Najib wants youths to make change in a productive way

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called on youths who are willing to make change to do it in a productive way. He said those who want to make change by taking to the streets should know whether it makes their country better or creates a favourable outcome. Najib was launching the first international 1Malaysia for Youth (iM4U) outreach centre at Rumah Malaysia here Tuesday night. He said the opening of the centre, with the collaboration of the United Kingdom Eire (Ireland) Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC), in London was another landmark achievement for iM4U. Najib, who is chairman of the iM4U Board of Trustees, said that to help kickstart the collaboration between UKEC and iM4U, a grant of 10,000 pounds (RM48,234) from iM4Us DRe1M Fund would be used for the first 10 outreach initiatives. "Students in the UK may apply for the fund via the Malaysian students society in their respective universities or directly through the UKEC," he said. Najib said he hoped that iM4U would be the beginning of a huge movement that could make a difference with change for the better in society and the country. "When iM4U was created, I dreamt that the organisation would be big. I dreamt that iM4U would go global. I dreamt that one day the youth of this country and others will join hands in the name of service above self to help not just one another but also the community at large," he said. He said that on that day, flamed by youthful idealism, the people of Malaysia and other countries would stand united in working towards an ideal bigger than themselves, to embody in them the spirit of volunteerism. Since its launch last year, iM4U has 100,000 registered members and, with the collaboration with UKEC, it gained an additional 17,000 members, including 2,000 in Ireland, he said. Najib said iM4Us collaboration with UKEC would increase positive interaction between Malaysian students in the UK and those studying locally through participation in volunteer projects. "From my knowledge, UKEC has been organising summer holiday programmes in Malaysia for its members through its UKECares unit and I hope to build synergy between the two organisations to push the spirit of volunteerism further," he said. Najib said the international centre was set up following numerous requests from youths and the UKEC, and this showed that Malaysian youths studying abroad were on the right path in promoting the spirit of volunteerism and community development. "The iM4U expansion will not end in the UK. In fact, plans are underway to open more outreach centres internationally, in countries like Egypt, Indonesia, Australia and the United States," he said. For iM4u, the sky is the limit, he said and expressed the hope that the management of iM4U back in Malaysia had plans to push the spirit of volunteerism even further with the most engaging and dynamic activities. Najib also announced that the iM4U Mobile application would be launched on July 21. It is seen as the first step in building the volunteer eco-system on a community-based platform where volunteers can customise their initiatives and network with other like-minded individuals. The application will reward volunteers based on the number of volunteer activities they participate in. Rewards can range from concert tickets to new smart phones.