MYD 2018 Retreat Reflection – Sharun Beream Nasir

by admin | Jul 1, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018

The Malaysian Youth Delegation hosted the annual Retreat at EPIC Collective over the weekend of the 28th and 29th April 2018. New members were asked to reflect the activities they took part in, what they learned along the way, and what they took away from the experience. Here’s what our new members had to say:

Sharun Beream Nasir

By Sharun Beream Nasir

The  retreat  event began  with some introduction  on what the Malaysian Youth   Delegation stands and strives  for. Then, we were filled in with  more information on the other organisations  that were striving for the similar aim as well  such as YOUNGO and CAN. Through this session  I  was  exposed  to the efforts that  were being  put in order  to  achieve  climate justice  globally and especially through  the voice of youths.  

Moving  on, we had  a talk by a  WWF representative   who briefed us on the  current state of Malaysia’s  environmental policies and shared  her experience when she attended the  UNFCCC conference. The talk was an insightful  session for me, as I learned a lot of information  and had the opportunity to understand the perspectives  of different stakeholders regarding the climate issues and  negotiations. Throughout the talk, some of the key issues that act as barriers  in achieving the solution to mitigate climate change were discussed. The barriers include  having too many policies, but less framework that results into a less effective implementation  of those policies. Other than that, setting the wrong parameters such as the GDP to measure the  progress of climate change mitigation in a country is of yet another flaw.

After  that, we had a talk from a representative of the CETDEM company.  The talk introduced efforts  that are being taken in order  to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions  in Malaysia by providing the required technology  to the TENAGA Berhad company. Last but not least,  the day was ended with a great documentary that spurred  the spirit in us to make this Malaysian Youth Delegation journey   more meaningful and successful.

On  the next  day, we had  a long talk on  the history of UNFCCC  where I gained new knowledge  on the happenings at a global  scale when it comes to negotiations  between countries. Here we were introduced  to the role of global north and global south  countries and the progress of climate policies that  were either ratified or have failed to be ratified. After  that, we had several talks on the experiences of the MYD youth  delegators at the last UNFCCC conference. Through the talk I learnt of  the hardships and endurance that many individuals had to go through in making  the conference a beneficial and productive meeting in the end.

Till  this date,  we still do not have a  strong commitment to combat  climate change be it at global  or regional scale although the threshold  of not exceeding a further 1.5°C of global  warming is now approaching us at an alarming  state. According to what I have learned, climate  change is believed to be a wicked problem as the  issue is acknowledged by almost everyone, but the response  toward it being rather dim because it is not considered to be  as alarming as other natural disasters such as tsunamis or hurricanes.  The ‘short-­sightedness’ in people to foresee this now approaching calamity  is to be blamed on our society. Regardless of all the available information that keep reminding the human nation to act towards the combat against climate change,  many of us are unfortunately, choosing to stay heedless.

Since the  anthropogenic  activities in 1800s,  we are now left with  a tight carbon budget that  will certainly not sustain for  any longer with the current greenhouse  gas emission that we are putting out. However, by looking at the efforts being put in by nowadays  youth by taking part in major conferences such as the UNFCCC, it has really proved to me that we are determined  to make a change by taking part in the climate justice journey.  

MYD 2018 Retreat Reflection – Weng Dee

by admin | Jul 1, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018

The Malaysian Youth Delegation hosted the annual Retreat at EPIC Collective over the weekend of the 28th and 29th April 2018. New members were asked to reflect the activities they took part in, what they learned along the way, and what they took away from the experience. Here’s what our new members had to say:

Weng Dee

By Weng Dee

Making the decision to send in my application for MYD was a last minute decision which I’ve not come to regret. Attending the retreat was eye-opening in terms of gaining new knowledge about policies, and of myself. I’ve come a long way from the person I was a year or two ago in terms of my ability to interact with people and speak up but counterintuitively, when surrounded in a room full of people with the similar drive to tackle the same cause I find myself nervous? Intimidated?

I don’t know. What I know after the retreat is that I still feel very reserved when it comes to speaking strongly on a view I hold, partly due to the fact that I know that we are very rarely objectively right about something and also because I’m an awkward turtle. But it was amazing to meet so many amazing new people with at least one commonality between us all.

This sounds a little bit pessimistic perhaps, but my interest in learning about policy and being involved in making change happen on a higher organizational level is in part due to a strong belief (subject to change) that individuals are not able to change at a pace quick enough to solve the urgent environmental (and other) issues we face.

I fully support grassroots activism and taking individual action in response to these problems. I know the common words of encouragement is that “every person makes a difference” and I myself say these words in effort to convince others to pick up a greener habit. However I think that the value of taking personal action is in living more aligned with our personal values and the causes we believe in, as well as the cascading effect of influencing others when we inadvertently or otherwise convince others to follow in our footsteps; rather than the actual contribution of that one less plastic straw or how much water you saved by choosing to consume chicken rather than beef (it’s actually quite a large amount).

With that said, I understand that not everyone is willing or able to contribute to conceptually difficult and large-scale issues like climate change. So the empowerment I feel in making small contributions to a bigger movement is certainly not the same in someone who either does not feel strongly about these issues, have other personally more important things to worry about, or people who outright deny the existence of these issues. In such cases, sustainable living needs to become something more of a default rather than something that requires a deliberate and conscious opt-in.

This becomes a problem even when looking at the large picture and at higher levels. As mentioned at some point in the retreat, one of the problems that has developed over the many years of environmental policy-making is the increasing degree of voluntary contributions by countries rather than legally binding requirements declared by an external party. The often trivial “personally more important things to worry about” that manifests on an individual scale becomes things like prioritizing economic growth and other short-term gains when the situation is flipped to that of governing a country.

Anyway, I suppose MYD then is kind of a balance between these two ends of the spectrum of taking personal action vs. governmental action.  In the retreat, we were taught about how MYD is part of a larger constituency which comprises many other similar groups of youths with the same drive to tackle climate change. On the other hand, we can also see how MYD is unique as we work more closely with the government and thus have a more direct role in instigating top-down change on a national level. This actually still blows my mind a little bit and it’s a little overwhelming to think of taking on such a responsibility.

Seeing the work and experiences that the facilitators have gone through running MYD including, but certainly not limited to, liaising with the government, coordinating MYD activities, attending COP (and actually doing important things), attending workshops, giving talks – in all honesty – is incredibly intimidating to me and it’s difficult for me to remember that I’m attending this retreat and joining MYD not only just to help you guys out in doing these things, but to eventually have the ability and confidence to also do these very same things. The sharing sessions of trivial things like Mike googling how to pronounce Kiribati minutes before delivering his intervention then has been incredibly important in bringing all of you amazing people back to earth and realising we’re all not too different and that you guys are like actually humans.

Once again in all honesty, I’ve signed up to be a part of MYD not fully knowing what the responsibilities and requirements are. At the moment, I’m excited to immerse myself in taking meaningful action ever since my interest in the environment grew recently but I understand that one person cannot do everything (and shouldn’t?). So I’m still exploring and contemplating about my place within this larger movement; is it behind a laptop planning for MYD activities and completing my homework, meeting with government officials or is it out on an island planting corals and in a remote jungle building water pipes and infrastructure? With this excitement and feeling of urgency to do something I may admittedly have taken on more than I can chew, but I look forward to seeing and taking part in what’s in store on this journey while I decide on where my place is within this larger movement and whether it’s possible to juggle all these things at once.

MYD 2018 Retreat Reflection – Yuen Zhao (YZ)

by admin | Jul 1, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018

The Malaysian Youth Delegation hosted the annual Retreat at EPIC Collective over the weekend of the 28th and 29th April 2018. New members were asked to reflect the activities they took part in, what they learned along the way, and what they took away from the experience. Here’s what our new members had to say:

Yuen Zhao (YZ)

By Yuen Zhao (YZ)

Personally, what motivated my participation in the Malaysian Youth Delegation was a self-conflict of how change can be made in society towards the appreciation of the environment and the importance of conservation. Coming from a conservation biology background that is pretty much like pure biology in relation to conservation paradigms, we learnt a bit about climate change which I then noticed cuts across many issues. It is intersectional, and there is a dire need of mainstreaming it into other issues as well.

From my level as an individual and a researcher/biologist/conservationist in training, I want to learn how I can make an impact and contribute to that, thus, helping to solve the problems in different contexts. I want to learn about the balance between different approaches and strategies in different contexts and their effectiveness as well as efficiencies in directing changes towards our future aims (i.e. science, roles of people as stakeholders, interest groups, government representatives, civil society organizations, citizens, policies, awareness and et cetera). Having mentioned that, I have so much to learn and the Malaysian Youth Delegation will facilitate and enhance my learning process while bringing me forward with a new knowledge set.

The retreat was a great introduction to beginners. Content wise, I agree that it was well planned except for the sharing sessions between participants and facilitators. We were reminded that COP24 is a means to an end rather than being the end goal. However, we spent quite a lot of time discussing about COP24. I agree that facilitating a discussion is difficult but I wished it was more personal and process-driven i.e. learning about each others’ background and trying to find our roles in achieving an impact on climate change education and awareness in where we live/currently reside. I hope anyone reading can understand this.

Nevertheless, it was awesome and I look forward to learning more with the Malaysian Youth Delegation in 2018!

MYD 2018 Retreat Reflection – Liyana binti Yamin

by admin | Jul 1, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018

The Malaysian Youth Delegation hosted the annual Retreat at EPIC Collective over the weekend of the 28th and 29th April 2018. New members were asked to reflect the activities they took part in, what they learned along the way, and what they took away from the experience. Here’s what our new members had to say:

Liyana binti Yamin

By Liyana binti Yamin

The moment I saw the advert “Be part of Climate Change and UNFCCC COP24 policy Negotiation” at #PowerShiftMsia website, I told myself – I need to apply this! I’ve been listening to the climate change mantra ever since I was in high school and to be part of the process and negotiation? People with an interest in climate change would never miss this opportunity. Being selected to join MYD, I was more than eager and excited to join the retreat. I got lost on my first day to the retreat despite having Waze, but that did not stop my enthusiasm to be there. I literally was on every street in the area before I finally reached the destination. At the venue, I was welcomed with smiles and laughter of like-minded people. We chatted and I was overwhelmed with the passion expressed by everyone. The first day of the retreat was ignited with an interesting ice-breaking session. It continued with an introduction to UNFCCC, the youth’s role in UNFCCC, and how developed and developing nations struggle in climate negotiations.

It amazes me that the more I learn, the more I actually do not know. From the history of UNFCCC, what global south and global north countries are, to Malaysia’s position in negotiating on climate change policy, it helped us understand the world climate agreement at the United Nations platform. It shocked me that prior to the 24^th Conference of Parties (COP24), there is so much we need to equip ourselves with. Sufficient knowledge is a must and we need to be exposed with a series of policy reading and understanding sessions that will be carried out for 6 months so we know the real issues we will be exposed to at COP. Different countries have different missions at COP. This is why we must not take things lightly and commit in taking up the responsibility to represent our country’s mission.

The two team building missions where we are supposed to make a sturdy house that is climate change resistant and discuss the toilet agreement definitely brought everyone’s creativity on the table. Forming two different groups showed that wherever you place like-minded people, we can positively make a great group. For the first mission, it was interesting how everyone managed to make a sturdy house and overcome the resistant made by Azam. Then, during the toilet agreement, I started to know a part of myself. Being surrounded by people who can actually talk and raise the issue, I became a listener instead and supported my group. Knowing that there are times that we should also listen and be actively supporting what is right, the toilet agreement enhanced my knowledge on how the negotiations normally happens. It certainly scared the crap out of me thinking if I am able to face if it is the real situation. It was a great exposure to me personally.

Not to forget, watching “Before the flood” for the second time makes me feel remorseful reflecting on how much damage human beings have done. I even started thinking if becoming vegan could be part of the change I want to see to combat climate change. The overall retreat was able to transform my personal thinking and I believe each one of us could stop climate change provided we are motivated to take on bold decisions. Be inspired with MYD pasts achievements and let us all board the ship together to make a change. We can!

MYD 2018 Retreat Reflection – Abirami Baskaran

by admin | Jul 1, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018

The Malaysian Youth Delegation hosted the annual Retreat at EPIC Collective over the weekend of the 28th and 29th April 2018. New members were asked to reflect the activities they took part in, what they learned along the way, and what they took away from the experience. Here’s what our new members had to say:

Abirami Baskaran

A weekend of knowledge, personal growth and the unexpected appreciation of Leonardo di Caprio

By Abirami Baskaran

I honestly did not know what to expect, attending the MYD retreat. Were they going to quiz us on the climate agreements? Who said what at Bonn? What if I was asked to explain my application answers? I didn’t remember what I wrote! Thankfully my overactive imagination proved false, as it quite often does. Over the span of two days, I was exposed to an avalanche of new terms, names, key dates, policy agreements, documentaries, and the works. Admittedly it was quite a lot to absorb and process, and by Sunday afternoon I was overwhelmed with information, but in the best way possible.

The retreat on Day 1 began with an ice breaking session (of course) and while I was a tad nervous to be away from my classmates, I always love meeting new people. The story game was fun, but horror of horrors I had to speak! In front of people! With a microphone! To be fair the Abi a year ago would probably have frozen on the spot, and would’ve tried to get out of speaking by any means possible (which is surpassed only by the Abi five years ago, who would have cried and or puked). But 2018 Abi has almost gotten over her stage fright. And while my heart was pounding while I rattled off my part of the story, my voice was steady (I think) and my mind was mostly void from the usual “omg what if I mess up” anxiety. So on a personal achievement scale, the first part of the retreat: Success!

The subsequent knowledge sessions was truly an eye opener. Whatever I knew about climate change policies and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was incredibly on the surface. Being exposed to it and educated on it by the MYD facilitators, who’ve had first-hand experience was a great session, albeit it made me feel very unknowledgeable. I was incredibly attentive due to the captivating nature of the knowledge sessions, and that’s saying something because I have the attention span of a toddler, especially in a sit-down-and-listen type situation. I could really feel the passion and excitement radiating from the seniors (and Adrian) when speaking to us about UNFCCC. Being in the presence of these remarkable individuals was truly inspiring to me, because it made me feel like I too, could make a difference and could contribute to MYD in the future (cue overactive imagination of me sans stage fright taking part/speaking at conferences and at next year’s MYD retreat). The night screening of Before the Flood was captivating, due in part to Leo di Caprio’s charming voice, which I’ve never noticed before by the way, so that was an interesting discovery. Not to mention the content of the documentary itself, which was eye-opening.

Day 2 of the MYD retreat yielded more feelings of “omg I do not know so many things”, but this time I was not as anxious about it. I really enjoyed the talk on the Role of Youth in UNFCCC. It made me feel like although as young members on the climate change policy scene, all our voices would still matter, would be heard, and would be considered; and that to me is a pretty powerful feeling.

Following the youth talk was the team bonding session: Toilet agreement, which was a very creative component in teaching us about how UNFCCC negotiates agreements and proposes policies. It was not easy. It was difficult to come to an agreement, and incredibly challenging to deal with characters of different personalities. It really does make you ponder on how large scale consensus are achieved. Finally we came to an agreement, more out of the time limit than anything else I imagine, and presented it in the front. Another success on a personal scale: I spoke in front of everyone without dying! Sure the eye contact was minimum, and when I wasn’t speaking I hid behind everyone else. But the main take-away would be: Abi is making progress.

I really enjoyed listening to the ensuing MYD Buddies sharing sessions along with watching the videos and photographs. The seniors made us feel very inclusive, despite having just met us, and I appreciated that. I was not at Bonn’s COP23, but I sure felt like I was (overactive imagination, back again), due to the vivid storytelling by Jasmin, Azam and Mike, and the add-ons by the other MYD seniors.

After the knowledge sessions were over I remember feeling a rush of emotions all at once. Intimidation – “man I barely know anything what if this is all too much”; Anxiety – “what am I even doing here I feel so dumb!” Excitement – “This is all so cool I’m learning so many new things!” Eagerness – “I honestly cannot wait to continue in MYD”.

During the reflection towards the end, I had plenty to say, but nervousness on having to stand up and speak with everyone watching took over. Instead, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible, I raised my hand, mumbled out a generic positive statement and let out a sigh of relief. But really though, the retreat was organized well, and I enjoyed every aspect of it. I was happy to be surrounded by like-minded people, and am looking forward to bonding more with everyone.

Last year, I was going to apply for COP23, but the application questions intimidated the heck out of me. Being somewhat unconfident in my knowledge, and having little experience, I passed on it, and told myself that I would apply the following year, and I’m so glad I did. The retreat taught me a myriad of things in just two days, and I eagerly anticipate gaining more knowledge on this MYD journey with my classmates and new friends, in hopes of contributing to a more sustainable future.