ECOSOC Youth Forum 2024 (16/4/2024-19/4/2024)

 During this time of the year, I'm always looking forward to attending the ECOSOC Youth Forum. This marks my fourth year attending and second time as a UNICEF Malaysia Young Leader, alongside with my fellow Young Leader - Xin Qi, this time.

Due to a busy week at work, I have to balance my time in between work and the forum. Luckily the forum is in the night due to the 12-hour difference Malaysia and New York USA. On the first day of the side event, I attended where youths presented their challenges in their education journey. There's a saying in Chinese "Even though you are poor, education is the utmost priority," in its original meaning is “我们再穷也不能穷教育”. 

Education is really emphasised in my house because my grandfather is a retired educator for 32 years. He was an English educator in a national school (sekolah kebangsaan). I remembered every word that my younger sibling and I pronounced a wrong word, he couldn't get the educator out of him. When I was eight years old, my primary school had a mini book fair and I saw him hold three essay reference books in each language - Malay, English and Chinese, I thought they were for him. Little did I know, it was for me to prep up for Year 3 in primary school - which I had to learn to write essays.

After leaving secondary school, people asked my elderly whether I would continue studies due to my disability. I proved them wrong, in the end I graduated with a degree in BA (Hons) Communication, specialised in Corporate Communication.

Young children, still don't have the right access to education in some countries which is disheartening to hear from it. Children and young people are the agents of change and everyone has the right to education to change the future. 

The opening ceremony is late at night, I have to rest up for the next day. While I'm in office, I watched and listened to the repeat of the ceremony. A musical number as an opening to start the day for youths who are in the United Nations' (UN) Headquarters to start the day! In the speeches, advocates are urging youths to make a change now as we just left six years to 2030 -  there is no time to lose to hit all the 17 SDGs by then.

Still on the second day, I wore my kebaya top to the office for a Raya (or Eid) event - I showcased this outfit during the networking session. This not only reflect my Malaysian roots but also showcasing the specialty that Melaka has - Baba Nyonya (though I'm not a Baba Nyonya descendant, it's what makes Melaka so special). 

Reflecting my Malaysian roots in a kebaya

The one key message I like to say to existing or future advocates during the networking session is taking the first step even before you are ready - an iconic quote from Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon - it has become one of my personal principles whenever I wanna take a risk or break the ice between people connection. In the breakout session for the Asia and the Pacific Region, youths are urged to take action now in the global issues they care about because a small action can make a big difference! 

My message to everyone.

On the third and final day, a side event on disability inclusion really hits me because as a person with disabilities, I do feel the struggles too - anyone who are caregivers to people with disabilities or any family who have people with disabilities.

In different regions we have different terms referring to people with disabilities. In Malaysia, we refer the community as Orang Kelainan Upaya (OKU) - it is translated to people with disabilities. When I'm in a conversation with my friends. I tell them I have special needs because not all of us understand the term. In global context, always use the term "people with disabilities" because we are referring to the person and not the disability.

If you don't understand, you are always welcomed to attend a Movers Programme's workshop on Disability Inclusion to learn more.

This not the end, it's time to do the next right thing!

Connect with me to follow my advocacy journey: www.linktr.ee/katelynchinmunconferences97 

LifeGen Church Manna Life Christmas Party (16/12/2023)

 It's been three years since I celebrated Christmas with a party, and now this is my first party with the Manna Life Connect Group from LifeGen Church! I got to know the party from Sammi's Instagram story while scrolling through Instagram. I replied to the Instagram story "Interesting!" Sammi invited me to the party, and I said yes.

I don't know what to bring to a Christmas party. My mummy made scones for the Christmas gathering and brought a little gift for the gift exchange session that would happen later at the party. We had a hard time searching around the house and finally found it. It was raining, and I might have slipped along the way. Luckily, Debby came to help with all the scones and gifts. 

Dan Dan was surprised to see me at the party. "I didn't know you were here!" she said. "Yeah, I like to make an unannounced appearance," I said, I like to give a mystery if I'm attending any events. I had pizza, cake, scones and a traditional Christmas log cake. 

To get into the Christmas mood, we all gathered to play a couple of games - a rendition of Bingo with some Christmas elements and a story of the first Christmas night when the baby Jesus was born - here's the catch, the presents that we chose were not for us, it was part of a game called Ke Kiri Ke Kanan (to the left and right) when we listened to the phrases "left" and "right" until the story ends, that's our final gift. 

It was fun passing the presents from left to right, right to left and back. At the end of the story, my gift was a skipping rope, not a gift I expected, so I switched to a bigger one. I wondered what it was and kept on shaking, my first guess would be a puzzle piece - I'll open it on Christmas Day. 

Now, it's everyone's favourite part of the party - Christmas carolling with classics Joy to the World, Come O'Ye Faithful, Feliz Navidad and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. A sharing session for Manna Life people on their spiritual journey. My favourite was Debby's - she broke off with her spiritual connection one year during her senior year in secondary school. That reminded a 19-year-old me in college how I found my way back home to the Buddhist society after experiencing a "friendship breakup" but that's another story to tell.

We were broken into groups to share our aspirations for 2024 and wrapped up our achievements in 2023. My 2023 is a year full of achievements and hope to achieve more in the coming year! Thank you LifeGen Church Manna Life and wishing everyone happy holidays! Click on the video below to listen to my favourite Christmas tune.

Sunway Model United Nations 2023 Opening Ceremony (24/11/2023)

 It's been a week since UNICEF Malaysia's Young Leaders Programme Showcase 2023, now this is my first appearance since the showcase at the 8th Sunway Model United Nations (SUNMUN)!  During my campus visit last month, Xin Qi - the Deputy Secretary General booked my date for the opening ceremony as they needed a home grown SUNMUN alum - representing the campus to various institutions at Model United Nations conferences. 

After lunch, I head to the college side and straight up to the second floor at Auditorium 7 - where the opening ceremony is going to be. I take my seat in the first row and have a chat with Xin Qi and Sean Yee - the Secretary General of this year's SUNMUN. What's more, right behind me and Xin Qi are the delegates of the UNICEF council. "When UNICEF Young Leaders meet the delegates of the UNICEF council," I tell Xin Qi. We take a picture with them.

A reunion with veteran MUN-ers alike - Ke Wen, Danny, Michelle and Alexis etc. Zara, as the emcee of the event, welcomes all delegates and distinguished guests to the 8th annual SUNMUN - and it is the first physical conference since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Ke Wen and I chat, and he asks me "Katelyn, when are you heading to New York, USA, to visit the real United Nations?" I say "I'm not sure but we never might know what will happen in the future. I'm hoping to achieve before I'm 30 but if it doesn't, there's always another way," 

After the opening remarks from the teacher advisor, it's my turn to be up on stage. I share about my experience heading to the MUN scene - from that one video of Roy Wang - a singer and member of the Chinese boyband TFBoys to my passion in mental health - inspired by the current Prince and Princess of Wales (Prince William and Princess Kate) - led me to the person I am today. My speech is out of the script a little, "Who knows I might represent Malaysia to New York at the real UN one day," I say. As always I end my speech with a quote from Raya and the Last Dragon: 

You just have to take the first step even before you are ready

 It's Shahil's turn to make his speech, he shared about how MUN shaped his personality starting with his first council in a crisis council as a Russian delegate. The crisis council is always a firm favourite in the MUN scene and the first to fill the spaces up as compared to other regular councils. 

After a photo session and some housekeeping rules, delegates made their ways to their respective councils. Of course, I head to the UNICEF council to see all the actions. Most of the delegates are new to the MUN scene, the chairs give everyone a MUN 101 before serious (and fun) council session begins. 

Michelle is playing as the journalist of The Star (which I also used to play back in FairMUN 2019). We have fun on the iPad writing to each other. I also share my position paper when I won at Global Goals MUN 2021 - I delegated under the UNICEF council and sure enough I was delegating as Malaysia and representing Malaysia at the same time - also I was the only Malaysian at Global Goals MUN.

By evening time, the first day of SUNMUN has ended. We go around the room by introducing ourselves. The new MUNers ask me what are the tips for them in council, "Observe and attack at the right time, always be firm with the policy of the country you are delegating." 

It's good to be back on campus again! Thank you Sean, Xin Qi and the SUNMUN team!

For more information: 

Facebook: Sunway Model United Nations 

Instagram: @sunwaymun / @sunwaymunclub

UNICEF Malaysia's Young Leaders Programme Showcase 2023 (18/11/2023)

 My passion for children started when I joined the Model United Nations scene five years ago and at that time I had only one goal which is - to become a UNICEF Youth Ambassador for Malaysia. Besides that, I wanted to raise mental health among youths and children. 

At every MUN conference, my friends would ask this question: "Do you see yourself advocating for children's rights one day and becoming a UNICEF Malaysia ambassador?" My answer was "We never might know what will happen in the future but who knows maybe it will come true!" Two years ago, UNICEF Malaysia organised a two-year programme called the Young Leaders Programme, in partnership with Study Hub Asia and 45 Young Leaders throughout Malaysia were selected! 

Throughout the two-year programme, Young Leaders are divided into four main topics namely education, mental health, climate change and child protection. I'm in the mental health team of course! The first year it was fully online, we were given training on public speaking, topic discussions for each of the four topics and business and human rights. It was all about brainstorming on future projects.

In the second year, the projects that were proposed turned into a reality! Although I didn't join the execution of the projects due to work, the support is there. A week before the showcase, all of the Young Leaders gathered for the last time. 

I almost didn't make it because I was asked to stay back in Melaka but I was advised to attend, that was the best decision made! 

On 18 November 2023 - the day of the showcase! I was walking around to see if there was anything I could help with - tested out Monsta Amongst Us' game on the myths and facts about sexual harassment. The opening ceremony started with the Director - Benjamin Chay, giving a backstory of the Young Leaders until its present day followed by the Co-Director, 'Ariff - who moderated the first-panel session - Tomorrow's Tapestry: An Intergenerational Dialogue.

I almost got lost in the breakout session, and turned out it was in the same room as the opening ceremony! Our emcee - David, switched his role to moderate  Advocating Children on the Edge featuring Heidy Quah, Hassan Al-Akraa and Niba. Before this, I had a chat with Heidy and Hassan. "I thought I saw someone familiar!" when I turned around to see Ernest - aka Sherlock Holmes in the MUN scene. 

After that, it was lunchtime! Unfortunately due to some unforeseen circumstances, most of the food was out, especially the spaghetti is a firm favourite for the children! I managed to get a bite of a pie, rice and some veggies (carrots and broccoli). We were back to the main hall where 'Aliaa was the moderator for Trens in Child Protection - which focused on child marriage and keeping children safe online. 

Everyone was back in the main hall, and summaries of each break-out panel session were presented. The most-anticipated was the lucky draw, the JBL headphones were a crowd favourite! 'Ariff made the closing remarks to mark the end of the showcase. 

After everyone had left, a team photo was taken to mark the special occasion! We went to Mitasu for a Japanese-style buffet celebratory dinner! It's a wrap! Thank you everyone for the support, especially to the UNICEF Malaysia's team and Study Hub Asia - Brian and Richie, not forgetting the Director and Co-Director - Benjamin and 'Ariff! 

I'm a UNICEF Malaysia Young Leader! Follow me and my fellow leaders on our next journey!

For more information, head over to UNICEF Maalysia's official social media accounts to learn more #foreverychild: 

Facebook: UNICEF Malaysia

Instagram: @unicefmalaysia

Threads: @unicefmalaysia

LinkedIn: UNICEF MALAYSIA

X: @myUNICEF

StudyHub Asia 

Official website: https://studyhub.asia/

Facebook: Study Hub Asia 

Instagram: @studyhubasia 

LinkedIn: Study Hub Asia Sdn Bhd

Follow me: https://linktr.ee/katelynchin97 

Sunway Project for Asia and International Relations Annual Conference 2023 (21/10/2023)

Sunway Project for Asia and International Relations better known as SPAIR 2023 is back! This year's theme is Human Capital: The Gap on Gender and Education, which mainly focuses on SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 5: Gender Equality. I always wanted to attend a SPAIR conference but it always clashed with my schedule, mainly on Model United Nations, it's always on the weekend! 

Now, not anymore! I'm attending and in a SPAIR conference panelling on the topic of education. It was a month back when Farhana, the current Vice President of SPAIR. She went through my profile on LinkedIn and Instagram (my personal account) and found out about my advocacy for disability inclusion. After some thinking, I said yes. 

The meeting was arranged to get first-hand of the program flow, and who were the people I was gonna panel alongside. For education, I wasn't the only Sunway alum, there was gonna be another fellow Sunway alum for that session but I wonder who he or she was. A week or two before the event, the full list of panellists was out and the questions were in to have a concept of what the moderators would ask. 

On the day of the event, I was led by the volunteer team of SPAIR to the Chancellor Suite - where they host VIPs. I called it the VIP room. Breakfast was served with light snacks and refreshments. Sunway campus has been upholding "Campus with a Conscience" by practising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on campus. I had my favourite Nyonya kuih (pastries) too! At 10.15am, we were given the green light to head over to JC 1. 

I thought the room would be packed with 100 people and it was the weekend. Turned out it was less than I expected. It's okay anyway, I like a small crowd on a panel session because we interact with the audience more. The event with the singing of the national anthem the Negaraku, followed by an opening remark from Sunway Education Group CEO - Dato' Professor Dr. Elizabeth Lee and the President of SPAIR - Farhana. 

The first panel session was on Gender Equality. I would like to take on the mention of parental leave. In society's expectations, the mothers are the ones who spend and nurturing newborns in the first three or six months but the question is: What about the fathers? Nurturing and raising children requires both parents to be involved in the process. Not only parents but also grandparents (from both sides) also play an important role too! 

I'm lucky I was raised by my grandparents, it was a big help for my parents, especially my mummy to focus on her career 100% and not worry about my younger sibling and me being left at home alone after school. After that, it's lunchtime on the Mezzanine floor. I had delicious Mac and Cheese with iced lemon tea! Before we headed back, Jeff, the moderator briefly introduced himself as we are heading back to JC 1 to continue to the next session - Quality Education. 

At the beginning of the session, each of the panellists what does education mean to them? I shared a fond memory of my ah gong (grandpa) - who is a retired educator who bought me essay books to prep me for essay writing in Year 3 of primary school.  I was asked how education and how can we make them inclusive? 

I talked about the difference between the inclusivity between Australia and Malaysia. Students with disabilities like myself are not able to have 100% inclusivity in class whereas in Australia, I was there during my yearly physiotherapy checkup. I could see the educators emphasised inclusion.

The education blueprint went well with other countries but with Malaysia, it doesn’t go anywhere, it always goes back to the same point. The role of an educator also plays an important part in a student's life. There is always one educator who leaves an impact on the students. For example, an educator whose child loves drawing but doesn't recognise it, what the educator did is she got it tattooed to boost the child's confidence. I think this is what really can do to always encourage the students to discover their potential instead of focusing too much on the grades.

I ended the session by encouraging parents to send their children because campus life is a pathway to a bright future and eventually a class above! Thank you SPAIR team for inviting me back to campus and hope to come back again for future events. 

Follow Sunway Project for Asia and International Relations (SPAIR) for more upcoming events: 

Website: https://sunway-pair.wixsite.com/sunway-pair 

Facebook: Sunway Project for Asian and International Relations 

Instagram: @sunwaypair

LinkedIn: Sunway Project for Asian and International Relations

Let's connect: https://linktr.ee/katelynchin97

Back to University: Department of Communication Alum Sharing (20/10/2023)

Last time, I was in the lecture rooms listening to my seniors sharing their lives after university. I didn’t expect to return as a senior and share my experiences with my juniors! I received an invitation from  Ms. Priya last week in conjunction with the Department of Communication's (DOC) Townhall Meeting. Although it's quite last-minute, it's always good to be back on campus! 

I arrived early as I had a lunchtime meet-up with Xin Qi, a fellow UNICEF Malaysia Young Leader - she and I are part of the Young Leaders Programme (YLP). We ate lunch at our favourite vegetarian food stall on campus. Xin Qi asked me about having me as a guest speaker for the opening ceremony of the yearly Sunway Model United Nations (SUNMUN), I said why not - there's another reason for me to head back to campus next month!

After lunch, I stayed for a while at the college's physics lab as Xin Qi was helping out with the A-Levels graduation night. At 2.45 p.m. I headed to the Jeffery Cheah Hall on the north side of the college building. Prof. Pauline Leong was waiting for my arrival and I quickly made my way to the stage and started sharing about my journey on campus from Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY) to a BA (Hons) Communication graduate.

One of my favourite memories in the Department of Communication was the campaign of TogetherLAH! The closing ceremony fell on my 21st birthday too! It was almost five years since we ran the campaign, and it's still vivid in my mind, that we wanted to change the perception of how people think about Malaysia. After the sharing session ended, I was given a goodie bag by Dr. Padma as a moment to mark my visit back to campus.

This wasn't just any ordinary town hall meeting, a game session held by the student body of the department for lecturers and students to bond with each other. I gave a try on the bingo game and I got a bingo! Before ended the visit, a group photo was taken and for me, I took a solo photo in front of the stage. Did you know the Magicman - Jackson Wang held his dance workshop in conjunction with his Magicman World Tour in Kuala Lumpur last year! 

Thank you to the Department of Communication (DoC) team for inviting me back! I can't wait to join more activities in the future! 

Here is an upcoming event by the Events Management student team: RAWK Commcert 3.0 - it's to promote Malaysian talents in the music industry and they want you to be part of it! Head over to their Instagram account @rawkcommcert to learn more! RAWK Commcert 3.0 is coming your way on 16 December 2023 at Jeffery Cheah Hall from 3pm to 6pm. Bringing everyone through the evolution of music from 1970's till the present day. 

恒守愿田：菩提工作坊中秋晚会 （23/9/2023）

 上一次在雪隆区庆祝中秋节的时候是已有四、五年前了。今年是第一次跟菩提工作坊的法侣们一起提早迎接中秋！我和淼善相约在大学的大厅，跳上车子就马上出发咯！一路上，“善文姐弟” （淼善和袈文）开启佛曲卡啦 OK！

我们抵达目的地的时候，一直绕着圈子因为找不到泊车的位子。于是我们拨电话给佑洋，他在大门口迎接我们。莉琪下来的时候给我一个温暖的拥抱，毕竟我们已经一个月多没见面。但是挑战来了，要怎样上去呢？幸好淼善及时赶来 “接手”。菩提工作坊是在最高的一楼，展廷曾对我说：“四楼很高！连我们这些普通的人都爬不上来。” 

在爬着楼梯时候，在算一层一层。为了唱歌，就把所有的力气豁出去！他们问我：“袈文，你会累吗？” 拿出阿拉蕾（崔雅涵）的经典语句：“不累！绝对不累，绝对不要放弃！” 到菩提工作坊时候，真的汗流浃背！还是一个疑问：“到底法侣们是怎样爬四楼没有流汗的？” 

向佛问讯后，我到前面试试麦克风，歌手的我在滚烫着！开个 “迷你演唱会” 属于我的佛曲分享会。“袈文，屋顶那边有晚饭。” 我问：“还有爬多几层的楼梯？” 又再多两层！终于到屋顶的顶端。一边享受晚餐，一边赏月，从天台可以看到标志性的默迪卡 118。

我也认识新的法侣们，在过程当中俊达师兄跟我分享佛曲歌手的启蒙和初心。一想起展廷也是说类似的一句话：“身为佛曲歌手，用心去体验，重要是把每首歌带出佛法和信息。” 时候到了，大家都回到四楼的会所聚集。

今晚的嘉宾是大马音乐的资深作曲传奇—— 周金亮老师！配合中秋节，当然少不了中秋为主的歌曲—— 《城里的月光》和《月亮圆》。还有另类音乐人的招牌歌曲——《用马来西亚的天气来说爱你》。

大家最期待的是提灯笼游行环节！我取出今天刚到的小牛灯笼（哎呀，爆我的年龄了！）。我是最后一个下楼。我们在附近提灯笼，到了鬼仔巷，大家取出手机相机拍照打卡。而在《八点最热报》曾看过鬼仔巷的报道画面，终于亲自来了！我跟学慧合照时候，第一张是握着荧光棒。“还是拿掉荧光棒，换你成当我的 ‘保镖’。” 学慧说，“我蹲着点到你的车子的高度。” 淼善就掌镜。

菩提工作坊的中秋晚会正式告了一段落！谢谢菩提工作坊团队！

为了让大家有更舒适的道场分享更多的音乐，菩提工作坊团队在筹募建新会所。更多捐款详情，可以到以下的平台：

官网 Official website: www.bodhi.com.my 

Facebook: 菩提工作坊 Bodhi Buddhist Fellowship Malaysia

Instagram: @bodhi_1988