Good day #connections,
I was pleased to be chosen as an international delegate representing Malaysia in the Rainforest Youth Summit 2024 at Kuching, Sarawak (25-29 May 2024). 10 students from the University of Malaya were chosen out of the 1000 delegates from 10 ASEAN countries! How awesome is that? 💪
The summit focused on NGO's and speakers coming together from different parts of the world to share their work and the importance of preserving our biodiversity. The world is a complex system and everybody has to collaborate to ensure the biodiversity is protected.
Here I would like to share the input as it is crucial.
Firstly, the Sarawak government was very encouraging to present a platform where all the esteemed youths and advocates gathered. Here, we were engrossed by the dedicated speakers who touched on storytelling, art, public speaking, photography as ways to reach out to the public when it comes to climate change and the preservation of biodiversity.
This struck me as not everyone likes listening to boring preaching, making people drive away from the concerns of climate change. It truly made me think on the approaches I could use to spearhead the urge to take action by anyone who doesn't know about climate change. People should be touched to their souls when it comes to the urgency to take action and only then we can collaborate and make dreams a reality.
I loved how well some NGO's are protecting the elephants, tigers, and especially hornbills as these species are endangered and are reducing in population. Poachers are killing lots of animals daily for profits without thinking about the effects to the ecosystem. Sadly, the Amazon Rainforest has dried out and is catching fires more often due to climate change and deforestation nowadays. The pictures shown to us were shocking.
When even one animal is gone, the ecosystem will be disturbed!
Here, I got thinking, is money really more important than nature?
Without the ecosystem, humans will not even exist, and let's start there!!!
Apart from indulging in talks, we also visited the museum where history was preserved and it truly taught me the art of engaging people in a unique way. The museum truly touched me through the music, explanations, pictures etc. Sarawak itself is a state rich in culture. Being able to learn about the state is truly a privilege to me.
Not only that, we were also taught to relax and invest in ourselves through yoga and reflection about the purpose of life. I loved hearing from some delegates who stated their purpose of life is to bring changes to this world. This session made us realize how important it is to know ourselves and take care of our souls while advocating for change.
Below are some pictures I took during the Rainforest Youth Summit 2024 and I truly hope to join RAYS again.
Learning never stops ❤️
#rainforestyouthsummit #rays2024 #youthadvocates #climatechange #storytelling #florafauna #wildlifepreservaion #sdg
