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AS VOLUNTEERISM continues to grow in the sultanate, various volunteer platforms believe they should shape positive self-development skills for the participants. One of the various volunteer platforms is the non-government organisations (NGO) as they offer various skills and knowledge for the youth to further develop them, while taking part in community work. President of the Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council (BDAC) Iswandy Ahmad said letting the volunteers take control on events and programmes is one of the strategies for the council to improve for its members. The members and volunteers can organise and run their own programmes and activities which BDAC will assist and guide them to run a successful event. He explained BDAC allows the volunteers to speak out their ideas and requests which BDAC will assist them in achieving…

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 18 Jan – Sekolah-sekolah di negara ini diseru agar mendapatkan pengiktirafan daripada pertubuhan serantau dan antarabangsa atas inisiatif yang dijalankan seperti ASEAN Eco Schools Award dan SEAMEO-Japan Education for Sustainable Development Award. Pemangku Ketua Pusat Kerjasama Sains, Teknologi dan Alam Sekitar (STEP), Dayang Sarimah binti Abu Bakar turut berkata, Kementerian Pendidikan melalui Pusat STEP mengalu-alukan sekolah yang bergiat aktif dalam menjalankan program yang bertemakan pendidikan alam sekitar. Bagi sekolah yang belum memulakan atau yang ingin memperbaiki lagi inisiatif berkenaan, beliau menyarankan supaya merujuk buku panduan yang telah diterbitkan oleh Pusat STEP, bertajuk ‘Guidebook For Initiating Green School in Brunei Darussalam’. Beliau membuat seruan ini semasa menyampaikan ucapan selaku tetamu kehormat pada Majlis Penyampaian Hadiah Green Brunei Eco Drive, yang berlangsung di Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Hasan, hari ini.…

THE Green Brunei Eco Drive yesterday crowned Jerudong International School (JIS) as the winner of its four-month recycling initiative. JIS collected over six tonnes of recyclables in the competition, surpassing Mahad Islam Brunei’s two tonnes of recyclables and Jerudong Primary School’s 1.8 tonnes of recyclables. Meanwhile, Sayyidina Hasan Secondary School received the consolation prize for raising 1.4 tonnes of recyclables. An awards ceremony was held at the Sayyidina Hasan Secondary School, where the winners were announced in front of government officials and supporting partners. “We hope that the students will continue to practise recycling in their schools and their homes as waste management has always been a lingering issue that is yet to be solved,” said Khairunnisa Ash’ari, co-founder and community engagement director of Green Brunei. She also hoped the…

FUNDING problems continue to hinder non-governmental organisations in Brunei from carrying out effective programmes that fight for the causes they believe in. There has never been a study on the effectiveness of Brunei NGOs in contributing to the community or shaping national policies. No research has also been published on the number of NGOs that did not stay afloat because of financial issues. According to United Nations policy watchdog Global Policy Forum, often what an NGO can and cannot do is tied to where the money comes from, dramatically affecting the effectiveness and neutrality of NGOs. It added that NGOs rely on money from various sources, including individual donors, foundations, corporations, and governments. Iswandy Ahmad, the president of Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council, said there is a misconception in Brunei that…

YOUTH involvement in national development goals this year gained royal praise during the 10th National Youth Day celebration with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzadin Waddaulah, The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, commending the youths on their valiant efforts. During the event held at the Hassanal Bolkiah Indoor Stadium last September, His Majesty lauded the youths who ventured into the creative industry to those who made the effort as well as those who successfully broke into the international market. He also praised those who chose to venture into less popular fields such as farming and heavy machinery, just to name a few. In the past 12 months, a tremendous number of aspiring young leaders and youth groups in the country have stepped up in terms of being…

GOVERNMENT agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) need to form partnerships to complement one another’s goals, said the founder of Green Brunei. Khairunnisa Ash’ari said to date, Green Brunei has received support from and worked with the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Development and the Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office for its projects. “The kind of support we usually need is technical expertise, facilities and also in-kind support. I believe partnerships like these are important because it helps strengthen understanding of various environment and climate change issues,” she said. The NGO has around 30 members aged from 18 to 31. But Khairunnisa said with most of their events, they work with outside volunteers as well as Universiti Brunei Darussalam students who…

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 9 Dis – Bagi memberi pendedahan kepada orang ramai mengenai keadaan sukar hidupan liar di Borneo, di samping memberi maklumat tentang senarai hidupan liar yang semakin terancam, Green Brunei dengan sokongan The Collective, sebuah pertubuhan kesenian kreatif tempatan, baru-baru ini, telah menganjurkan Pesta Kesenian Hidupan Liar Terancam di The Collective’s MakerSpace di Batu Bersurat. Seramai 24 penuntut dari Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah (MDPMAMB) dan Sekolah Antarabangsa Brunei (JIS) yang diketuai oleh Pasukan Green Brunei COP telah menghabiskan masa mereka selama tiga minggu dalam persediaan bagi acara tersebut. Mereka juga telah mengadakan Community Out-reach Programme (COP) bagi tahun Discovery mereka, dengan konsep memberikan pendedahan awal hasil kajian mereka dalam usaha memberikan cara yang unik untuk mempamerkan haiwan. Pelbagai pertubuhan telah menyertai petak…

IT WAS an evening of the arts for a cause recently at a festival dedicated to highlighting the plight of endangered wildlife in Borneo. Organised by non-governmental organisation Green Brunei with the support of local creative arts organisation, The Collective, the Endangered Wildlife of Borneo Art Festival brought together students, various organisations and vendors as well as members of the public to The Collective’s MakerSpace in Batu Bersurat to learn about the flora and fauna that are endemic to the nation and are under threat of extinction. Some of the organisations included the Biodiversity and Natural History Society (BruWild) and Wildlife Club, which helped to raise awareness on the endangered biodiversity in Brunei by providing information to the public. Meanwhile, vendors such as Enya Bijoux, The Green Glass, I Love…

THE Endangered Wildlife of Borneo Art Festival was held recently at The Collective’s Maker Space in Batu Bersurat. It was organised by Green Brunei with the support of The Collective, a local creative arts organisation to highlight the plight of the endangered wildlife in Borneo. According to a press release from Green Brunei, “the current wildlife endangered list was created in 1984 and is now outdated today. The lack of data poses a big threat to several species of flora and fauna, which are currently facing threats to their existence in Brunei”. The project to hold the art festival was led by a group of students from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) who are undergoing their Community Outreach Programme (COP) for their Discovery Year. The initial concept for the installations was…