'Young Leaders' display skills in Sports Festival
19 February, 2005

Kota Kinabalu: More than 300 pupils from 30 primary schools around the State capital took part in the Dreams and Teams Mini Sports Festival at the SMK Likas field, here, Friday.

These children were guided by 50 "Young Leaders", aged between 12 and 18, from the Dreams and Teams organising team, comprising students from Sabah College, SMK Keningau, SMK Mat Salleh, Ranau and SMK Membakut.

The one-day event was the latest in a series of projects accomplished by the Dreams and Teams, a programme initiated by the British Council and the United Kingdom's Youth Sports Trust and implemented in partnership with the Sabah Education Department.

Themed "Youth Leading Youth", this programme is actually a platform for the Young Leaders to develop and harness their leadership and communication skills while encouraging cross-cultural exchanges through sports.

Susana Galvan, British Council Malaysia's Education and Training Director, said the event's success was attributed to the commitment of the 50 Young Leaders and their five senior Young Leaders from Sabah College.

"It is inspiring to see how surprisingly able these young people are in organising an event that many adults would find it difficult," she said.

All work - from administrative to catering and even media - was handled by the Young Leaders who ran the show completely on their own, with the teachers taking the backseat.

In a statement, Sabah Education Department Director Datuk Amin Arif said students from the schools involved had much to benefit from the Dream and Teams programme.

"The project has been instrumental in broadening the horizon for the students involved via interactions with students and teachers in UK. It has also empowered them to do good for the wider community while enjoying themselves," he said.

Galvan, meanwhile, revealed that the programme, initiated in 2001, is now being implemented in an impressive number of 20 countries worldwide.

"One of the key aims of the project (here) is to provide opportunities for young leaders in both Malaysia and the UK to form global teams and challenge them to 'think global but act local'," she said.

Also present at the event were Sabah Education Department Deputy Director, Normah Gagor, and the principals of Sabah College, SMK Membakut, SMK Mat Salleh and SMK Keningau.