Khairunnisa listened intently as the speaker went on about the harmful effects of carbon dioxide on the environment and what Singapore has been doing to slow down global warming. It was just less than 12 hours ago that Khairunnisa flew in from Brunei to attend the Singapore Power Shift organised by 350 Singapore held over a span of two days. 350 Singapore was founded by Young NTUC in March 2010.
Speaking with a glint in her eye, Khairunnisa shares her passion in creating sustainable development. “Right now in Brunei, the environmental impact is not so obvious, we know that the problems with the environment such as haze, and water pollution crosses geographic boundaries but Brunei don’t have these problems right now, however with all these new knowledge that I can bring back – I believe it would make a difference to the people’s attitudes in Brunei, prompting them to take action before the environmental problems get worse”.
Despite a plane flight coupled with fasting for the Ramadan month, Khairunnisa did not seem the least bit tired. Driven by her passion in caring for the environment, Khairunnisa bore high hopes for the event.
And she was not disappointed, from the buffet of information she obtained to the hands on practical ideas she and her team brainstormed, Khairunnisa walked away with a greater wealth of knowledge and experience than before.
Through 350 Singapore and the Singapore Power Shift workshop, Khairunnisa shared how impressed she was with the broad knowledge that was shared and saw many of her misconceptions corrected. This was of utmost importance to her as she noted that many people back in Brunei might not have this knowledge. “When the speaker shared on the policies that Singapore has introduced, it was also of great help to me as my organisation works with the Government very closely and we can then share the information gained these two days and form more partnerships.”
“Back in Brunei I had started the ‘Green Brunei’, where like minded people gathered to create awareness and organise activities to help the environment, the Singapore Power Shift workshop is definitely something I hope to bring over to Brunei one day, if possible,’ Khairunnisa remarked with a smile when asked about her own green initiatives in Brunei.
She also had the opportunity to give an ‘elevator pitch’ about the ideas her team came up with and the exchange of ideas with the solidarity for action throughout the event was the ideal foundation for networking, forming and strengthening ties.
“I’m thankful that I can gain so much information, interact with people from all parts of the world through this Singapore Power Shift, it’s great to be here,” Khairunnisa commented with a beam and one could feel how inspired, motivated and encouraged she was.
Source: youngntuc.org.sg