Focus Malaysia 05 Jul 2019

Acumen Academy Malaysia has launched the Acumen Fellows Programme - an intensive leadership development programme for individuals building solutions to tackle our country’s biggest social needs.

As Malaysia experiences a renewed sense of civic possibility, moral leadership is needed to harness the strength and dynamics of our diversity that is fundamental to the development and harmony of the country. There can be no fully developed Malaysia until we finally overcome the many challenges confronting us now. To ignore this would mean allowing larger divides to grow in a society that is meant to hold each other up, not push each other down.

“Acumen is building a pipeline of leaders who understand what it takes to create change in our complex, interconnected world. We are looking for people with an entrepreneurial attitude, mindset and approach. We hope to empower these changemakers from all layers of our society to be the drivers of transformation,” said Oga Chan, Programme Lead of Acumen Academy Malaysia.

Every year, 20 Fellows are selected to be a part of this fully sponsored programme. This programme is unlike any other because of its unique structure that is designed to connect and cultivate a pipeline of local social innovators who are committed to tackling injustice and poverty in our communities. These Fellows remain in their jobs and come together for five seminars, each lasting 6 days, that will take place across the span of a year.

We imagine a Malaysia that is united in its effort to address our biggest needs by doing what is right, not what is easy. To achieve this, Acumen Academy Malaysia is looking for fellows from diverse background and demographics who are invested in long term social impact here through the work that they do. Fellows could come from non-profit, for profit or public sector backgrounds.

"It's about all of us, and the kind of world that we, together, want to live in and share. Each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And it's in the total of all those acts that the history of this generation will be written," Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO and Founder of Acumen.

Individuals that participate in this programme will be introduced to powerful leadership frameworks, tools, mindsets and approaches - anchored around the focus areas of Authentic Voice, Adaptive Leadership, Good Society Readings, Managing Polarities and Systems Thinking. The learning happens when Fellows are together in session over the course of a year through in-person discourse, reflections and real-world application. In the long years after they first come together, they continue to grow as leaders and create impact as a movement with shared values, a common commitment and accountability.

“Problems of inequity affect people on a daily basis, and has detrimental effects on the larger society - today, tomorrow and in the future. Hence, we need a programme that cultivates leaders with moral imagination now. This is a great time to launch Acumen Academy Malaysia. We know Malaysia is ready because we have seen a rise in individuals partaking in social change,” added Oga.

Starting in 2020, the Acumen Fellows Programme will bring together exceptional leaders from across Malaysia, who dare to embrace the difficult journey of social change. Over the course of a year, the Fellows will come together to learn with and from each other. As a deeply bonded cohort, they will engage with a curriculum that is based on practical skills and character, geared towards action and grounded in the value of moral leadership. After they finish the first year of the Fellowship, the Fellows join the global community of more than 500 Fellows. Acumen Fellows Programme Malaysia is currently fully sponsored and incubated by YTL Foundation.

Applications for the Acumen Fellows Programme opens on 8 July 2019. Find out more at www.acumen.org/fellowship/malaysia

Register interest for the fellowship here: http://bit.ly/acumenfellowsmsia

Source: https://www.focusmalaysia.my/Snippets/malaysia-s-first-fellowship-of-social-innovators?fbclid=IwAR1_mUgeMJV3MjTBEplalZCWf__GqKn15d-uAJmHS1sECCqfns0xdkb5iWg

By Zulita Mustafa - April 10, 2019

UNIVERSITI Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) is the first university in the country to have a ‘Frog Classroom’ in its Centre for Literacy and Sociocultural Transformation at the Faculty of Sciences and Humanities.

The project is a collaboration between Frog Asia Sdn Bhd and a UKM team led by Professor Dr Radha Nambiar, who is chairman of the centre, to create a classroom that encourages student participation in learning with the integration of technology.

It is also a product of a three-year partnership with YTL Foundation, which funded a study on the effectiveness of the Frog Classrooms.

“For one year, myself and three colleagues studied whether there was a change in teaching and learning in classrooms at various schools.

“We spoke to teachers of various disciplines and they said students were eager to learn and would be on their best behaviour the whole week just to come to the classroom.

“The study also found that the Frog Classrooms were a conducive learning environment at schools,” she said.

Her study on the impact of Frog Classrooms was published in 2017. It was further applied in UKM, with YTL Foundation programme director Datin Kathleen Chew Wai Lin opening the university’s first Frog Classroom recently.

Present were deputy vice-chancellor (academic & international affairs) Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Marzuki Mustafa and deputy vice-chancellor (industry & community partnerships) Professor Datuk Dr Imran Ho Abdullah.

Last year, Radha spoke with a group of students to get them to set up the classroom at the faculty. They did so based on guidelines provided by Radha’s team, such as the colour scheme, and furniture from YTL Foundation.

“It is the combined effort of students and staff, who cleaned, fixed and painted the walls and tables, that created this learning space.

“The creative part was from the students as they were the ones who decided what they wanted their classroom to look like.

“We even allowed them to draw on the tables to make the environment attractive.”

She added that the front feature, where a teacher stands by the blackboard to teach, had been eliminated.

“In this space, you can facilitate from anywhere in the room. This will ensure that no learner is left behind. This classroom is designed for peer interactions and group work to foster 21st century learning skills, such as collaborating, problem-solving and critical thinking,” she said.

The classroom is now ready to be used by lecturers and students on a rotational basis. According to Radha, access to technology was a key component to personalised learning.

“The only condition is they must make use of technology. We don’t want it to become a traditional classroom.

“Teachers don’t have to worry about bringing their laptops or projectors. We have already put everything inside.

“We have done our part, the rest is up to the teachers and students. We need to give them a chance to show how creative they can be with knowledge.”

Marzuki said the nation’s education landscape was constantly changing and UKM needed to adapt fast.

“We need to think and ask questions on the future of learning so we, as educators, can create better opportunities for our learners. And, it is important to remember that educators are no longer the only source of information in this digital era.

“These facilities will guide learners to develop skills to leapfrog into the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said.

Source: https://www.nst.com.my/education/2019/04/478071/leap-frogging-21st-century-learning

November 23, 2018

YTL Foundation dengan kerjasama Petrosains menganjurkan Lottie's Adventure Adventure, acara bertemakan STEAM di Pusat Beli-Belah Lot 10 dari 23-25 ​​November 2018 yang lalu. Pengembaraan Sains Lottie adalah yang dilancarkan oleh Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Abu Hassan Bin Othman, ahli Lembaga Pemegang Amanah YTL Foundation bersama Datin Kathleen Chew, Pengarah Program YTL Foundation.

Tema tahun ini dipilih untuk meningkatkan minat pelajar dalam mengikuti mata pelajaran berasaskan sains dan mempromosikan mata pelajaran STEAM di kalangan pelajar dari semua latar belakang.

"Kami mahu para pelajar mengetahui bahawa sains tidak perlu kering dan membosankan. Kami mempunyai sekumpulan peminat sains yang kreatif dan berdedikasi di sini hari ini ingin berkongsi pengetahuan mengenai bagaimana kami dapat membuat sains menyeronokkan dan menarik" kata Datin Kathleen Chew, Pengarah Program, YTL Foundation.

Pada majlis itu, terdapat bengkel kayu dan sains yang diuruskan oleh Super Brain Bridge di mana pengunjung akan dapat membuat lampu meja, kipas meja USB dan juga membuat tirap. Anda juga boleh mengeluarkan Marie Curie di dalam anda dengan Akademi Sains Bridge di mana anda boleh menjalankan pelbagai jenis eksperimen dari pencampuran lendir ke ujian PH.

Mainan yang dikumpulkan dalam pemacu mainan dan hasil daripada penjualan Lottie Bears akan disumbangkan kepada Perpustakaan Toy Malaysia untuk mendirikan sebuah perpustakaan mainan untuk Program 'Sekolah Dalam Hospital' di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya. Hasil yang diperoleh daripada jualan Mangosteen dan Aliran akan diberikan kepada amal juga.

YTL Foundation menjemput pelajar dari tujuh sekolah awam untuk menghadiri acara itu dan setiap pelajar diberi peluang untuk menyertai bengkel tersebut. Jika anda ingin mengetahui lebih terperinci mengenai bengkel dan aktiviti yang berlaku di Pengembaraan Sains Lottie, lawati http://ytlfoundation.com/blog/2018/10/16/lotties-science-adventure/.

Source: https://www.malaysianfoodie.com/2018/11/hop-adventure-science-and-discovery-with-ytl-foundation-together-with-petrosains-lot-10.html

By StrawberrY Gal -  November 23, 2018

YTL Foundation in partnership with Petrosains organised Lottie’s Science Adventure, a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) – themed event at Lot 10 Shopping Centre from 23-25 November 2018. Lottie’s Science Adventure was launched today by Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Abu Hassan Bin Othman, a member of the Board of Trustees of YTL Foundation together with Datin Kathleen Chew, Programme Director of YTL Foundation.

The theme this year was chosen to increase the interest among students in pursuing science based subjects and promote STEAM subjects among students from all backgrounds. “We want students to know that science does not have to be dry and boring. We have a group of passionate, creative and dedicated science enthusiasts here today eager to share their knowledge on how we can make science fun and exciting,” said Datin Kathleen Chew, Programme Director, YTL Foundation.

As the previous Vice Chancellor of University Sabah Malaysia, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Abu Hassan Bin Othman explained that our students have potential to compete globally, but without the right exposure, motivation and interest, they will be left behind. “I was very happy to hear that YTL Foundation was organising a ‘Science Adventure,’ to not only to promote science, technology math and creativity to students, teachers and parents, but to show that science based subjects is not just for certain types of students, it can be appealing to all students,” he explained.

At the event, there were woodwork and science workshops managed by Super Brain Bridge where visitors will get to create a table lamp, USB table fan and even making a catapult. You can also bring out the Marie Curie in you with Science Bridge Academy where you can carry out various types of experiments from slime mixing to PH testing.

Petrosains held workshops on making mini robot that dances and scribbles patterns, creating a marble maze. There were also math puzzles and the BATAK Mini Pro, a machine that tests your reaction and your hand-eye coordination. Other vendors included MEREKA that had a juice bicycle, Toy Libraries Malaysia which held a toy drive and a toy repair booth, Flow, Amazin’ Grace, Mangosteen, Supa Dupa Circus, NAGCM (National Association for Gifted Children Malaysia), Jabatan Alam Sekitar and many more.

Toys collected in the toy drive and the proceeds from the sale of the Lottie Bears will be donated Toy Libraries Malaysia to set up a toy library for the ‘Sekolah Dalam Hospital Programme’ in the University Malaya Medical Centre. Proceeds collected from Mangosteen and Flow sales will be given to charity as well.

YTL Foundation invited students from seven public schools to attend the event and each of the students were given the opportunity to participate in the workshops. If you would like to find out more detail of the workshops and activities happening at Lottie’s Science Adventure, visit http://ytlfoundation.com/blog/2018/10/16/lotties-science-adventure/.

Source: https://www.malaysianfoodie.com/2018/11/hop-adventure-science-and-discovery-with-ytl-foundation-together-with-petrosains-lot-10.html