KUCHING, Oct 16: An industrial centre should be set up in Simanggang to provide training and development for young people so that they can reach their potential, have a more productive future and become builders of the nation.
Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan emphasised that to prepare them for the future, Sarawakian youth must be given wider avenues to tap into their potential.
“It could be in leadership, entrepreneurship, management, innovation, skills, sports, agriculture and many others.
“In this technology-driven era, we foresee youth’s calibre and charisma. So go ahead and chart your directions with your passion and will to excel,” he said.
He highlighted this during a Townhall Session organised jointly by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth Exco and PRS N34 Batang Ai, held at Lubok Antu Sports Complex recently, which was attended by some 400 participants including community leaders.
Snowdan, who is the Balai Ringin assemblyman, thus urged youth, who will become capable leaders of tomorrow, to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to confront the challenges ahead.
He added that the state government will use the Youth Index to identify stress areas amongst youth, determine root causes of problems and their areas of interests so as to come up with appropriate solutions.
“Areas like entrepreneurship, creativity and arts attract a large spectrum of youths. So we have planned 252 youth programmes involving 40 districts in the state.
“This is to encourage bigger participation from our youths both in rural and urban areas,” he said.
Among the programmes to strengthen youth development in Sarawak are ‘Jelajah Belia Sarawak’; Youth Leadership; Sarawak Youth Run; mass sports events like aerobics, extreme sports activities like Spartan race and mountain climbing; traditional games (blowpipe and kites flying) as well as the most recent e-sports with the establishment of a Virtual Park at Kota Samarahan, which is the one and only in Malaysia thus far.
The Townhall Session was moderated by Debbie Gibson, who is one of the youth Members of Parliament from Sarawak.
Assistant Minister of Industries and Investment and Batang Ai assemblyman Datuk Malcolm Mussen Lamo was one of the panel speakers. —DayakDaily
