Just received this in my comments - if you know of inspiring Malaysians of any age, please pass this on:

I’m researching for a documentary for a TV station in Singapore and I’m looking for some inspiring Malaysian (no age limit) to be featured. Such an individual must be contactable as we plan to fly in a film crew. There is no cost involved except time. The profile we’re looking for is someone who is sacrificing time and energy for a cause or for his/her community. If you have someone in mind, please reply to yourcause@hotmail.com

Thank you!

regards,
Martin Mak

Hey everyone! After some very busy weeks, I am back with the entries from the First Carnival of Youth Initiative!

Firstly, can I just request that submissions be DIRECTLY RELATED to the theme of youth and youth initiative. I received too many submissions that had nothing to do with either theme; indeed, I wonder if they were merely carnival-spamming. Not appreciated, people! But here are some good entries for the first carnival.

My friend Naoko/Pat wrote about some young Malaysian bloggers making an impact online. She also muses on what youth initiative is and how it relates to society in general.

Jeremy from Welcome To The Future compares the youth of the 60s and today, together with a funny yet thoughtprovoking comic strip. He points out:

History is quickly disappearing to the point where most of us can’t remember our grandparents.

Arun’s Daily Remedy has some tips on being social for young people. Not exactly about youth initiative, but I’ll let it slide here as the advice is tailored for youths in general.

That’s it this time. Keep updated on future Carnivals of Youth Initiative at our Blog Carnival listing, and submit!

Links in Post:

• EducateDeviate: Carnival of Youth Initiative: Submit Now!
• Broken Shield and Sword: Youthful Endavours!
• Welcome To The Future: Remember the 60’s?
• Arun is Bringing You…Your Daily Remedy: The Power of Being Social
• Blog Carnival: Carnival of Youth Initiative

I am currently wandering around KL to meet friends, and I’ve been carrying my bulky laptop all day (I’m in the midst of changing accommodation). I’m actually in the top floor of Sungei Wang, loud pop music blasting from one side, and I took out my laptop just to write this:

If you’re in Malaysia and want books about alternative education or school reform, your best bet is Borders in Berjaya Times Square, Imbi.

It’s not very easy to find non-mainstream or non-trendy books in Malaysian bookstores, particularly in regional cities. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are fortunate in that they have the bigger branches of the major bookstore chains and can afford to carry a wider selection. Still, books on alternative education and school reform are hard to find. The Education section tends to carry books on teaching, revision, or tips on succeeding in school; there aren’t many books questioning the notion of school.

However, Borders in Berjaya Times Square has an EXCELLENT selection of books on alternative education and school reform. I finally managed to snag a copy of Denise Clark Pope’s Doing School, after searching it high and low in other bookstores in Malaysia and Australia and even considering buying it from overseas. They also have books from major alternative education thinkers John Taylor Gatto, John Dewey, and John Holt - basically the “it” people of alternative education. (I’m sure them all being named John is a coincidence.) Among the other books in their in-store collection are:

• The Overachievers by Alexandra Robbins, about students who strive to achieve as much as possible in academics and extra-curriculars (which Pope also tackles)
• The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton by Jerome Karabel, about the culture of admissions standards in Ivy League universities
• and SO MUCH MORE on teaching at-risk children, class and culture issues, school reform, unschooling, homeschooling, and so much more.

I am in a rush, and my battery is dying, so I will come back to add links and a book list to this post or a later post. I will also post a review of Doing School once I’ve read it. You can find some related books in Times, Kinokuniya, and MPH - Kinokuniya in particular has good books on career choices (including Delaying The Real World, which I reviewed here and bought from there) and activism. But for education in particular, Borders can’t be beat.

BORDERS, if you are reading this - please contact me!

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  Psychology:Teens, parents should avoid College Selection Hysteria - Lifestyle
  
  
  Debunking myths about college selection. A MUST-READ.
  
  
  (tags: college university admissions selection education youth hysteria stress advice relax)
  
  

Fancy a lecture from a former United Nations Secretary-General, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, or the Prime Minister? How about if the lectures were free? Your chance is here!

As part of its Merdeka Series 2007, Khazanah Nasional Berhad is presenting the Khazanah Global Lectures - a series of lectures by prominent world leaders on development in international affairs, economics, society, corporations, and holistic matters. The line-up features:

All the lectures, taking place in different hotels around Kuala Lumpur, are by invitation with limited free seats for the public. To get one of the coveted public seats, register for your choice of lecture and they will let you know a few days before the lecture if you’re successful. University students, academics, and members of the public are also able to view the lectures through livecasts at participating universities, so if you miss out on a seat, get yourself to a livecast.

Khazanah Nasional Berhad will also organize two other activities: a National Development Seminar (also free to the public) and the Megatrends Forum 2007 (by invitation only). More information about those events will be released soon.

Learn about the world from those that have made the biggest differences. Register for a lecture now!

Links in Post:

• Khazanah Merdeka Series 2007: Khazanah Global Lectures
• Khazanah Merdeka Series 2007: Khazanah Global Lectures: Registration
• Khazanah Merdeka Series 2007: Khazanah Global Lectures: Livecasts at Public Universities