KOTA KINABALU: The BRIGHT Project Youth Awareness Programme, an outreach project held in SK Penampang on Wednesday (3 March 2023), was organized by student leaders from University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) and supervised by UCSF academic staff (FNSS & CLGD).
It was organized in collaboration with SK Penampang, 1StopBorneo (NGO), Sabah Wildlife Department, and Nature Inspiration Art Gallery (NIAG).
The event was sponsored by FNSS (UCSF), Botanicals Sdn. Bhd., Journey with Dee Dee, and other individual donations. BRIGHT stands for ‘Bring Great Hands Together.’
The programme’s primary objective was to approach primary school students and spread awareness, give exposure, educate, and inspire them.
Awareness of the importance of conservation and protection of nature and wildlife was still lacking in the younger generation.
Primary school children in Sabah were rarely exposed to these kinds of topics, and it was important to start instilling sustainable values in children as part of their education.
“In light of unsustainable societal development since the industrial revolution, we as a society are facing the serious existential crisis of global climate change and ecosystem destruction,” said Vice Chancellor of UCSF, Dr Rafiq Idris.
“If these unsustainable practices continue as they were, many parts of the world will be uninhabitable by the end of the century and many of the provisional and support services we take for granted provided by the ecosystem will no longer be available,” he said.
The future of the world was in danger, and so are future generations.
” Hitherto, most nations in the world have agreed to meet the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in order to build a better, sustainable future,”
said Dr Rafiq.
The BRIGHT Project aimed to tackle three of these goals, Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 15: Life on Land, and Goal 17: Partnership of the Goals.
The target audience of the project were primary 3-6 pupils from SK Penampang.
Introductory remarks were given by Mr. Loisin Bin Gompul, the headmaster of SK Penampang, and Mr. Ibrahem Ghani Wasti, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Science and Sustainability.
Educational booths by 1StopBorneo, Sabah Wildlife Department, and NIAG were present in which students were able to interact with the booth personnel and learn about the importance of protecting wildlife and the amazing biodiversity of species in Sabah.
Siti Nur’aain Ampuan Acheh from Sabah Wildlife Department lead the morning of the event, educating the students about 5R Hidupan Liar.
The afternoon session was lead by 1StopBoneo, in which a tree planting session was conducted alongside a symbolic plaque installation.
The day ended with closing remarks by Project Leader and UCSF student, Diedre Julius Kulip and then a handing over of souvenirs.
The principal of SK Penampang, Mr. Loisin, expressed his gratitude and interest in continued collaborations with UCSF in the future.
On another note, the Vice Chancellor of UCSF, Dr Rafiq Idris said, UCSF always encourages students of UCSF to take part in social and community activities.-pr/BNN
