Malaysian Indian Youth Development Foundation
The Malaysian Indian Youth Development Foundation (MIYDF) is a non-governmental, non-profit and non-political organization of volunteer professionals.
Between September 2004 and December 2005, the Task Force Committee headed by Mr SA. Vigneswaran discussed and brainstormed on issues and conflicts facing The INDIAN community.
The Task Force Committee completed a blue print on ‘The Indian Dilemma’ in December 2005.
This blue print identified the various socio-economic problems in the Indian community, investigated the causes of the problem and recommended wide–ranging remedial resources.
By the year 2020, MIYDF aspires to create a united and confident Malaysian Indian Society, infused by strong moral and ethical values, living in an environment that is progressive and prosperous and having full participation in national economy that is competitive, dynamic and resilient.
Mission
MIYDF shall strive to alleviate poverty by initially improving the economic standing of the community through better education and increased awareness of the potential opportunities in the country.
MIYDF by the year 2020 shall ensure that no one can say that Malaysian Indian Youth are involved in violence and other social ills
MIYDF affirms that there can be no harmonious and prosperous Indian Society until we have finally overcome the negative stereotype that labels an Indian Youth.
MIYDF seeks to establish a united Indian Society with a sense of common and shared destiny and dedication to the nation.
MIYDF strives for the Indian Society to be distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, fully aware of all their potentials, and psychologically and economically at par and respected by other communities.
Objective
To give the Indian community a fair opportunity from birth to establishing an economic identity for themselves.
To develop a bonding within the community that will create an attitude and concern beginning from the prenatal stage right through their education phase and concluding in an economically viable employment status.
To develop and reinforce an effective network among those in a position to help, assist the less fortunate to establish themselves. (though this may seem very communal, it is very necessary in the initial stages of establishing an identity and a strong hold for the Indian Community).
To reduce poverty by disseminating information on income generating activities for both young men and women as well as developing a youth support centre in-order to restore their self-esteem and live an honest life free from crime and other social ills for economic gains.
To identify resourceful youths in the target zones who could avail and disseminate this basic information among their peers and other community members.
To establish a community resource center within the target zones for easier accessibility of this information and also to allow unlimited interaction among the youth while planning and carrying out their activities.
The blue print concluded the time has come for bold and decisive action and showed the threats and challenges to our community are more urgent than ever before.
Planning
A fifteen-year plan to reach Indian parents early–so their children will have a better chance at doing well in school. Family environment is the most crucial factor that contributes to the moulding of a child. Thus, MIYDF hopes to focus on early intervention to help Indian children.
Parents are the key. They must understand that if they do not prepare their child for life, no one is going to do it for them. To not just focus on teaching them words and numbers, but also building character. To ensure that our children do not join gangs or get into trouble. They must have a strong perception that joining gangs are wrong. Obviously the parents have to create this perception.
The main focus will be on the integration of the family system. The issue of family breakdown is a social and a moral catastrophe and is at the root of so many of the problems that beset out community. In my view, the root cause of both crime and poverty is precisely this unraveling of the family.
Development networks
Generally the Indian community in Malaysia is regarded as the marginalized community contributing largely to the social ills. MIYDF with its activities will strive to address the very paradigm that’s generating this stigma which is the lack of opportunity in the areas of education, social and economics.
As such, there are three networks for development of the Indian Youth in particular and the India community at large, namely, the Educational Network, Social Network and the Economic Network.
Educational network
The findings by this network on the problem faced by the Indians in this area and the urgent reformation needs are :
• The dilapidated state of Tamil Schools must be reformed
• The education curriculum for Indian students in the transition class called “Remove” ought to be revamped.
• The infrastructure in the Tamil Schools must be improved to a decent standard.
• The teaching force of the Tamil School must be trained to have a positive mindset.
• The Indian pupils attending Tamil School are nutrition deficient and steps must be taken to provide them with at least one meal of proper nutrition.
• The Tamil School pupils are seen attending school without basic schooling needs, which needs to be supplemented.
• The disadvantage positioning of Indian pupils in the national type school must be addressed.
• The impact of the “Remove” classes on the education progress of the Indian children is a concern.
• The lack of awareness of educational opportunities available in the vocational sector as an alternative for the secondary school students who become the early dropouts who cause the social ills.
• Lack of ambition, drive among Indians to pursue a more meaningful educational career other than ending up as factory workers, dispatch boys and etc.
Social network
The findings by this network on the problem faced by the Indians in this area and the urgent reformation needs are :
• Disintegration of the Indian family as a unit.
• Displacement of a large population of Indians from communal lifestyle to dispersed urban resettlement upon urbanization of estates.
• Lack of basic amenities and decent living conditions nurturing the streaks of petty theft.
• Living in unhygienic conditions due to lack of adequate finances and awareness of proper hygiene and health related issues.
• Absence of recreational facilities for the development of sound body and mind causing them to hang out and get involved in anti social activities to vent their frustrations of lack.
Economic network
The findings by this network on the problem faced by the Indians in this area and the urgent reformation needs are :
• Lack of employment opportunities in the government sector due to the absence of adequate and opportunities qualification on the part of the Indian Youth and the current policy on employment.
• Inability to raise the required capital to venture in to business in particular lack of loan availability.
• Indian business network is still clannish and not interactive and supportive to develop the Indian economic standing as a whole.
Activities
MIYDF tries to serve the community as a comprehensive support network.
1. ‘Capture the Voice’ Project
Home visits to low–income households weekly.
Staff and volunteers visit about 20 homes of low income families in each State in the Pilot Project. These home visits are conducted to find out the actual needs of the families.
There families are referred by schools, government organization MPs or those who call directly for assistance.
Connecting to these families directly will enable volunteers to identify which reform program would be most suitable for them. This is the bottom up procedure used in all projects.
Some of these homes are visited because of special programmes for underachievers or lifestyle programmes. At least 10% of the visits weekly are new homes.
2. Workshops on Public Education
Public education workshops will be organized for parents and students with schools and Indian organization. There include workshop a parenting skills, time management, motivation and study skill. MIYDF will work closely with teachers and governments leaders to assess the needs of the relevant target groups and recommend suitable workshops.
In addition MIYDF aims to provide the funds to encourage schools and MIC youth to conduct such public education workshops.
'3. Workshop on Health and Hygiene'
It is important to instill the values of healthy lifestyle within the hearts, mind, body and soul of every Indian child.
4. Positive Package Project
It has always been relatively easy to obtain information about the victims of crime from hospitals and police records.
However, the experiences, views and motives of perpetrators are less well-documented. Talking openly about the crime they have committed increases their chances of being arrested, thus it is difficult to get information about young criminals and what motivates them to commit crime.
Research have revealed that a person's decision to commit crime is based on a range of complex and intersecting social, personal, and environmental factors. For young people, the boundary between being a victim and a perpetrator is often blurred - young criminals have themselves often been exposed to high levels of victimization and may live under severely adverse social and environmental conditions.
It is these social and environmental causes of crime that need to be identified and tackled if youth crime is to be successfully reduced.
Becoming familiar with these social and environmental causes, and seeking ways to address them, are at the heart of youth crime prevention and are also the key areas for any intervention programs.
There will be focus on only one aspect of crime prevention–'criminality prevention'–efforts to ensure that young people do not become involved in delinquent or criminal behaviour. This type of prevention addresses the social and environmental factors that determine the choices individuals make.
Young people who get involved in petty acts of delinquency (minor crimes) at a very young age are likely to continue committing crime. It is vital that the prevention of youth violence begins at an early age, as it is more difficult to intervene once a pattern of offending has begun.
The role of peers in encouraging or discouraging crime becomes more important as the child gets older. A person’s level of emotional strength will influence the methods, intensity, frequency and focus of their anger expressions.
Our findings confirm emotionally fragile youths are compensating for their weakness by taking the offensive and becoming hyper-vigilant and aggressive in response to emotional insult.
Our programmes will focus on esteem building, supporting them through their painful struggles instead of rescuing them, eliminating alcohol and other [...] use as best we can, and holding them accountable for their behavior.
As youths learn to endure the pain and discomfort of life, they naturally build resiliency that lessens the pain and discomfort which, when coupled with problem-solving skills, gives them the competence they need for success.
5. '''Youth Development Workshop to Prevent HIV
Among Indian Youths in Malaysia'''
Our workshops are directed by supportive adults who provide respect, high standards and expectations, guidance, and affirmation to youth. Our research shows that youth want services provided in non-traditional ways in which they are comfortable and in which they and their families can be an integral part of the planning for services delivery.
We address the needs experienced by the entire family simultaneously. Our services focus on the promotion of development assets, which in the reduction of individual negative behaviors.
Integrated substance abuse and HIV education will be made available for youth and their families through this initiative. Services will be age appropriates, involve families, and allow youth to remain in the least restrictive setting so they can be served within the context of their families, their classroom and their community.
We focus on the implementation of AIDS and [...] education workshop. Instead of the traditional deficit-based approach to treatment planning and counseling (looking for and focusing on what is wrong), we start with what is right, uncover what is unique, and build opportunities for youth to express themselves and contribute to, and be part of, a group.
6. Youth Immersion Workshop
Youth Immersion Workshop is a programme dedicated to involving today’s youth in today’s problems. Poverty and inadequate housing remains one of these problems and this programme is an opportunity to see first hand some of the social issues that create situations where families are without safe, decent and affordable housing, while also getting to impact the lives of families by helping to build a home.
This programme aims to demonstrate that the youth of today are the change of tomorrow and that their commitment to social problems will be the sustaining from in the fight against issues like poverty.
7. Alternative Education Training
This training envisions to transform some of the neediest Indian youths into candidates for new jobs in a demand-driven economy.
This training have taken on new importance for workforce system efforts to create a skilled, well trained and demand-driven workforce.
MIYDF’s economic network will serve as a catalyst to connect youth with quality secondary and post secondary educational opportunities and high growth and other employment opportunities.
7. Workshop for Facilitators
A course for facilitators of MIYDF on how to manage one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviour when in a management role.
For anyone, who have the responsibility for leading others through a period of chaos, the demands can be unbearable unless they have exceptional : self management” skills.
These necessary skills include integrating priorities, clarifying purpose and values, learning to focus mental energy and the development of authentic communication skills.
8. Weekend Camps for Students in Primary School
The broad range of activities is designed to address the whole student:
They encourage the development of both cognitive and effective skills
They build intrapersonal and interpersonal social and emotional skills and value-based perspectives and behaviours
They will be engaged in the following:
Conflict-resolution exercises
Discussions
Games
Communication exercises
Role-playing
Mind-mapping
Creative writing
Imagining and relaxation/focusing exercises
Story telling/singing/cultural activities
9. Methodology
The most effective way of conducting this Weekend Camp is by having a maximum of 100 students from the four schools in the constituency at a centre every weekend for 12 weeks. The approaches are as follows:
Child-centered
Flexible and interactive
Adults act as facilitators
There will be four experienced educators to conduct the program. The students will be divided into four groups.
This Weekend Camp Program will be unusually comprehensive. It will offer both methodology and content. Facilitators teach values through modeling and facilitating a values-exploration process.
Facilitators will reinforce positive character traits and emotional intelligence in all students. One key to its effectiveness is the lack of moralizing. “Resistant” students or marginalized youth turn away form a moralizing approach to character education.
In this programme, facilitators will assist and help students explore the effects of values while respecting their right to judge for themselves.
10. Indian Youth Leadership Programme
The Indian Youth Leadership Programme is specifically designed to develop young Indian men and women between the ages of 21 and 35, who have leadership potential and to prepare them for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead of the nation as it aspires to attain Vision 2020. It also develops qualities of leadership skills and managerial talent among the Indian youths of the nation.
This programme is designed to bring out the leader in the youth by exposing them to a whole array of leadership skills and management development, pitting them with youths of different gender, ethnic origin and religious background.
This fully residential programme aspires to make them tolerant and appreciative of people of diverse backgrounds in a series of outdoor activities, lively and thought-provoking classroom discussions, and community services.
Upon completion of the programme, the participants are expected to be strongly aware of the existence of the environment and issues of leadership, and the importance of being able to deal with the changing environment in leadership demands and the challenging workplace in terms of managerial expectations.
As a result of their common experiences shared throughout and beyond the programme, the participants are expected to become a coherent group with a strong commitment towards ethical values and society, ready to take on the challenges of leadership and play an active role in helping Malaysia attain Vision 2020.
We decided to commit to a common political will to succeed, by committing to a bold and radical agenda and pursuing its implementation for a comprehensive reform. Thus, MIYDF was registered on 20TH April 2006 under the Companies Act 1965 Malaysia as a foundation limited by guarantees.
Sources
- www.miydf.org
- www.savigneswaran.com
- www.bernama.com
- www.malaysiakini.com
- www.nst.com.my