YSE Regional Provides Skills Training for Budding Social Entrepreneurs in Malaysia

More than 60 young changemakers from Malaysia convened at Universiti Malaya for the Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) Regional | Kuala Lumpur. The programme was organised together with the university.

From 25 to 26 March, these budding social entrepreneurs took part in workshops, business clinics and networking activities to learn how to start or scale up their social enterprises.

They met and heard from more than 15 speakers and mentors from diverse sectors in the region. These trainers included YSE alumni from India, Indonesia, and Singapore. Nine of them were present, in person, to lead sessions based on the SIF’s Design Thinking for Good Business curriculum. Prior to the programme, the SIF trained these alumni with subject knowledge and skills to lead workshops.

The speakers and mentors were from various organisations, including:

• Aglonera, a social enterprise that offers a bulk buying platform for street food vendors
• Center for Innovation in Medical Engineering
• Hatch, a social enterprise that provides digital and design training opportunities for all
• Involve, a social enterprise that empowers students to take ownership of their learning and develop the necessary skillsets for them to thrive through peer-based learning
• Mindstraits, a business management consultancy for start ups
• Musimpanen, a social enterprise that develops commodities to help farmers and industries build a sustainable, traceable, and responsible natural ingredients value chain
• Startlah Innovation, a boutique content and business advisory firm
• UM Holding, the corporate vehicle of Universiti Malaya
• Xavier Mah Consultancy, a digital PR, branding and experiential event management agency

One participant, Ms Tengku Fatin Suraya Binti Tengku Azlan, said: “I enjoyed hearing from the industry experts, especially when they shared their stories and experiences as entrepreneurs. I also gained new business strategy knowledge and techniques to refine my business pitch. I now have a clearer idea of how to set up my social enterprise.”

Another attendee, Ms Nureen Afanin Binti Khairol Amali, also found the session with her mentors productive. She said: “My team was able to discuss and develop our ideas with the mentors. The mentors also shared valuable tips and advice, especially on how to start and sustain a viable social enterprise.”

The youths will work in teams to submit their social enterprise proposals to the SIF. Selected teams will further their YSE journey at the 2023 edition of the SIF’s main international programme, YSE Global. The YSE Global 2023 – Workshop will take place in Singapore from 7 to 10 June.

The annual YSE Global and YSE Regional programmes have, in their 13 years, nurtured more than 1,400 changemakers of 43 nationalities, and created an international network of 674 social enterprises.