Focus on green goals

For a good cause: Jaskirat has come up with a solution for youths to embrace and champion sustainability.

Youths call for collective effort in tackling climate crisis

THERE are 14.6 million youths aged between 15 and 39 in Malaysia, which is at least 45% of the population in the country.

Engaging youths in the sustainable development of the nation will thus have a significant impact. The question is, how shall we galvanise them into action?

The United Nations has come up with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the global citizens collectively need to work towards for the future of mankind.

As a teenager who is passionate about environmental sustainability, I have come up with a TECLe (pronounced as “tackle”) solution for youths to embrace and champion the cause in their communities.

T stands for Teach. Teach yourself the pertinent issues by first picking an SDG which is near and dear to your heart; then nail it down to a tee.

E means Educate. The value of knowledge is multiplied when shared. Start by sharing what you have learned with those closest to you.

Talk about it over a family dinner, discuss it in your group chats, and post about it on your social media pages.

Seize every opportunity to talk to people about sustainability. In short, be empowered and then, go on to empower the rest of society.

Next, follow it through with the CLe: Communicate (C) and Lead (Le). You could talk to your neighbours, friends, family and schoolmates to brainstorm and champion projects.

At home, it could be as simple as inculcating the habit of “less is more” – a key principle of sustainability which is especially relevant in current times, where there is a widening gap between those who have enough or more, and those who can only dream of having it.

Ask yourself: where do you draw the line between wants and needs? Can we pledge to give away what we know we don’t need?

At the community level, organise recycling challenges, donation drives, upcycling workshops and gardening clubs – these are just a few suggestions in a sea of options.

In today’s digital age, youths can spark sustainability by engaging with people online, rolling out challenges, petitions and fundraisers to encourage each other to live a more sustainable life with reduced wastage.

Let us emulate a group of Brazilian youths who began supercharging sustainability in their country amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic hit, the group named Youth Action Hub Curitiba focused on raising awareness of basic concepts of sustainability and educating students to be agents of change on pressing global issues.

When a nationwide lockdown was imposed, the group of changemakers continued to raise awareness through livestreams and online talks, promoting youth-led innovation to address community problems.

The group has also begun nurturing Sustainability Ambassadors to spread sustainability as far and wide as possible.

Taking inspiration from the Brazilians, here’s my call to action for the youths of Malaysia: Let us not wait for someone else to plant the seed of sustainability; let us rise to the challenge of playing a part for our beloved nation.

Jaskirat is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. Throughout the year-long programme, participants aged between 14 and 22 from all across the country experience life as journalists, contributing ideas, conducting interviews, and completing writing assignments. They get to earn bylines, attend workshops, and extend their social networks. To join Star-NiE’s online youth community, go to facebook.com/niebrats.

1. Read an article on this page. Look for 10 words that stand out for you. Cut them out and paste them in your Star-NiE scrapbook. Be careful not to cut out other words. Now, get your activity partner to fill in the blanks in the article. How many words did he or she get right? There may be instances where other words can be used as replacements. If you aren’t sure of the usage, check with your English language teacher.

2. Pick a headline from this page. Cut it out and paste it in your Star-NiE scrapbook. Then, look for pictures in The Star newspaper that can go with the headline. When you are done, present your work to your activity partner. Did he or she agree with your choices?

Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Through Star-NiE’s teacher and student workshops, annual contests and monthly English language resources for classroom use, participants of the programme reportedly showed marked interest in the language and progress in their proficiency. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. These activities are suitable for use individually and in groups, at home and in the classroom, across varied proficiency levels. Parents and teachers are encouraged to work on the activities with their children and students. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email [e-mail].