2nd forum: what's happening lah malaysia?

On 15th October 2017, we held our 2nd forum entitled 'What's Happening Lah Malaysia?'. We wanted to discuss the increasing pessimism and cynicism amongst Malaysian youth regarding their country's future. We invited 3 prominent youth figures from various backgrounds to share their thoughts and ideas. More importantly, we asked them to share their suggestions to address the problems we were facing. A total of 70 attendants participated in this forum.

Speakers:
1. Danni Rais — Youth leader; Organisation For National Empowerment (ONE)
2. Wesley Chan Wenzhen— Trainer; Peak Performance Masterclass Trainer, Vision Alliance
3. Kal Joffres — Social entrepreneur; Co-Founder & CEO, Tandemic

We started the forum with an introduction to the Nation Building School. Our first speaker, Wesley Chan, a trainer from Vision Alliance got us on our feet with his physical and mental exercises. He talked about the importance of self-improvement. Wesley noted that citizens tend to blame external factors for their problems without doing any self-reflection. Ultimately, our problems start with us. We have to make a choice to own it or blame it on others. Responsible citizens will be accountable to their country's challenges. 

Danni Rais, a youth NGO leader called on the participants to get their hands dirty through turun padang (going grassroots). To understand the problems the people are facing, we need to meet them in person. He shared about his initiatives via his NGO, Organisation for National Empowerment (ONE). ONE has been active in organising forums and sessions with young people. One can visit their website to take part in their activities.

The final speaker, Kal Joffres, a social entrepreneur gave us a presentation to the innovative solutions to the world's problems including extreme poverty and climate change. Kal argues that disruption is happening at a rate we couldn't imagine. For young people, it's incumbent upon us to take advantage and be part of the process. Kal says one doesn't need to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial. Even employees can be intrapreneurial at their workplaces to add value to their employer. Ultimately, entrepreneurship can solve the problems we face. 

Unfortunately, Nadira Yusoff couldn't attend the event as she was ill.