Melaka — 6 August 2019 — SM Imtiaz Yayasan Terengganu Kemaman has been announced here today as the champion of Yayasan PETRONAS’ Sentuhan Harapan – All About Youth (AAY) 2019 programme, bringing an exciting end to the eleven weeks of hard work by participating students from the school.
It was a close finish for 100 students from Form 2 and Form 4 of five secondary schools representing State finalists from Johor, Melaka, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu, who presented environmental solutions based on the theme “Reducing Carbon Emissions for a Better Future”.
Led by presenters Nur Farah Ismahani Mohd Faizal and Muhammad Hilmi Mohd Nazi during the final judging held at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC), the school won over the judges with its project titled “CO2NCER” and took home RM20,000 in prize money for its winning entry. “CO2NCER” is a detection and warning system to prevent the spread of forest fire. The winners were amongst 1,000 students who participated in the competition this year.
The Ministry of Education’s Director of Educational Planning and Research division Dr Ahmad Rafee Che Kassim said youths today will face the more severe impact of climate change and yet also stand to benefit from the technology revolution as a result of the issue.
“I am heartened to note that the students participating in AAY have embraced the seriousness of the issue and have developed viable solutions to benefit their community. This should propel them to take the lead in climate action locally, nationally and globally as we shape a more sustainable future,” he said.
Yayasan PETRONAS CEO Lita Osman said AAY offers the opportunity to showcase not only an idea but solutions to unearth creative and innovative solutions for the benefit of society.
“Through AAY, the students’ experiment, innovate and collaborate for real-life sustainable solutions. The judges were impressed at how the teams applied science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to create a better future. The teams have transformed their ideas into practical solutions, and we look forward to the teams refining their solutions and roll it out nationwide,” she continued.
Lead presenter Nur Farah shared her excitement and said: “We feel excited and blessed to have won. All our efforts paid off, and we are truly grateful for our buddies (PETRONAS volunteers) who guided and supported us throughout this journey. However, our work does not end here as we enhance “CO2NCER” further to compete at the Chairman’s Circle level.”
AAY focuses on driving social innovation, providing students with tools and techniques to create solutions which improve the well-being of society. AAY is also aimed at supporting the Government’s 60:40 target ratio of STEM enrolment as well as the country’s aspiration to reduce carbon emissions.
SMK Tebobon (Sabah) was named the first runner-up, taking home RM10,000 and SMK Tun Habab (Johor) emerged as the second runner-up with a prize of RM5,000. SMK St Francis (Melaka) and SMK Asyakirin (Sarawak) were awarded consolation prizes.
Following the AAY 2019 national finals, the five teams will once again compete among the 200 participating schools to take part in the Chairman’s Circle in December, that offers a grand prize of RM30,000. Selection will be based on projects that are most ready for commercialisation.
About AAY 2019
This year, 50 schools in five states – Johor, Melaka, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu – competed in AAY. Each team received RM1,000 seed funding, a Technology Toolbox worth RM1,250 and mentoring by PETRONAS volunteers to develop their project over eleven weeks.
Since 2014, AAY has reached more than 200 schools and 4,600 students. More than 150 PETRONAS volunteers or ‘buddies’ have nurtured, tutored and motivated participants. As a result, 200 impactful community projects have been successfully developed.
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