Caption: The Chairman's Circle Award encouraged students to develop commercially-viable prototype with the theme Reducing Carbon Emissions for a Better FutureKUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) -- Yayasan PETRONAS yesterday crowned SMK Riam, Sarawak the champion of its Sentuhan Harapan–All About Youth (AAY) -- Chairman’s Circle Award, for developing a commercially-viable prototype, submitted at the beginning of the competition in April 2019.
The school was among the five finalist teams from Johor, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak vying for the RM30,000 grand prize. The secondary school students were judged on innovation, relevance, sustainable impact and commercial viability of the projects, based on the AAY 2019 theme on ‘Reducing Carbon Emissions for a Better Future.’
AAY, through the Chairman’s Circle Award, provides pathways for bright students to explore entrepreneurship while equipping them with capabilities to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
At the Award presentation Chairman of PETRONAS and Yayasan PETRONAS Datuk Ahmad Nizam Salleh said transforming ‘think into thing’ is no easy feat and The Chairman’s Circle Award presented the students with the real possibility of seeing their projects in the market.
“Through programmes like AAY, we are advancing the platforms and pathways for enabling students to realise their potential. They engaged with businesses, received feedback from social innovators and interacted with industry leaders. We believe that social progress is inclusive. We hope to create a new breed of entrepreneurs who have sustainability and community at the core of what they do – demonstrating that together, we are enriching lives for a sustainable future,” he said.
This year, 50 schools with 1,000 students in five states participated in AAY2019 in search for environmental solutions.
Magdalena Suling Jalong, team leader from SMK Riam, Sarawak said,“We are excited to win the Chairman’s Circle Award, and are grateful for Yayasan PETRONAS for giving us the platform to develop our project. This programme allowed us to connect with subject matter experts, entrepreneurs and social innovators, giving us invaluable experience that we certainly can carry through into our future.”
Desmond Sandum, a teacher from SMK Tebobon, Sabah said, “We are proud of our students who have come so far since the beginning of the programme. They have gained new skills, more confident in their abilities and are more enthusiastic about learning. This is certainly not the end, and we are sure the students will continue developing the project once we are home.”
During the National Finals in August this year, Sekolah Menengah (SM) Imtiaz Yayasan Terengganu Kemaman was selected as the champion. As the winner of the National Finals, the team took home RM20,000 in prize money and automatic entry into the Chairman’s Circle Award.
AAY is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change.
About AAY 2019This year, 50 schools in five states – Johor, Melaka, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu - competed in AAY 2019. Each team received RM1,000 seed funding, a Technology Toolbox worth RM1,250 and mentoring by PETRONAS volunteers to develop their project over eleven weeks.
Since 2014, AAY has reached more than 200 schools and 4,600 students. More than 150 PETRONAS volunteers or ‘buddies’ have nurtured, tutored and motivated participants. As a result, 200 impactful community projects have been successfully developed.
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