For Commonwealth Youth Leaders
(25 - 27 March 2008)

Having gained a reputation for organising various environmental capacity-building programmes, NEA's Singapore Environmental Institute (SEI) was invited by the National Youth Council (NYC) to launch the Youth and Climate Change Workshop for Commonwealth delegates in Singapore, together with the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Asia Centre.
SEI played host to an enthusiastic group of young leaders from Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Singapore in the 3-day workshop that was conducted from 25 to 27 March 2008. The workshop aimed to deepen the delegates' understanding of climate change and environmental sustainability issues, as well as help them develop solutions to tackle environmental challenges in their home countries.

Commonwealth Youth Delegates and Organisers
(Seated from left to right): Ms Vimala Periyannapillai, Programme Officer, CYP Asia Centre; Ms Ng Guan Ing, Assistant Director, NYC; Mr Raj Mishra, Regional Director, CYP Asia Centre; Mr Ong Eng Kian, Director SEI; Ms Ranjana Saikia, Tata Energy Research Institute (workshop speaker invited by CYP Asia Centre).

Through the various classroom lectures, interactive sessions and field trips to environmental installations, SEI opened the minds of these young leaders on climate change issues and prompted them to find meaningful and innovative ways to mitigate environmental problems. In the words of one participant, Mr Yaman Yahya of Malaysia, “We never knew that climate change is so complex but the workshop has given me ideas on what I can do back home”.

Delegates immersing themselves in the inter-tidal walk at Semakau Landfill.

Besides obtaining a good grasp of the topic, many delegates clearly enjoyed themselves during the workshop. In their field trip to the Semakau Landfill, the leaders appreciated the co-existence between nature and manmade developments. Said Brunei delegate, Mr Yusrein Hady, "I loved the inter-tidal walk. I've never done anything like this in Brunei. It's amazing to know that I am doing this right next to a landfill". Yusrein did not expect Singapore to preserve biodiversity so well despite the close proximity to a landfill. He also hoped to attend more of such workshops in future.

Last updated on 25 Jun 08