Engineering student represents Curtin Sarawak at leadership camp in Singapore

Miri – 16 March 2016 – Fourth-year electronic and communication engineering student Rexy Prakash Chacko of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) had the honour of representing the university at the Fifth Asian Youth Leaders Travel and Learning Camp (AYLTLC 2016) in Singapore recently.

The camp was attended by delegates from all over Asia, including Japan, Indonesia and India.

Rexy’s trip was sponsored by Curtin Sarawak’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship Centre (LEC) which develops student leaders through offering scholarships for high-calibre students who demonstrate strong leadership skills to attend conferences internationally. Since 2013, eight recipients have received such scholarships.

Themed ‘360o Leadership, Global Hearts and Minds’, AYLTLC 2016 involved learning sessions at the National Community Leadership Institute (NACLI) and National University of Singapore (NUS), as well as visits to various locations such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Centre and Gardens by the Bay.

According to Rexy, the AYLTLC is a must for youth who desire to be capable leaders in a vibrant and globalised society.

“Meeting people from different countries, learning and understanding different cultures and the group travel sessions around Singapore opened my eyes to the vast diversity around me,” said Rexy.

Rexy’s experience was made more meaningful when the group he was part of won the Best Content Award for its presentation on infectious diseases, hygiene and sanitation problems, affordability of medication, and lack of awareness of health issues.

The group proposed solutions such as subsidising medication for the poor, promoting health programmes in schools, mobile clinics and providing better allowances for medical staff in poorer areas.

The LEC was launched in October 2013 in an effort to consolidate and drive student leadership and entrepreneurship initiatives at Curtin Sarawak further. The LEC works closely with the Curtin Leadership Centre at Curtin University’s main campus in Perth, Australia to enhance its leadership programmes that are largely centred on the ‘Social Change Model of Leadership Development’.

Among the many initiatives organised by the LEC are entrepreneurship workshops and boot-camps, project mentoring and community engagement programmes for students.

For more information on the LEC, contact 085-445 025 or email lec@curtin.edu.my.

AYLTLC 2016 delegates visiting one of Singapore’s most iconic landmarks, the Marina Bay Sands. Photo courtesy of AYLTLC 2016.

Rexy speaking at AYLTLC 2016. Photo courtesy of AYLTLC 2016.

Rexy posing with his Best Content Award certificate and certificate of participation.