Penang, Malaysia—UPF held its 2017 Multicultural Youth Service (MCYS) project in Penang, Malaysia from May 5 to 9, 2017 in partnership with the Asia-Pacific University-Community Engagement Network (APUCEN), Penang Division’s Women’s Wing of the Malaysian People's Movement Party and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
A total of 94 young people from 10 different nations in Asia (Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) and the Middle East (Algeria, Yemen) participated in the five-day program whose theme was “Building Our Youth for Tomorrow.” Among the universities and colleges that were represented were the AK Academy (Pakistan), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, and Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) (Indonesia).
The main objective of the MCYS is to raise up young leaders to serve others for the well-being of our global human community. It fulfills this by offering service-learning opportunities with a special focus on developing personal leadership and peace-making skills.
The service project itself took place in Jalan Dinding, Georgetown, Penang and involved clearing waste, weeding, hacking an area of cement, and painting murals on the exterior walls of several buildings.
Also during the program, the volunteers visited Batu Ferringhi Beach in Penang; shared their cultures through dances and songs they performed; and participated in the Multicultural Youth Assembly at USM.
At the closing ceremony, which took place during the Multicultural Youth Assembly, each participant received a certificate, which was presented to them by Ambassador for Peace, Mr. A. Kohlian Pillay, vice president of the Malaysian People’s Movement Party (Gerakan).