SEALNET 2009

Message forwarded from a friend:

It would be beneficial for those who are looking for opportunities to volunteer in the Southeast Asia Region.

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Projects

The application for our 2009 projects is currently open. For more information on policies, procedures, and requirements, please see the FAQ page.

SEALNet will conduct 8 projects during the summer of 2009. The projects were selected by the SEALNet Board of Directors based on proposals submitted to SEALNet in November. We will conduct the following projects this year:

Cambodia (Arts) (10 August - 25 August)
Cambodia (Volunteerism) (16 August - 28 August)
Indonesia (28 June - 11 July)
Laos (21 August - 3 September)
Malaysia (30 May - 13 June)
The Philippines (23 August - 6 September)
Thailand (22 August - 4 September)
Vietnam (24 August - 6 September)

Our summer service leadership projects are the primary vehicle for SEALNet. We led six exciting projects during the summer of 2008 and to date, we have completed 15 projects total between Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Applications for general team members are now open (as of 12:00AM Monday March 2, 2009). You may also donate to SEALNet, or get involved in other ways. If you have any questions, you can contact us at contact 'at' sealnetonline.org

SEALNet would also like to announce our new program, the SEALNet fellowship. The fellowship is open to past project participants. Please click here for more information on this program!

Cambodia (Arts)

When: Monday 10 August 2009 – Tuesday 25 August 2009
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Project Cambodia 2009 (PC09) aims to help renew interest in traditional Cambodian performing arts through the production of two outreach concerts in Phnom Penh. PC09, partnered with Cambodian Living Arts, hopes to innovate the presentation of traditional Cambodian dance and storytelling by incorporating elements of other contemporary performing arts styles. In creating a very dynamic program, the production will particularly appeal to youth and overall provide greater access to exciting arts for the wider community. We envision the establishment of the first annual youth concert in Phnom Penh and celebration of traditional Cambodian arts, which is independently owned by Cambodian youth of diverse social backgrounds.

Cambodia (Volunteerism)

When: Sunday 16 August 2009 - Friday 28 August 2009
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The only dumpsite in Phnom Penh, Steng Meanchey, bears witness to the destruction in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide. Here, a large number of street children live under conditions of chronic poverty, rampant disease, a torn social fabric and lack access to healthcare and hygiene facilities. The Center for Children's Happiness (CCH), our partner, seeks to empower these children by affording them an education and with that a chance to break out of the cruel cycle of poverty. However, long-term sponsorship is elusive, and the immense challenges present necessitate greater volunteer involvement. Our project will address these concerns by boosting publicity and outreach efforts, and integrating the concept of service into the local high school scene to promote long-term volunteerism. We will also work on strengthening the educational programs via the creation of a comprehensive curriculum package for language and computer skill instruction.

Indonesia

When: Sunday 28 June 2009 - Saturday 11 July 2009
Location: Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia

The SEALNet team aims to reduce the high incidence of diarrhea and improve the health condition of the population in the Makassar region, Indonesia, by tackling the issue of water safety. In Indonesia, a large percentage of the population lives without access to clean water even in a big city such as Makassar, the capital of the Sulawesi Island. Together with the local high school and university students, the SEALNet team hopes to contribute to water quality improvement through the provision of related education and physical construction.

Laos

When: Friday 21 August 2009 - Thursday 3 September 2009
Location: Xieng Khouang, Laos

Our stake is “Ton Ka – Growing the Future.” “Ton ka” is Laos for “a young sapling,” but “ton” means “root,” while “ka” means “courage.” We want to plant the courage for entrepreneurship in the hearts of the students in a free English school in Xieng Khoung, where it will take root and grow into a full-fledged social entrepreneurial project. Like a mature tree that provides shade for people, the students’ project will benefit their community, as well as supplement the money needed to run the English school. We also want to improve the way English is being taught at the school so that each student has a better command of English, which will help them achieve their higher education goals.

Malaysia

When: Saturday 30 May 2009 – Saturday 13 June 2009
Location: Kuala Selangor, Malaysia

Project Malaysia 2009 aims to inspire local youths to become service leaders in their communities and to address the growing environmental issues in Malaysia. The project will be held in Kuala Selangor, where eco-tourism plays a vital role in the livelihoods of its people. Through a variety of hands-on environmental activities (e.g. mangrove planting, water quality monitoring) and volunteer work with the Malaysian Nature Society, we hope to spark the students’ interest in continuing environmental-related work in the future.

The Philippines

When: Sunday 23 August 2009 - Sunday 6 September 2009
Location: Cebu, Philippines

Unsafe water, inadequate availability of water for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation has given rise to a high prevalence of gastrointestinal worms in the Philippines. It is estimated that a child in the Philippines has a 70 percent chance of becoming infected with gastrointestinal worms, making them that much more susceptible to poor physical and mental development. The future of the Philippines being with its children, thus it is important to attack the problem of high worm prevalence. Project Philippines 2009 aims to reduce the number of worm infections in the Philippines by bringing college and high school students together to develop and implement an educational campaign. Our hope is that our actions improve the quality of life in the Philippines.

Thailand

When: Saturday 22 August 2009 – Friday 4 September 2009
Location: Lampang, Thailand

In the Thai education system, because of rote memorization learning, students experience a decrease of interest in learning and a lack of preparations for the problem-solving skills and flexibility demanded in future jobs. Our team will collaborate with teachers and teach students with the active learning teaching style by engaging students in activities that require critical thinking, discussion, and problem-solving. In addition, we will foster an environment for students to do active learning by renovating the library and assigning them a project on solving the community illiteracy. This project will not only train students with important learning skills that can be applied in their careers, but also inspire them to lead their community in solving the literacy problem.

Vietnam

When: Sunday 24 August 2009 – Sunday 6 September 2009
Location: Ha Noi, Vietnam

Hanoi’s recent rapid development has resulted in increased consumer consumption and waste generation. However, due to a lack of public awareness, garbage is commonly seen strewn along the streets. In face of the current situation, SEALNET Project Vietnam 2009 plans to work with 3R Hanoi to empower local students to tackle the growing garbage problem in their community and equip them with the necessary skills to expand their own influence.

Chocolates Chocolates and more chocolates

Like chocolates? Hate chocolates? Want to have your thoughts heard?
Now you can!

My management class group is conducting a survey for a project and we would like to have your input.

The best thing is.....it just takes a minute or two!

The link is embedded below:

Chocolate Survey (please click here) =)

Thanks! And I can assure you that your thoughts are priceless!

its registration again!

Gosh, it's already registration time for 2009-2010 courses! Time flies...

Najib says.....

Something caught my eye this afternoon while waiting at the Securities Industries Institute Program in Huntsman.

I was reading the Financial Times and Najib made an extremely rare appearance on the premier 3rd page today!


It was reported that Najib said:

1. M'sia will not achieve firm recovery until 2011!
2. M'sia will look to model a new economic system by emphasizing more on service export rather than manufacturing.
3. NEP will be gradually reduced!


Point 1 is very realistic and pragmatic. Point 2 is easier said than done and I'm wondering if Msia has the capacity to do that. Point 3 is absurd, to say the very least and the Star, no surprise here, has a very watered-down version of the article: DPM favours gradual reform of pro-Malay policy of helping the poor today.


Below is the article reproduced from the Financial Times.

Malaysia expects little recovery until 2011

By John Burton in Kuala Lumpur

Published: March 11 2009 23:34 | Last updated: March 11 2009 23:34

Malaysia is unlikely to achieve a firm recovery in growth until 2011, Najib Razak, the country’s finance minister, said on Wednesday.

But he said the country would use the downturn to form a “new economic model” focused on services rather than manufacturing,.

Mr Najib, who is expected to become Malaysia’s prime minister on March 31, said his goal was to increase the service sector to 70 per cent of gross domestic product, from54 per cent, in an effort to establish “a knowledge-based economy” that would be less reliant on manufactured exports.

“This is part of the transformation of the Malaysian economy. Services offer tremendous scope for growth,” Mr Najib told the Financial Times in a rare interview with a foreign publication a day after he published a M$60bn ($16bn, €13bn, £12bn) stimulus package to prevent the economy sinking into a deep recession. The government forecasts growth between 1 per cent and minus 1 per cent for 2009.

Malaysia has one of the world’s most trade-dependent economies and the global recession underscores the need to make changes in tits economic structure, Mr Najib said.

Manufactured goods now account for 72.5 per cent of total exports against 14.8 per cent for services.

Mr Najib identified Islamic financial services as an important area for growth. Malaysia has the world’s biggest Islamic bond market when interest in Islamic finance is growing as an alternative to western capitalist models.

The country also wants to expand healthcare by attracting more foreign patients and to become a regional centre for education and eco-tourism.

Mr Najib hopes to focus more on high-value-added manufacturing in electronics, biotechnology and green technology. “We can no longer rely on cheap labour as a basis for our manufacturing,” he said.

Malaysia intends to reduce its dependence on its traditional export markets in the west, such as the US, by expanding trade links with south-east Asia, India, the Middle East and China.

Mr Najib said he favoured gradual reform of the government’s policy of preferential treatment of the ethnic Malay majority population to help support economic restructuring.

The policy, introduced by his father as prime minister in the early 1970s, has been attacked for creating an inefficient economy based on ethnic politics that have put the country’s Chinese and Indian minorities at a disadvantage.

The finance minister said: “We must accept policies that are attuned to the changing times”.

But he added: “We cannot have too drastic a move until people are ready for it”, in apparent reference to the widespread support that the pro-Malay policy enjoys in the United Malays National Organisation, the dominant party in the governing coalition that has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957. Mr Najib is poised to become Umno leader as well as prime minister in late March.

As part of the easing of the pro-Malay policy, Mr Najib suggested that rules on foreign investment in the services sector would be relaxed. Foreign investors are required at present to have ethnic Malay shareholders in such industries as financial services.

Mr Najib said the pro-Malay policy had successfully raised living standards for the majority population but he acknowledged that some mistakes had been made in implementation. He said he favoured a return to his father’s original vision of improving conditions for the poor of all ethnic groups, not only Malays.

Mr Najib’s stance on the issue could undercut support for the recently resurgent opposition, led by Anwar Ibrahim. The opposition made a similar argument in attracting ethnic minority voters last year when it increased its parliamentary representation and captured several state governments for the first time.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

A meeting under a tree!

"11.20am: Nizar to seek audience with Sultan Azlan Shah to ask for dissolution of Perak state assembly as soon as the documents from Tuesday’s emergency sitting under a tree in a vacant lot is completed."


I believe it's a first for Malaysia. An Emergency Meeting under a rain tree!