James Kon
The two-day BIBD Youth Empowerment Summit (YES!) kicked off yesterday with His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen calling for the youth to become leaders and make immediate positive impacts for the development of the nation.
During an opening ceremony at Jerudong International School (JIS), His Royal Highness officiated the ‘Passing of the Baton’ to a selected representative of the youth, a BIBD ALAF student symbolising and echoing the event’s theme, ‘It’s Your Turn!’.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, who is also Chairman of BIBD and its Group of Companies, in his welcoming remarks expressed gratitude for His Royal Highness’ support and active interest in the youth’s role and aspirations to steer them as future leaders.
He also called for the youth to build resilience and make an impact, and underscored the importance of driving progress while staying rooted to our Bruneian values of Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB).
The minister also reminded the youth to align their initiatives towards the Smart Nation 2035 as we prepare for the digitised ecosystem.
After the opening ceremony, His Royal Highness toured the BIBD YES! 2020 Exhibition, titled ‘Youth Making An Impact’ covering themes such as Smart City, Sports, Education and Food Security, which showed students’ innovative ideas in contributing to the progress of the country’s future.
Students from several schools – Cosmopolitan College of Commerce and Technology, Institute Brunei of Technical Education, International School Brunei, JIS, Kemuda Institute, Micronet International College and Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna Secondary School – showcased their work.
BIBD ALAF students were also given the opportunity to showcase items such as drone technologies, Micro:Bit coding devices and a 3D-printed model city. The ALAF students also presented a 3D-printed Apache Gunship Helicopter model to His Royal Highness as a pesambah.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin was also present at the opening ceremony.
Representatives from the government and private sector, special guests, along with 300 youth participants from 32 schools nationwide also participated.
BIBD YES! is led by BIBD as the host sponsor while Progresif is the Platinum Sponsor. CIC Environmental Services and Total E&P Borneo BV were the Gold Sponsors, and Brunei LNG the Silver Sponsor. The event is organised by Curious Mind, endorsed by Brunei Tourism Board, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Education, and supported by Young Entrepreneur Association Brunei, Global Shapers and Young Professional Network Brunei.
The two-day summit consist of plenary sessions with 50 different speakers, ranging from Brunei-based speakers and international speakers, speaking about topics highlighting the power that the youth holds, further strengthening the need to empower the youth’s mindsets. BIBD YES! featured 41 prominent local speakers and nine international panellists dialling in live via Zoom from Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Hungary. The virtual presence of the speakers allowed students to view the topics they approached through a global lens.
The summit also had 27 breakout sessions adopting a more proactive approach on learning, with on-site classes that gave students a fresher perspective through topics such as Arts, Career, Technology and Fitness.
Some of the breakout sessions were conducted in locations such as Tasek Lama, where participants connected with nature; Jab Gym and Fitness Zone, and students got the chance to explore the unique sides of fitness, and even explored their creative sides at Laksamana College of Business, Mahakarya Institute of Arts Asia and Relentless Academy of Performing Arts.
BIBD YES! is the first summit of its kind in Brunei Darussalam that combines physical and virtual participation by speakers and delegates. It was simultaneously broadcast to 24 different schools to hundreds of students, with more than 300 students physically attending at the JIS Arts Centre.
The summit is a testament to the community’s demonstration of support, commitment and solidarity in rooting for the success of the future generation. This is demonstrated by the 37 different partners and supporters for the event, comprising of government departments, private sector sponsors, personal benefactors as well as other supporting organisations.