THE Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC) has joined hands with the Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara Pulau Pinang (PWMPP) to organise the Penang Youth Resilience Superstars (PYRS) programme for the next two months.
PWMPP president Madam Tan Lean Kee, who is also the wife of Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, said the programme aims to equip youth with the right skills to cope with difficulties and rise above them.
“Hotlines manned by the Befrienders Malaysia, Malaysian Health Association and many other mental health organisations reported an increase in calls pertaining to mental stress.
“This indicates that Malaysians are facing different levels of mental and emotional difficulties which tend to interfere with their everyday functioning.
“These individuals lack appropriate coping skills and life skills to face the unexpected demands and challenges of everyday living caused especially by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Young people and even children are not spared from this worrisome situation. So, we have come up with the PYRS programme to provide life skills training for our youths,” said Tan during the virtual launch of the programme today.
Tan added that the PYRS programme is similar to the mental health training programme conducted in the US and Australia which focuses on psychological help and positive adaptive behaviour.
“In this programme, they will learn to manage their emotions and to respond positively to challenges that life throws at them.
“According to a research, it is expected that the main contributing factor of suicide cases in 2030 will be due to mental health.
“Thus, we hope that by equipping our youths in Penang with resilient skills we can prevent this kind of situation from happening.
“We want our youth to grow up to be healthy both physically and mentally, to be productive in their life as well as to remain resilient and continue to contribute towards nation building,” Tan said.
She also thanked state Youth and Sports Committee chairman Soon Lip Chee and PYDC for agreeing to collaborate with PWMPP to run the programme, and Datuk Dr Lai Fong Hwa and Datin Indranee Liew for helping to facilitate the programme.
Meanwhile, Soon shared some statistics concerning suicides among youths aged between 15 and 18 in Malaysia which took place from January 2019 to May 2021.
“Based on the statement released by the UNICEF representative to Malaysia and Special Representative to Brunei Darussalam Dr Rashed Mustafa Sarwar on July 1, the Malaysian police reported a total 1,708 suicide cases from January 2019 to May 2021.
“From the statement, 872 of the cases involved children between 15 and 18 years old, making up 51 per cent.
“This is a wake up call for all of us, to prepare young people not only in Penang but also nationwide to bounce back each time they face life’s setbacks.
“It is also important for us to prepare them to face whatever challenges in the future.
“To the youths, just like the tagline of programme that goes, ‘Be Bold, Be Brave, Be You’, hereby I would like to encourage all of you to be brave and resilient and face your challenges courageously,’’ added Soon.
PYDC general manager Dr Gwee Sai Ling said the programme is open to youths aged between 15 and 35 and would be conducted in two groups.
“Each group is limited to 20 participants and the sessions will be conducted for the entire month of September and October via Zoom from 3pm to 6pm every Sunday.
“The dates for the first group are on Sept 5, 12, 19 and Oct 3. For the second group, it will commence on Oct 10 followed by the subsequent Sundays.
“Apart from that, we also have the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ programme to train more competent trainers who can eventually conduct the PYRS sessions so as to benefit more youths.
“It is open to all Penangites aged 21 years old and above. It will be held on Sept 11 and 18 via Zoom from 2pm to 5pm.
“We welcome school counsellors and teachers who have the passion for building our youngsters to join this session,” said Gwee.
Trainers Datuk Dr Lai Fong Hwa and Datin Indranee Liew, who were also present during the launch, believe the programme would make a difference in the lives of the youth.
For further enquiries, please contact Charlene Ong from PYDC at 017-4725953.
For registration, please contact PYDC at 012 – 4010186 or submit the details to https://forms.gle/UYcuRUgLf7DrP9JY8
If you are interested to sign up Train-the-Trainer session, please submit the registration to https://forms.gle/zFXVwDzp197BFWpy5 or contact PYDC by 012 – 401 0186.
Alternatively, interested participants can also scan the posters below to take part.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix courtesy of PYDC