KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 (Bernama) -- Ten selected ASEAN youth leaders hosted an Open Day at the Frangipani Organic Farm showcasing successful efforts in integrated organic farming and food waste management on 2 March 2019.

The Open Day was opened to the public and is part of the eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN Programme 2019 (EYAAP) in partnership with EcoKnights, with the support from the ASEAN Foundation and Maybank Foundation.

“The aim of this program was to drive a better understanding among ASEAN youths on circular economy using sustainable farming and proper food management systems as subject matters. The idea is to depart knowledge and experience, while proving an opportunity for the youths to engage with the community and other stakeholders while at the same time gain exposure and information on the local and global issues surrounding future food production systems to meet the needs of 10 billion people,” said Yasmin Rasyid, The EcoKnights President.

“We hope that the Open Day gave the public a chance to enhance their understanding and knowledge on sustainable farming. As for the youths, this is a brilliant opportunity to give them an experiential opportunity exposure to put theory in practice,” added Yasmin.

The program selected ten ASEAN youth leaders to spend two weeks on the farm learning about sustainable farming and the Open Day is part of its public engagement component. Apart from sustainable farming, the Open Day also showcased hands-on family-friendly activities such as farm tour, fish feeding and composting using Black Soldier Fly. The children’s curiosities were sparked when they saw the Black Soldier Fly larvae after learning on its importance and its use as a sustainable method of composting food waste.

The program was designed to educate, engage and encourage the public to familiarize their understanding of sustainable food production. The youth leaders have managed to engage with more than 260 individuals from schools, markets and volunteers throughout the 2-week program.

“The community projects through this programme represent Maybank’s commitment to being at the heart of the community, which is closely aligned with our mission to humanize financial services. We are glad as this partnership with ASEAN Foundation gives us the opportunity to pursue the objectives of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025 and the UN SDG Goals. We are confident that with this platform, the energy and creativity of youths will be channelled into challenging and meaningful activities that will strengthen community bonds encourage volunteerism and philanthropy, and generate innovative solutions to socio- economic challenges while positively impacting the communities” said Shahril Azuar Jimin, the Chief Executive Officer of Maybank Foundation.

The Open Day also provided an opportunity for ASEAN youth leader to engage with Malaysians and experience cultural diversity.

“I believe this event will be a perfect avenue for all parties involved to enrich their knowledge on the benefits of sustainable farming,” said Elaine Tan, the Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation. “The Open Day is also a clear evidence of an excellent collaboration between the young change makers of eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN and EcoKnights who are deeply committed to bring positive and lasting social, economic, and environmental impact to the surrounding communities, making ASEAN a community of opportunities for all.”

Apart from showcase and farm activities, the youth leaders conducted their last food waste collection drive on the open day too. This made the total amount of food waste collected in this program exceeded 610 KG.

For boiler plates and photos: https://bit.ly/2HiIhkD

SOURCE : EcoKnights

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : Fadly Bakhtiar / Ler Wei Rong
EcoKnights Programme Director / EcoKnights Sustainability Communication Officer
Tel : 017-2279270 / 019-2897018
Email : fadly@ecoknights.org.my  / rong@ecoknights.org.my
 
Name : Muhammad Fitri bin Nor Isahak / Wan Mohd Nazly
Programme Manager of eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN Programme (Maybank Foundation) /
AVP of Communications, Media Relations & Publications (Maybank Group Corporate Affairs)     
Email :​ muhdfitri.ni@maybank.com / nazdy.wm@maybank.com

--BERNAMA