Fadhil Yunus
The Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Youth Empowerment Summit (BIBD YES!) came to a close yesterday, with the participating youth being given a rare opportunity to network and share their experiences with a panel of government ministers at the BIBD YES! Closing Dinner.
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, in his capacity as Chairman of BIBD and its Group of Companies; Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar; Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof; and 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 were present.
Throughout the event, participants shared their takeaways and learnings from the two-day summit as well as their aspirations for the future of Brunei Darussalam.
Prior to the event, the ministers joined the participants on a 2.2-kilometre Fun Run starting at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge in Kampong Sungai Kebun.
BIBD Chief Marketing Officer Hajah Nurul Akmar binti Haji Mohd Jaafar urged the youth to take up the baton and lead the way ahead, saying, “BIBD has always been dedicated to be a ‘Partner in Progress’ for the nation. Through our corporate social responsibility (CSR) pillars of education, entrepreneurship and community, we have continued to support programmes to ensure that all of the youth in Brunei have equal opportunities to success, regardless of their background.
“It is hoped that the discussions and deliberations that took place throughout BIBD YES! will be a catalyst, lighting a spark that will allow our youth to pursue their passions and generate opportunities to address the issues that Brunei Darussalam is facing.”
BIBD YES! is the first summit of its kind in Brunei that combines both physical and virtual participation by both speakers and delegates. It was simultaneously broadcast to 24 different schools to hundreds of students, while more than 300 students physically attending at the Jerudong International School (JIS) Arts Centre.
The two-day summit consisted of plenary sessions with 50 different speakers, ranging from Brunei-based speakers and international speakers, speaking about topics that highlighted 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.
BIBD YES! is led by BIBD as the host sponsor, while Progresif the platinum sponsor. CIC Environmental Services and Total E&P Borneo BV were gold sponsors, and Brunei LNG the silver sponsor. The event was 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.