42 countries. We then proceeded to have lunch. Ah, food was always something to look forward to. After the satisfying lunch, we participated in the various team building activities. During these activities, youths were asked to join their respective groups which they had been assigned to during the registration. It was to enhance better interaction between each other. We briefly introduced ourselves to our group members and vice versa before proceeding to the team building activities. We were not too sure what happened as it was mostly chaos with a lot of running and hopping about but what we do know is, it was a whole lot of fun. Next, we participated in the cultural activities. We joined the mandarin class and learned some interesting new words and common phrases in mandarin. Other activities carried out were calligraphy art, Chinese knotting key-chain, tai chi and paper cut-outs. Dinner was served at 6pm and with that the day ended. We had a few laughing fits back in the room before going to bed.

During the opening ceremony

Japan Blue Planet Exhibition

At the Kaouhsiung Night Market

With friends from Japan & Taiwan

Tuesday, 19 July


We spent the whole of Tuesday at the National Science and Technology Museum (NSTM) participating in various workshops organised for us. To name a few, there was the Crazy Scientist, Solar Car Racing, Dam Design, Treasure Hunting and Spaghetti Building. In the Crazy Scientist
workshop, we were enlightened by the interesting facts of science that may appear magical. We also had a chance to build our very own mini solar car in the Solar Car Racing workshop. A competition for the best dam to withstand the marble avalanche was held in the Dam Design workshop which was done in pairs. Syaqira and her partner failed pathetically in their pathetic attempt to create the best dam the world has ever seen. Farhanah on the other hand, created a very stable spaghetti building which could withstand the earthquake test. Dinner was again served at 6pm and before retiring to bed, we participated in one last activity of the night which was the Adobe Youth Voices film festival. This was particularly a long day as the workshops went on and on.

At the National Science & Technology Museum

Adobe Youth Voices Film Festival

Syaqira's magnificient dam design

Wednesday, 20 July

We had the whole day free for this day. It was originally for those who wished to participate in the one-day tour they arranged for the delegates but we decided to take a tour on our own. We bought a whole day ticket for the MRT and basically travelled all over the place. Our first stop was the Zuoying Municipal Junior High School. It was a great chance to collect ideas and bring back some information for our school to help in the betterment of Sri Aman. We made lots of comparisons and took loads of pictures. Basically, we were in awe. Their school was the size of our universities-and it was only the junior high! Although we would probably not come even close to compare with their academic facilities, but our sports facilities are to be proud of. Apparently, students in Taiwan bury their heads in books all the time which. It sounds boring but it allows them to concentrate on and only on their academics. Still, it would probably be really stressful. We also found our way to the mosque. It was interesting to see how Muslims there go about in their daily lives. We took the opportunity to visit an Indonesian restaurant to have our lunch before heading towards Kaohsiung National Stadium. Here, we found out that it is powered by solar power! They have solar panels for roofs. We didn’t miss the opportunity to visit Lotus Pond, which is a tourist attraction to see temples and the sort. It was an amazing experience to see the incredible architecture of some temples and pagodas up-close. We snapped a few embarrassing photos before heading back to the hotel to have dinner. Later that night, we visited the Love River and found out that their boats are also solar powered! How awesome is that?! We went to bed with great memories of the day-and feet full of blisters.

The solar powered World Games Stadium

At the Lotus Temple :) 

The Chinese-Muslim uncle whom we met at the Kaouhsiung Mosque

The LOVE River <3

Visit to the Zuoying Junior High School

Thursday, 21 July

Finally, our presentation day arrived. This whole day was spent in the NSTM. Basically, it was the chance for the youth delegates to present their project. Some presented and some came to listen. It was an interesting day full of information. We presented our project about the various efforts taken in our school to help the environment. We can conclude that it was a successful presentation. After the presentation session, we were split up into our respective groups again to attend two more activities which were the aboriginal dance and the lantern painting event. Later that night, we attended the International Cultural Night. Delegates from a few countries had organised a performance or two. Mainly they were from Indonesia, Spain, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Qatar, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Japan. It was truly an enjoyable day. On the bus, everyone fell asleep.

Friday, 22 July

Another fresh new day! The closing ceremony was held on this day but before that, we attended a workshop called Fun for Change. The workshop was all about trying to make change in a fun way. Youths had to come up with ideas to make change fun on specific issues such as recycling, being friendly and etcetera. Night came pretty quickly and we found ourselves in the gala party. We took a few final photos with our friends and bid them goodbye before retiring for bed. Next year, the event will take place in Trinidad and Tobago. So, here are a few snapshots with our friends from all around the globe :)

As you can see, the trip was truly an enjoyable one packed with fun and information. We learnt about the various efforts to help the environment that can be carried out here in Sri Aman or better still in Malaysia. Solar power is definitely something worth looking into. Recycling which has become mandatory for every citizen just shows that it is not impossible for us to follow in their footsteps. It was sad to leave new friends but exciting to come back to old friends and family. So, yes! We had a great time at the 15th Youth Summit held by iEARN in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and wish all the best for the 16th and the coming conferences and summits. We thank everyone who made it possible for us. Thank you, thank you! Or as they say in Taiwan, xie xie!

Malay College Youth Development Summit (MCYDS) 2011 (Daily account)

Day 1 - 20th June 2011

We arrived at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) about 11.30 am and we were welcomed with open arms by the MCKK students. We were required to register at the registration counters and were then shown to our dormitories, which are usually used by Form 3 students on normal schooling days. Lunch was served at 1pm at the Summit Square. This was when we first met delegates from other countries such as India, Pakistan, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand as well as delegates from Malaysia. After having our meal, we were allowed to go back to our respective dorms to freshen up and unpack.

The next program lined up for us was the sepak takraw demonstration by the MCKK sepak takraw players followed by the Kedah state players. We were shown two methods to play sepak takraw, the traditional and modern method. Then, we were divided into groups and were given the opportunity to play this traditional Malay sport. A mini competition was also organized whereby Hassan Ayub, the delegate from Pakistan, emerged as the champion.

At 8.30 pm that night, we had a welcoming dinner near the Hangreaves Hall. During the dinner, representatives from each school were asked to introduce themselves and to say a few words on what they expected to gain from the summit. Farhanah represented our school and spoke on behalf of all of us.

Once the dinner was over, we had an ice breaking session at the Hangreaves Hall. The highlight of the session was the Penguin Feet game, similar to Musical Chair. We also had a game which required us to obtain as much information as we can about any delegate within a period of one minute. The last game was mainly about trust as the delegates had to select a partner and work together to be part of the Dancing Newspaper game.

All in all, the games met the purpose of breaking the ice among the participants and it was the first step for us, delegates to get to know each other better. The program ended at 10.30 pm and we then went back to our respective dorms to have a goodnight rest.

Day 2 - 21th June 2011

We started our morning by having breakfast at the Summit square around 7.00 am that morning. After breakfast, all the delegates were asked to gather at the Hangreaves Hall as the opening ceremony was about to begin. During the opening ceremony, the principal of the MCKK, Mr. Anand bin Baharuddin gave his welcoming speech and wished all of us a pleasant stay at the Malay College. Mr. Anand also explained that the main purpose of organizing the Malay College Youth Development Summit (MCYDS) was to polish the leadership potential and soft skills of youths to produce great leaders of tomorrow. The opening ceremony was rejuvenated by cultural performances from the MCKK students such as the Dikir Barat & 1 Malaysia traditional dance performance.  

We then had refreshments and the program of the day proceeded with the first session of the “What Works Well (WWW)” Project Presentation from seven schools, including ours. SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom started off their presentation by explaining about the eco- friendly detergent, followed by Vajiravudh College, Thailand. They spoke about the Vajiravudh Sufficiency Economic Movement the works well in their school. Students from SMA Negeri 1 Purworejo, Indonesia then explained about their student exchange program continued by SMS Sains Selangor. Finally, it was our turn to present about what works well in SMK (P) Sri Aman. As we are part of the environmental project of Sri Aman, we presented on the various eco efforts taken by us, in order to preserve and conserve the environment. It was an 8 minute presentation and a 2 minute Q & A session. During the Q & A session, Daanish Ibrahim Izhar, a delegate from Pakistan, asked us a few questions about the green initiatives that we had taken. Our presentation was indeed a success as we received and overwhelming response from the audience. The presentation session ended with the MCKK delegates talking about the “One (1) Decision” software that was designed by an ex- MCKK boy.

We later got ready for the Royal Banquet Dinner rehearsal which took place at the official Iskandariah palace. Upon our arrival at the palace, we were lead to the royal dining hall and were educated on the etiquettes of English fine dining. We headed back to the Malay College Kuala Kangsar after the rehearsal as there was a dialogue session on the “Role of Youth in the Society” planned for us. The speaker of the event was Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, also an MCKK old boy. This session was very interesting as the delegates shared thoughts and perspectives on what they truly understand about the role of youth as leaders in today’s world. We also had the privilege to listen to Dato’ Saifuddin’s view on this topic. The program for the day ended at 11 pm.

Day 3 - 22th June 2011

After breakfast that morning, we gathered at the Hangreaves Hall for the 2nd session of the WWW Project Presentation. SMA Negeri 7 Purworenjo, Indonesia started their presentation by talking about their school’s co-curricular activities and the Bonsai Program that had been organized in their school. Next, Olongopo City National High School talked about the special programs offered, such as the Journalism, Sports and Science programs. SM Sains Machang talked about their project to produce well-balanced students before the Aitchisonian College, Pakistan surprised all of us with the amazing project they have done to treat cancer patients in Lahore, Pakistan, by setting up the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in collaboration with various parties. SMK Raja Perempuan Bainun, Ipoh then spoke about the Living in Fine English (LIFE) program organized in their school, followed by Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR), which highlighted about the International Inspiration program, a sports program organized in collaboration with colleges in London. The next presentation was by SM Sayyidina Othman, Brunei Darussalam whereby they explained about how ICT is a major substance in their school education system. SMK Sultanah Asma, Kedah addressed on the environmental efforts that are being taken by their school and SBP Gopeng ended the second and last session of the presentation by explaining on the ISIS and WINJAWS System that is used in their school administration system. The session ended at about 1pm, just in time for lunch!

Then, we were given a short- briefing about the Pangkor Trip that was supposed to take place that evening before having our lunch. We left for Pangkor at 2 pm and and it took us about 3 hours to reach the beautiful and exotic Pangkor Island. Upon our arrival, we were served with some refreshments before checking in to our respective rooms at the Coral Bay Resort. Around 5.45 that evening, a community beach clean-up activity was planned for us. We were divided into groups and to make the activity more challenging, a mini competition was organized whereby the group with the most rubbish would win a token. Delegates from all around the globe, the MCKK teachers and even the principal worked hand in hand to clean up the beach. The judging session to determine the winner of the clean-up session was conducted by the MCKK boys and we were informed that results would only be announced during dinner later at night.

Dinner commenced at 8.30 pm followed by a speech from the guest of honour, who was brought up in Pangkor Island and by the organizing chairperson of MCYDS ’11. They both spoke mainly about the beauty of the island, also highlighting on the importance of carrying out community service. The winner of the cleaning up session was announced and they received hampers. After dinner, we went to the souvenir shop nearby to purchase a few items as memories of visiting the island. We then headed off to bed about 11 pm.

Day 4 - 23th June 2011

The main activity planned for the day was to take place at SMK Pangkor. We made our way to their school at about 8.00 am and we were welcomed with open hands by the students and teachers. The main objective of our visit to SMK Pangkor was to carry out team building activities with the students, in order to boost their confidence and help them to socialize. Before the activities started, we joined in their usual morning assembly. Via the speech from the student representative of SMK Pangkor, we learned that they were very honoured to have us to visit their humble school. We sang our national anthem for the assembly was formal and continued on with the Perak state anthem and SMK Pangkor song.

Since the aforementioned school was located just beside the beach, the organizers had planned the team building activities to take part by the beach. The games that were held were indeed challenging as we learnt the true meaning of teamwork and leadership skills. It was truly such and amazing experience not only because the games were fun, but we also managed to make new friends along the way. Light refreshments were served at SMK Pangkor’s school canteen before we headed back to the resort to pack up our things and leave for MCKK.

We headed back to MCKK after lunch as the Royal Banquet at the Iskandariah Palace was planned for the night and we were required to be at the palace by 6.00 pm for a final rehearsal before the royal banquet.  Dressed in our traditional clothes, we left for the palace at 5.30 pm. It was the first time for almost all of us to be having dinner at a royal palace. We were all excited and full of enthusiasm. Once we entered the palace grounds, we were awed by the aesthetic features of the palace, not to mention the fine architecture of the royal dining hall. The rehearsal began about 6.30 pm and we were reminded about how we were supposed to behave throughout the royal banquet.

We had to wait for about 2 hours before the actual dinner. Excitement slowly arouse in each and everyone of us. The royal dinner began at 8.30 pm as soon  as Raja Nazrin Shah, the crown prince of Perak arrived. There were a few protocols that needed to be done and therefore, dinner was served around 9.00 pm. We were served a 5 coursed western cuisine and were entertained by the MCKK Wind Orchestra throughout the dinner. After the royal banquet, we took the opportunity to snap loads of pictures at the palace as we might never obtain the chance to visit the palace again. The royal banquet was indeed a lifetime experience for all of us.

Day 5 - 24th June 2011

We woke up full of excitement as we were supposed to go for a tour around Kuala Kangsar that morning. Though we are Malaysians, we have not been to Kuala Kangsar, Perak which is also known for its royalty. Three buses were used as the mean of transportation and we were randomnly seated in the bus to allow us to get to know other delegates. We made our first stop at the Enggor handicraft centre which specialized in the production of Labu Sayong. Demonstrations were made on the process of making the famous Labu Sayong. Some of the delegates were also given the opportunity to make the Labu Sayong hands-on which carved smiles on the faces of the delegates, especially those from other countries.After two hours at Enggor, we then made a move to the Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery. The items displayed at the gallery were mainly royalty items such as their royal wear and royal cars. We also learnt a bit of Perak royalty history during the visit to the gallery.

We went back to MCKK at noon for lunch. At 2.30 pm, we were given time to practice for the cultural night that was to take place the following day. The Malaysian delegates including us, decided to have two different performances which were the Sumazau Dance and the traditional song, Aladom. The practice for the performance prolonged up to 6 pm. Dinner was served at 8.00 pm and we were given about 2 hours after dinner to prepare for our WWW Project Exhibition. We slept around 11 pm after completing our WWW Project Booth which displayed the green initiatives taken in Sri Aman.

Day 6 - 25th June 2011

After a week-long stay at MCKK, it was finally time for the Closing Ceremony & MCKK Speech Day to take place. The guest of honour for the ceremony was Raja Nazrin Shah, the crown prince of Perak. A short performance by the MCKK Wind Orchestra with a number of instrumental pieces such as the “Ross Roy” pieces marked the beginning of the event. There were also speeches by the guest of honour and the principal of MCKK, Mr. Anand bin Baharuddin. The crown prince of Perak was brought for a tour around the WWW Project Exhibition Booths, including ours. Raja Nazrin Shah was indeed very impressed by the green efforts that we, Sri Amanians had taken. We felt very honoured to be given the opportunity to present our project to the royalty of Perak.

As noon approached, we had our final cultural performance practice and we got ready for the cultural night. Before the cultural performance began, we were presented with our certificates for attending the event and souvenirs as a token of appreciation. The cultural performances that were put up that night by all the delegates were very entertaining. The performances that stood out among the rest were the martial arts demonstration by the delegates from Thailand, the energetic Bhangra dance by the Pakistanis and the melodious voice of an Indian delegate who sang whole-heartedly and captivated the hearts of the audience. Overall, the performances were mind-blowing and received a great response from the audience.

Be that as it may, we were all feeling melancholic soon after the cultural night as that was our last day at the Malay College Youth Development Summit (MCYDS). We took pictures and exchanged our personal details so that we will be able to keep in touch with each other even after returning to our respective schools and countries. That night, we slept with a mixture of feelings owing to the fantastic experience we had attain as well as the naked truth that we had to utter words of farewells and goodbyes the next day.

Toyota Eco Rangers closing ceremony

On the 26th July 2011, the Toyota Eco Rangers Closing and Award Ceremony was held at SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (I). The Toyota Eco Rangers programme, which spanned three years after it kicked off in the month of June, 2008, finally came to an end after the final judging of every participating school was completed. This programme was a Corporate Social Responsibility programme by UMW Toyota, who collaborated with Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam (YAWA) to educate the youth of today about doing their part in preserving and conserving the environment for a better future.

As SMK (P) Sri Aman is one of the participating schools, five of our club members were selected to attend this event. They were accompanied by our teacher advisor, Pn Yeo Yen Fern and our Co-curricular Senior Assistant, Cik Liew Lee Ping, to attend this event. It was an event spanning the entire day, so they had to arrive at SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (I), before 7.45 am.

Upon their arrival, they registered themselves at the registration counter and were given goodie bags and name tags to be used during the event. After registering, they set up their exhibition booth, which was set up to educate attendees of the event about the numerous green projects and initiatives carried out in our school.

After every participant arrived, and sated themselves with the scrumptious breakfast served, the event finally began. Representatives of each participating school were first required to give a brief presentation on the green initiatives and projects carried out in their respective schools. Our school's representatives gave a thorough  and detailed presentation on the green projects and initiaives that has been carried out in our school, through our club. The presentation session was halted for a brief refreshment break halfway through, and resumed after the break, until around 12.30 pm. Every participant was then required to change into the t-shirts provided before the Award Ceremony began at 2.00 pm.

Around 2.00pm, all participants gathered back in the hall and were seated according to their schools. The event started around 2.20pm when the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, YB Tan Sri Datuk Panglima Joseph Kurup, arrived at the venue. Attendees of the event were first treated to an entertaining performance by the Putrajaya Presint 8 (I) primary school. After the performance, YB Tan Sri Panglima Joseph Kurup made his opening speech, which was followed by a speech by the UMW Toyota President, Encik Ismet Suki. After all the speeches were made, SMK Damansara Damai treated everyone to an entertaining performance by their Eco Drum Circle, Rentak Hijau.

The time then came for the highlight of the day, which was the prize-giving ceremony. Each school was first presented with certificates of participation for every participating student. The winners of each category was then announced. Our school walked away with the prize for Best Reporting, while SMK Aminuddin Baki won the prize for Best Tree Planting. Best Nurturing was won by SMK SS17. A new 'surprise' category was also introduced, which was Best Supportive Teacher. Puan Magespari from SMK SS17 and Puan Siti Zahrah from SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (I) won this prize. Finally, the moment that they have been waiting for arrived. It was time to announce the overall ranking for this competition. SMK Aminudding Baki placed fifth, while SMK Bangsar placed forth. SMK SS17 walked away with the prize for second runner-up, while the first runner up was SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (I). Our school's representatives were shocked when we were announced as overall champions of the Toyota Eco Rangers competition.

Gleefully, our stunned representatives made their way to the stage to receive the prize on behalf of the school. After the photo shooting session, SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (I) treated everyone present to a traditional dance performance, before our representatives were once again invited to give a presentation on the numerous green initiatives and projects carried out in our school.

Everyone present was then invited to pay the exhibition booths a visit, before embarking upon a tour of SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (I). As the day drew to an end, light refreshments were served to every guest in the dining hall.

It seems unnecessary to point out the fact that the Toyota Eco Rangers programme has provided all of us with the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals through the amount of hard work and effort we invested to make our school a greener school. We are all beyond ecstatic to have emerged champions of this programme, and would do our best to ensure that our endeavours do not waver in the slightest, despite the fact that this chapter of our lives as Eco Rangers has drawn to a close. There is still much we can do to make our school a greener school, so believe us when we say that our efforts do not end here. ;) On that note, we would like to bid farewell to one chapter of our lives as Eco Rangers, though it is most definitely not our last.

In-conclusion, the Toyota Eco Rangers programme really has benefited each member
in our school from the environment knowledge, nurturing knowledge, documentation skills
and also communication skills. We are truly happy as all our hard work for the past three
years has paid off as we won the overall competition. We hope that more programmes like
this are done by different NGO’s or company so that our future generation will appreciate
our mother earth better.