LocationsIn conjunction with International Youth Day, Kar Marn Chin, UNDP Malaysia’s Digital Communications Associate and UN Volunteer shares her experience and insights gained from participating in Movers Programme workshops.
Young People Moving to Make a Difference
August 16, 2024
Written by Chin Kar Marn (Katelyn), Digital Communications Associate UNV
What is the Movers Programme?
Before we go in, you might ask what is the Movers Programme? The Movers Programme is a regional movement of volunteers, applying the training-of-trainer approach and working with community partners to target harder-to-reach groups. The movement supports the objective of the Youth Empowerment Portfolio in Asia and the Pacific to Leave No Youth Behind.
The programme aims to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), build entrepreneurial mindsets, and develop 21st century skills by organising and facilitating Movers Workshops in their community. Besides the SDGs, the programme also focuses on personal development such as storytelling, leadership, building a LinkedIn profile, the skills to find your dream job, etc.
The programme aims to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), build entrepreneurial mindsets, and develop 21st century skills by organising and facilitating Movers Workshops in their community.
UNDP in Asia Pacific
After attending workshops based on the topics they are interested in, young people can conduct workshops in their communities, and they also have the chance to connect with other young people around the Asia- Pacific who share the same passion in building a community. The programme is open to young people between 18 and 35 years old, and they can either can participate in a workshop or even host one – it’s called the “train the trainer” module.
Now that we know what the programme is about, let’s look at the topics that the Movers Programme has to offer! Here are the workshops that were memorable to me (my top list!):
Leadership in Action Level 1: Chinese version
17 March 2024
This session aimed to understand what leadership means, explore self-awareness, and inspire people to join the leadership fold.
During the session, Liu Kaiwen – a youth guest speaker of the topic, shared her tips and tricks on leadership. She highlighted that leadership doesn’t have to be big or in a high position, it can be anything – from being elected as a class monitor, librarian, prefect, or even a group leader in assignment or projects.
Being a leader is all about taking the first step, being a good listener, and having empathy towards others. Besides that, leadership is all about taking risks and that takes courage to take that big leap. Another thing that really caught my eye was the importance of learning languages because it can take us anywhere, especially when we know how to communicate with the locals.
The Movers China Camp is held every year in June.
UNDP China
A Green Career Path: Introduction to Green Jobs
22 March 2024
As part of #Movers4Climate, a joint pathway of Movers Programme and Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP), I hosted a workshop on ‘Introduction to Green Jobs and Just Transition’ together with Thuong Pham (Jules), Communications Consultant and Patricia Noa Limpoco (Pepper), Youth Engagement Consultant, at UNDP Asia-Pacific.
The session aimed to explore the concept of green jobs, build youth capacity in climate action, raise awareness of green career pathways, and connect like-minded young people.
Examples of green entrepreneurship include Carbon Addons, based in Indonesia and founded by Mohammad Naufal; In terms of greening jobs, Maria Pellosis, a primary school educator, integrates lessons on green issues into education. Regarding green careers, Lameya Alam, a YECAP Fellowship Coordinator and Youth Environmental Living Labs (YELL) Project Coordinator during her time at UNDP Malaysia, worked to build a community of youth climate leaders and promote meaningful youth participation.
The question you might ask: Where to start a green job? Begin by understanding your goals, values, and dreams. Don’t hesitate to meet people who are already in green jobs; they can provide valuable tips and tricks to help you start and grow your journey. An easy way to get involved is by facilitating a green job workshop.
Like any other jobs, green jobs allow us to contribute in our own ways, fostering ideas for future generations.
Movers China Online Training
6 June 2024
In conjunction with the Movers China’s yearly Movers Camp held in Beijing, 85 Movers from China were selected to join this training programme to start their Movers journey. This online training aimed to provide participants with insights on the Movers topics and learn from experiences from seasoned Movers.
During this session, I shared on my Movers journey, and it was my first time delivering a sharing session fully in Chinese with China’s budding movers! It’s not all about the number of people joining the workshops but rather whether the message on the SDGs reaches people and makes a difference in their community. Besides that, joining The Movers Programme also connects young people in the Asia Pacific region, which leads to lifelong friendships – we are one big family!
Linka, who is also known to be a Movers Cheerleader, then shared about her journey in the UN – from translation work to stepping into the real thing with UNDP for six years! She encouraged the Movers to know the direction they are heading towards to and never forget the first initial intention (不忘初心).
She and Changming, Youth Engagement Assistant in Green Economy and Just Transition at UNDP in Asia-Pacific, shared about YECAP, which is a platform for young people to meaningfully engage in climate advocacy across the region. They also shared about the newly launched Skill our Future platform where we can find all skills pertaining from LinkedIn profile, build up to leadership skills as a Movers Cheerleader, then shared a whole lot more courses we can choose from. After each course, participants will receive an e-certificate upon completion.
How to join the Movers Programme?
I joined the Movers Programme during the pandemic and the rest is history. You too can join the Movement with us!
Follow the Movers Programme on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn as SDG Youth (SDG 青年) on WeChat - for those who are based in China. You can also follow other programmes under the Movers Programmes too:
“Take the first step even before you are ready” – a quote from Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.
If we are passionate about the SDGs, why not #JointheMovement and take the leap to start the Movers Journey? We will be leading the way to reach the Sustainable Development Goals in no time!
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