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Are you passionate about the planet?
Do you have have what it takes to be a change-maker?

Sign up for BEFF's first ever YOUTH FORUM - a platform targeted for youths aged 17-25 to share their thoughts, concerns and ideas towards creating a more sustainable future.

Registration for BEFF's Youth Forum 2019 is now closed! Thank you for your overwhelming response. If your registration has been successful, you will be notified via email.

9-10 November 2019

8.00am – 5.30pm | GC Woolley Hall, Sabah Museum

From plastics to Pangolins, we’ll be covering a range of topics of interest through exciting panel sessions, presentations, interactive games, role-playing, film screenings and other fun activities.

 

Open to all youths residing in Sabah.

For inquiries, email: admin@beff.org.my

Don't just make a change - BE the change!

PANELS

Programme Manager

Adzmin Fatta

Green Semporna

Adzmin Fatta is working full time with Reef Check Malaysia as Programme Manager for Cintai Mantanani Project based in Mantanani Island. The project focuses on marine resource management, improving waste management, and improving economic livelihood of the community. He is also the co-founder of local rising youth volunteers organisation known as Green Semporna that has been running environmental education and youth empowerment programs for seven years now. Green Semporna is community based organisation founded in 2012 by passionate youth leaders in Semporna that aims to diversify the participation of young people in marine conservation and being an agent of change in the community. Prior joining Reef Check he worked for almost 4 years as Assistant to Marine Biologist and went on to Assistant to Marine Conservation Officer in WWF-Malaysia. He is also part of the Hard Corals Mapping Project Award Team by Conservation Leadership Programme, Active alumni of Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, Global Youth Biodiversity Network, and Malaysia’s representative in Our Ocean Youth Ambassador 2016 in the United States.

Executive Director

Dr. Nicolas Pilcher

Marine Research Foundation (MRF)

Dr. Nicolas Pilcher is a British marine biologist based in Sabah (Malaysia), where he established and runs his own research and conservation agency – the Marine Research Foundation. MRF’s flagship project is introducing Turtle Excluder Devices to Malaysian trawl fisheries, and these became a legal requirement in 2017. Nick has worked extensively on conservation projects across the Indo-Pacific region,focusing his energies on saving endangered sea turtles, dugongs, and other marine species. His specialty is in developing management-oriented solutions to conservation and working on reducing bycatch of endangered species, to which he brings 30 years of experience. Nick also works extensively with major industries to design and deliver solutions to environmental challenges they face. Nick served as the Co-Chair of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group for 13 years, and is currently a Technical Advisor to the UNEP-CMS Dugong Secretariat and a member of the advisory boards of a number of international organisations.In his (copious) spare time he is a diver, a boat captain, and even a small airplane pilot,and more recently builds and flies drones to collect marine science data.

Head of Planning Sector

Dr. Susan Pudin

Environment Protection Department (EPD)

Dr. Susan Pudin has been working as an environmental officer with the Environment Protection Department (EPD) Sabah since 2000. She was actively involved in the establishment of the Sabah Environmental Education Network (SEEN) and the formulation of the Sabah Environmental Education Policy as well as in environmental assessment, training and various environmental education programmes. She obtained her PhD in community environmental education from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She is now heading the Planning Sector covering environmental studies, environmental education, information management and environmental quality monitoring. When she is not working, she loves reading all types of genres (depending on her mood!), travelling, cooking and most of all, drinking coffee.

Pangolin Conservation Officer

Elisa Panjang

Danau Girang Field Centre

ElisaPanjang was born and raised in Sandakan, Sabah. Currently, she is doing her PhD at Cardiff University specialising in the landscape ecology and behaviour study of Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), a critically endangered species. Her research methods involved sign survey, camera trapping, satellite telemetry and survey on local knowledge. Elisa is also the Pangolin Conservation Officer for Danau Girang Field Centre, Sabah and responsible for the pangolin conservation education program in Sabah. Elisa received her BSc (Hons.) in Conservation Biology and an MSc in Ecological Processes at Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She also holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from Politeknik Kota Kinabalu. In 2014, Elisa became a member of the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group where she is actively involved in coordinating strategies for pangolin globally.

Co-Founder

Linn and Anton

Future Alam Borneo

Linn and Anton are both product design graduates with past experience in lifestyle household products as well as furniture design development. Their comprehensive knowledge encompasses product development, packaging, marketing campaigns, right the way to retail displays and trade fairs internationally. Anton also spent a short period of time tutoring design students in Singapore. They have left that industry behind, on the other side of the pond, but have translated their passion in design to the hospitality and tourism industry in Sabah. They now run hotel and F&B businesses in Sandakan. On the side of their 9-to-5 jobs, they love dabbling in varied interests; co-founding Borneo Eco Film Festival, co-founding the NGO Future Alam Borneo and its various environmental outreach platforms, kickstarting the Sandakan Food Festival, and on the sports front for Linn, fighting in muay thai competitions.

SPEAKERS

Ana Jonessy

Vegan mentor, Community Organizer and Sign Language Interpreter

Bentarakata

“Ana will be running a session on Climate Change and how it impacts us all.”

Ana Jonessy is a vegan mentor, community organizer and sign language interpreter based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (MY). Her work is currently focused on co-designing LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming spaces, and facilitating workshops on sustainable low-impact living, ethical eating, veganism and positive parenting. She also has a keen interest in data rights and digital security.

 

What is she going to talk in the BEFF Youth Forum?

Using climate memes, empirical data and case studies, Ana Jonessy invites the audience to analyze the impact of our behaviors and product/service choices, and discuss strategic local solutions to the climate crisis that can be actioned immediately by individuals. The talk will be presented in sections; Internet, transportation, beauty and hygiene, fashion, money, food, and the 5Rs; rethinking the zero waste movement.

Ruth Yap

Founder of Zero Waste Sabah

Zero Waste Sabah

“Ruth will be sharing her Zero Waste Journey and how we can incorporate  zero waste habits in our daily lives”

Ruth Yap is the Founder of Zero Waste Sabah (Pertubuhan Sisa Sifar Sabah), a non-profit organization that aims to create awareness on local and global environmental issues, and provides local environmental education and solutions. At present, she leads the Zero Waste Sabah Facebook group of more than 6,000 members. The group encourages members to practise the 5R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot and aims to divert waste from landfills and incinerators through the sharing of Zero Waste Lifestyle posts.

 

What is she going to talk in the BEFF Youth Forum?

Ruth constantly speaks to and trains the public on sustainable management of waste and resources through the zero waste lifestyle and practices. She aspires to help companies and organizations achieve their Sustainable Development Goals and introduce the zero waste audit system which she believes could help solve waste management issues in Sabah. Ruth also has hands-on experience in adding value to local resources, recyclables, and waste so to convert them to useful and marketable products.

Dane Kovacs (Orang Putih Kita)

Co-founder of Tanpa Sampah

Tanpa Sampah

“Dane will be sharing how to use social media to leverage your environmental cause.”

Dane Kovacs works in social media marketing and communications but he is also co-founder of Tanpa Sampah, an environmental project that aims to tackle the many issues around waste management and assist in the move towards a circular economy.

 

What is he going to talk in the BEFF Youth Forum?

Dane will talk about using social media to inspire change and how each and every one of us can find our voice and work together to tip the scales of balance in our favour, creating an environment where positive peer pressure encourages the majority of people to live in a more sustainable and conscious manner.

SPONSORS

Cocoa Kingdom

Experience a secret not known to many – the rich unique taste of Borneo’s Trinitario Cacao. Our beans are sourced directly from Tawau region of Sabah. The land, where our cacao farm is situated, is renowned for its fertile volcanic soil and yearlong fine weather to grow the best cacao bean.

 

Bean-to-bar is a venture to rediscover the original flavour of chocolate, where we preserve the natural taste profile by creating it straight from the cacao bean. At Cocoa Kingdom, we produce this chocolate in small batches by hand-picked only the finest cacao bean according to the fragrance and shape of the beans. It is then carefully grind over the course of 3 days and aged for at least 21 days to ensure superior flavour and quality.

 

Rich in antioxidant and abundant in natural flavour, we believe this chocolate can truthful unveil the unique characteristic of the cacao bean from Borneo Island.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Sabah

Born and brewed in Southern California since 1963, the Coffee Bean & Tea Lead is the oldest and largest privately held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the United States. Since opening their first cafe in Brentwood, California, Coffee Bean have always been passionate about connecting loyal customers with carefully handcrafted products. Though they travel far and wie to discover the flavors you love, Coffee Bean always bring it home. Delivering the look, taste and aroma of the world’s best coffees and teas is what we do best, and every sip should take you to the corners of the earth where each flavor was cultivated.

Eco Genesis Inc.

Eco Genesis Inc. @ 3rd Floor Suria Sabah – the first refill station in East Malaysia. Ranging from household to body, hair and personal care, we encourage customers to ‘Bring Your Own’ bottles and containers and just get what you need. Pay for the content only, you have plenty of bottles and containers already! #thinkaboutit

 

REUSE your bottles from home, REFILL with our all natural goods, and REPEAT the process to reduce your waste for a low impact lifestyle.

#ecogenesisMY #everypurchasehasapurpose #refillnotlandfill

Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn. Bhd. (GSC)

Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn. Bhd. (GSC), Malaysia’s largest cinema exhibitor, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the PPB Group (a member of the Kuok Group). GSC operates a total of 450 screens in 53 locations across Malaysia and Vietnam, with 352 screens in 37 locations in Malaysia, and 98 screens in 16 locations in Vietnam through a partnership with Galaxy Studio.

 

Aspiring to be a regional cinema and content operator that delivers enriching cinema experiences, GSC’s auditoriums feature state-of-the-art cinematic technologies including multi-dimensional Dolby Atmos surround sound technology, 4DX, ScreenX, D-BOX motion seats, and more across Malaysia. Its 21-screen GSC Mid Valley Megamall holds the record for being the largest multiplex in Southeast Asia, and is the only cinema in the region equipped with an Onyx 3D Cinema LED screen.

Ropeskills Rigging

Ropeskills Rigging is an international Rope Access company based in Malaysian Borneo. They specialise in various fields relating to the regional environment; trees, caves, rocks and man-made structures. Using ropes, skills and technology to perform tasks, construct destruct, teach and rescue. In the past, notable guests like The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Sir David Attenborough experienced the majesty of the world’s oldest rainforest with Ropeskills Rigging.

Sabah Tea

Nature has graced us with only the best at the Sabah Tea Gardens. Located 2,272 feet above sea levels, the harvests are 100% pesticide free as insects are drawn towards the 130 million-year-old rainforest surrounding the plantation. This results in Sabah Tea being pure and untouched.

 

Another advantage of Sabah Tea Gardens’ location in the cool foothills of Mount Kinabalu is that it allows every harvest at the Sabah Tea plantations to turn out such that it is a Spring-like harvest, which is regarded as the best harvest quality.

 

The scale of Sabah Tea’s plantation enables consistent quality through selective and exclusive tea cultivation. The tea is naturally rich in flavour without any added colouring. Sabah Tea is most definitely the healthier choice of tea, for a healthier you.

Salt x Paper

Salt x Paper is birthed out of our love for paper goods and passion to preserve ideas, memories and stories. We started in 2015, with our own line of notebooks, greeting cards and stickers. Our flagship store in Jalan Gaya, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, also features lovely designer stationery from talented local artists, pretty paper goods, and fun collectibles. Salt x Paper is also the organiser of the curated Jesselton Artisan Market that is held once every two months.

Yit Foh Coffee

Factory of Yit Foh was originally in Kampung Chinta Mata of Tenom, it produces coffee grounds in a traditional way by roasting coffee beans over wood fired to bring out the true aroma of coffee. Since been inherited by Mr. Alex Yong (son of Mr. Yong Loong Vun), a new factory was built and started operation since 1993 and now is intended to expand the market globally.

 

Five decades since its establishment, Yit Foh Coffee Factory Sdn Bhd holds on its core value – to provide good and high quality coffee. There is a lot of hard work involved in keeping the traditional coffee flavour alive. With passion, Alex Yong, its current managing director, is persistent as his company continues to rebrand and expand toward foreign markets. From Tenom, Yit Foh Coffee Factory Sdn Bhd has ventured out to Sabah, Malaysia and now our neighbouring country Brunei Darussalam.

 

Yit Foh Coffee Factory Sdn Bhd is situated in a small town called Tenom, which is about 168km south of the capital city, Kota Kinabalu. Just ask anyone in Tenom, they will easily be able to direct you to Yit Foh Coffee Factory.

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