THE Penang government is expected to finalise a comprehensive Youth Development Strategic Framework by July this year as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s youth agenda in a more structured, inclusive and high-impact manner, the State Legislative Assembly was told today.
State Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi (PH-Padang Lalang) said the framework is being spearheaded by the Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC) with support from Penang Institute through a series of stakeholder engagement sessions involving youth groups, agencies and young people statewide.
“The state government wants to ensure every plan outlined is aligned with the Penang2030 aspiration while producing a practical, competitive and sustainable roadmap for the next five years,” he said during his winding-up speech at the Penang State Legislative Assembly today.
Gooi said the state was also adopting the Social Return on Investment (SROI) approach to measure the effectiveness of youth programmes and ensure public funds generated tangible social impact.
He said the Penang Youth Volunteer Programme had organised 14 community programmes between January and March involving 260 volunteers who contributed 16,767.4 service hours.
“Based on the SROI analysis, an investment of RM10,200 generated a gross social value of RM266,711, while the net social value stood at RM120,020 after adjustments,” he said.
“This means every RM1 invested generated approximately RM11.80 in social value for society.”
On youth development funding, Gooi said the state government had doubled the Youth Development Fund allocation from RM99,800 last year to RM200,000 in 2026 following encouraging response and programme impact.
He said RM100,400 had so far been approved for 40 organisations involving 52 youth development programmes across the state.
“The second-round applications for the fund will reopen from today until May 31 to give more youth organisations the opportunity to organise impactful programmes,” he said.
On sports, Gooi said Penang’s Sukma contingent was now in the final preparation phase ahead of the Selangor 2026 Games, with the state targeting 60 gold medals.
However, he acknowledged public disappointment over Penang’s men’s football team failing to participate in SUKMA Selangor 2026, stressing that the issue stemmed from player availability and structural development challenges rather than negligence by the Penang State Sports Council (MSNPP).
“The responsibility towards young athletes is not merely about sending them to compete, but ensuring they are within the correct, safe and sustainable development ecosystem,” he said.
Gooi said the state government, MSNPP, the Football Association of Penang (FAP) and Penang FC were now working on a more integrated football development blueprint covering grassroots development, competition structure and athlete pathways.
On healthcare, Gooi revealed that Penang recorded among the highest cancer incidence rates in Malaysia based on the National Cancer Registry Report 2017-2021.
He said Penang registered 13,044 new cancer cases over the five-year period, with the risk of residents developing cancer before the age of 75 estimated at one in six people.
To address this, he urged greater participation in the PeKa B40 health screening initiative, noting that Penang currently had 419,436 recipients under the programme alongside 263 active GP clinics and 17 panel laboratories supporting implementation statewide.
Meanwhile, Gooi said overall drug addiction cases in Penang fell by 5.5% in 2025 compared with the previous year despite a rise in cases detected in North Seberang Perai district due to intensified enforcement operations.
He added that Penang had been selected to host the National Anti-Drug Day 2026 programme at Dataran Jambatan Merdeka, Sungai Duda, on June 27 and 28.
Story by Edmund Lee