Chay: Even the smallest, tangible changes are capable of making a difference in people’s lives.
“IF you had the opportunity to give back to your community and put a smile on a child’s face, why not take it?” said Benjamin Chay Wen Jun, urging more youths to play a role in advocacy work.
When presented with the chance to do just that through Unicef’s Young Leaders Programme (YLP) two years ago, the Kuala Lumpur youth seized it and has never looked back since.
Having recently graduated from the pioneer programme in which he was among 45 participants chosen from a pool of 200 applicants in 2021, the 18-year-old is even more determined to advocate for children’s welfare.
And he is just as intent on cultivating the advocacy spirit among his peers.
Next month, the Foundation in Science student at International Medical College will be conducting a three-day “Unicef Youth Advocacy Training” aimed at nurturing aspiring youth advocates and assisting them in enhancing their advocacy and project management skills.
His commitment to advocacy work, he said, is a result of the values he received from young, chief of which is the importance of responsibility.
“I’ve always been taught to be responsible not just for my own actions and myself, but also for my family, classmates and community,” he told StarEdu.
This strong sense of responsibility, coupled with his belief in building a “cohesive environment to strive in”, saw him leading the mental health component of a six-month pilot outreach programme that was run bi-weekly from March to August this year.
Applying the theoretical knowledge imparted to them in their first year of the YLP, Chay and his team organised workshops for B40 children at Apartment Idaman in Damansara Damai.
Aimed at building mental resilience, the workshops involved the children in a number of activities, including art therapy.Chay said through the months-long outreach work, he became more aware of various underlying issues affecting children from B40 families, such as the deprivation of parental attention, their self-harm tendencies, and their lack of access to quality education.
“Our experience in voicing our concerns to the children’s residential management body made me realise the need for us to use our voice to speak up about issues and communicate equitable approaches,” he said. The outreach programme was just one of many initiatives that Chay has taken on to promote children’s welfare.
Among the milestones he has achieved included presenting a budget proposal to representatives of the Finance Ministry in August last year with the hope of creating a safe space for marginalised children in low-income communities in People’s Housing Projects (PPRs) and directing a Unicef Young Leaders Showcase event.
He said conducting the workshop at International Medical University next month is his way of paying it forward as he would be applying the knowledge he had gained at the “Unicef Youth-Led Action Initiative Regional Workshop” held at the Unicef East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand, last September.
“It’s important that we instil advocacy in everyone. “Advocacy is not a destination; it is a journey.
The most immediate action would be to read about social concerns, understand the severity of issues and then tie your concept of advocacy to your respective communities.
“It starts with pure participation in community service, and as you progress to the higher levels, you ask the right questions, meet the people who have done work in various fields, become well-versed in your own niche, and ultimately become the engine that drives your advocacy forward for the causes you believe in,” he said.
Conceding that advocacy demands a high level of commitment, the Victoria Institution alumnus who received the title “Victorian of the Year” from his alma mater last October said he had to consistently draw a clear line between his academics and extracurricular work throughout the past two years.
Besides being a Unicef Young Leader, he had served as his school’s Red Crescent Society president, editorial board vice president and prefect board secretary, and scored straight As in his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.
“It was certainly stressful, but when you genuinely want to help people, everything follows. “Even the smallest, tangible changes are capable of making a difference in people’s lives. Whenever you feel lost in advocacy, you must always return to your ‘why’,” he said.
On how he plans to take his passion for advocacy further, Chay said he envisions becoming either a psychiatrist or paediatrician committed to ensuring continuous protection in children’s mental health.
“I definitely see myself continuing to advocate in hospitals and clinics, and hopefully one day be able to institutionalise mental health support and paediatric support within government frameworks,” he said. To beginner youth advocates,
Chay said a starting point would be to “look at all corners” for institutions which provide relevant platforms such as community service clubs, as well as internship opportunities at charity organisations, before gradually branching out to create new platforms of their own.
“There may be clashes in ideologies and there may be times when your perseverance is pushed to the limit. “It’s not about the ‘you versus me’, but about the ‘we’,” he concluded.
Li Lian, 18, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.
For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
Now that you have read the article, test your understanding by carrying out the following English language activities.
1 Is there a cause you would advocate for? What is it and why is it important to you? How would you advocate for your cause? Tell your friends about it.
2 Imagine that you were Chay. Prepare a one-minute speech urging youths to take part in advocacy work. You may use parts of his quotes from the article in your script. When you’re done, deliver the speech to your friends.
The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme promotes the use of English language in primary and secondary schools nationwide.
For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@thestar.com.my.
