Set own agenda for growth, youth told

The nation's youth must set their own agenda for growth as only they know what they need, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said the Government will play its part in helping youths fulfil their aspirations but “we will not do this using a top-down approach.

“The direction must come from the youths and the Government will act as a facilitator,” he said at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between 1Malaysia for Youth (iM4U) and the National Service Department (JLKN) here.

Under the deal, iM4U aims at signing on some 240,000 volunteers from among National Service (NS) trainees over the next three years.

Both iM4U and the JLKN will put together programmes to enable trainees to take part in volunteer projects, with RM7,500 in funds pledged by iM4U for each of the 81 NS camps nationwide.

iM4U also hopes to rope in the estimated 730,000 NS alumni as volunteers.

Najib said they are optimistic that the close co-operation between iM4U and the JLKN will draw the interest of NS trainees to help push the Government's national transformation agenda.

He added that iM4U is close to realising its plans of establishing its own youth hub, iM4U Youth Sentral, as it will take over the Rakan Muda centre in Puchong.

The Prime Minister noted that the hub modelled after successful youth centres the world over such as in Singapore and Berlin, Germany will be a youth centre in every sense of the word as not only will it hold youth activities, it will also be designed and built by them.

“The entire project will be owned by youths.

“I believe this will be an initiative that will truly connect with them,” said Najib.

Source: The Star online