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PERKASA REMAJA
BAHAGIAN PERMATA, JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI AND UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
The youth of this generation are often associated with misbehaviour and social issues. The World Youth Report estimates that 25 per cent of youth are categorised as ‘At-Risk Youth’. This means that they are likely to be involved in activities of misconduct due to their marginalised life, low socio-economic status, and the lack of opportunity to realise their true potential. If this rating applied to the Malaysian context, it means that almost one million of our youth between the ages of 15 and 25 can be categorised at ‘At-Risk Youth’. The Malaysian Youth Index 2007 showed that almost 500,000 of Malaysian youths were involved in at least one activity of misconduct. Youth are the most precious of assets. They are the strength of a generation and the successor to the country’s leadership. With the large youth population, coupled with the vision that youth are the potential driver of development, it is only right that this group be nurtured to become a righteous generation with the right mindset, who are knowledgeable, creative and capable of staying away from a negative way of life, while serving as a catalyst for others to also change for the better. The adolescent years are indeed a challenging period. It is during this stage that youth try to seek self-identities which see the gradual deterioration of their relationship with their own families, and the corresponding increase in their relationship with peers and friends. At the same time, families will normally try to exert control over their behaviour so as to be in tandem with existing social values. More often than not, such effort creates conflicts as it goes against the youth’ need for independence to discover their intellectual abilities and gain a certain emotional autonomy according to their preference. We also see this as a problem of youth who have been marginalised from mainstream development. Most of those involved in social ills come from the low socio-economic class, are low-income earners, and have no exemplary role models. A lack of support from the parents and community was also the main obstacle before implementation the programs. Many of them came from a broken family and a very low income family.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
PERMATA, in collaboration with the Youth Empowerment Centre, UKM, is currently undertaking two community projects focussed on marginalised urban youths coming from low-income settings. The first project, called community@youth, is an ‘in-situ’ project within the community, targeting youths who are ‘at-risk’. It was reported that at least 25% of youths are at-risk unless interventions are provided. The second project is camp@youth. It focuses on youths who are already involved in antisocial behaviours, and its programmes are organised in a camp outside the community. Our aim is to focus and build on the strengths of these young people, to engage and empower young people in their community, to develop and reinforce positive relationships, to recognise and develop talents and skills within young people and to commit to affecting long-term change. PERKASA Remaja, initiated by Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, delved into the various youth issues to formulate an integrated plan to produce a bold, dynamic, competitive and confident young generation. Through several empowerment strategies comprising research, intervention and establishment of a database, the PERKASA Remaja project materialised as an integrated strategy based on the principle of positive youth development to tackle the rampant issues involving at-risk youths, and as a continuation of the PERMATA programme. Komuniti PERKASA is a programme specifically developed to help youth in marginalised communities so that they can enjoy a meaningful life, and consequently realise their true potential. Social capital development is thus an approach for youth development. In an effort to develop social capital, youth will be given the opportunity to be involved in the planning and execution of activities by voicing their opinions and making their own decisions regarding these activities. Komuniti PERKASA aims to enhance a 25-item capital asset amongst the youth involved as it is anticipated that youth with these assets will be more likely to realise their ambition and not be susceptible to social ills. The development of these 25 Youth Asset is in terms of support, empowerment, and constructive use of free time, positive values, social skills, and positive identity. This approach will change the paradigm from merely perceiving youth as problematic to seeing them as members of society with social capital i.e. assets, resources and skills. Active participation and dynamic social relationship can enhance the social capital of youth. Those with high social capital are most likely to succeed in life in the future. Among the objectives of Komuniti Perkasa are to develop the youth based on their own strength or asset, empower and emphasise their participation and involvement in the community, strengthen the positive relationship between the youth and those around them, and unearth the talents that lie within each and every one of them. In the long term, Komuniti Perkasa will strive to effect a change in the youth.
 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
Several programmes and activities had been underway since 2010 in 2 housing estates in the Lembah Pantai area ie. Pusat Perkasa Remaja PPR (Perkasa Youth Centre) Pantai Ria and PPR Sri Pantai. These programmes aim to develop 25 social capital including a photography club, a cake- decorating club, a music and vocal club, a house-keeping club, and several other activities. The PERKASA Remaja Programmes were carried out at the weekends and received encouraging response from the youth. All in all, about 700 youths had participated in the activities of PERKASA since its establishment in 2010. The PERMATA youth projects offer an innovative approach to develop the potential of youths living in urban and marginalised communities. For the community@youth programme, we offer an integral package of enterprise training, family, personal and social assets development, and entrepreneurial mentorship targeted at young people. Those who are interested in pursuing entrepreneurial endeavours will be given a micro-credit at the end of the programme to kick-start their business ventures on a small-scale basis. Others who seek employment will be encouraged to pursue further technical and vocational skills through various institutions incorporated as project partners. This is a developmental approach which encompasses capacity building, social capital development, empowerment and micro-crediting, all in one programme.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
Several basic approaches were adopted in implementing this youth programme. These include: • Development of positive Youth to increase the ability to protect themselves and mitigate the risks. • Continuous programmes to instill a habit of active participant amongst youth. • Cultivate the assets of the youth to enhance their resilience. The PERKASA Remaja Programmes is not just for the rehabilitation and prevention of youth in marginalised society; but also and more importantly, each activity is monitored through scientific evaluation. Pre- and post-programme data are collected and assessed to evaluate the level of changes these youth have gone through. The community-based empowerment programme seeks to transform youth at-risk from within communities in order to encourage them to reach their full potential for the long term. This is done through the development of a social model that gives youth the opportunity to be involved in the planning and implementation of activities within their communities. 25 asset models have been identified as the main outcomes for this programme, with youths who are deemed to possess all 25 asset models to have been successful in transforming themselves towards the betterment of the community. The conceptual models Several basic approaches were adopted in implementing this youth programme. These include: • Development of positive Youth to increase the ability to protect themselves and mitigate the risks. • Continuous programmes to instill a habit of active participant amongst youth. • Cultivate the assets of the youth to enhance their resilience. The PERKASA Remaja Programmes is not just for the rehabilitation and prevention of youth in marginalised society; but also and more importantly, each activity is monitored through scientific evaluation. Pre- and post-programme data are collected and assessed to evaluate the level of changes these youth have gone through. The community-based empowerment programme seeks to transform youth at-risk from within communities in order to encourage them to reach their full potential for the long term. This is done through the development of a social model that gives youth the opportunity to be involved in the planning and implementation of activities within their communities. 25 asset models have been identified as the main outcomes for this programme, with youths who are deemed to possess all 25 asset models to have been successful in transforming themselves towards the betterment of the community. The conceptual models 25 Assets 25 Assets
 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
These programmes were conducted with the cooperation of UKM and the National Council of Women’s Organisation (NCWO) and Lembaga Perancangan Keluarga Negara – LPKN (National Family Planning Board) and went by such names as “Be the Change” Programmes, Bengkel Smart Belanja (Smart Spending Workshop) and the ‘I’m in Control” Workshop. These activities were overseen by PERKASA UKM with the cooperation of the Persatuan Penduduk Perumahan Rakyat Tempatan (Local Public Housing Residents’ Association). The units was given by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall with the cooperation of Residents’ Association.
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
We acknowledged the support of the government in contributing the fund to ensure the program is successful.
 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
 Extending the Komuniti PERKASA program to other housing area.  Giving the opportunity to the young people to organize a carnival.  Training the young people to be a facilitator and giving a training of trainers courses.  Encouraging the young people to run the activities which can generate income.  Encouraging the young people to start a small business and entrepreneurship program.
 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
To determine the impact of the project, we have developed a measurement that is consistent with the needs of social sustainability. In the past, programmes for youths would use indicators such as uplifting educational qualifications, reduced poverty, reduced antisocial behaviours and the inculcation of positive social and family values. The instruments to measure the impact for the community and camp-based PERMATA programmes incorporate new emerging indicators such as participation and empowerment, social capital, wellbeing and quality of life, health and safety, identity, a sense of belonging, social mixing and cohesion. All of these indicators, whether ‘traditional’ or ‘emerging’, represent the ‘soft’ dimension of sustainability. The ‘hard’ dimensions of sustainability, such economic and environmental sustainability, are considered the goals of sustainable development. However, social sustainability, as the ‘soft’ dimension, is considered the finality of development. In the case of PERMATA at-risk youth programmes, their innovative approach is capable of contributing to social justice and sustainable livelihood. That approach also lets the marginalised urban poor feel that their environment is a ‘good’ place to live, since they have the opportunity to experience a fairer distribution of resources and a long-term vision. Our assessment shows that there is higher community participation when monitoring the implementation and running of the programmes. Participating youths have a greater sense of pride and a feeling that they belong. The program is developed based on the modules developed by UKM psychologists and researchers who contributed ideas based on their expertise and experience in the related field. As indicated earlier, these modules adopt a holistic approach, emphasising emotional, spiritual and social development. The modules will be updated for improvement as well. The youths will be giving a questionnaire before and after finishing the skills program. Data will be analized to get the effectiveness of the program.
 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
The marginalised community, as a larger entity, has been deprived of many opportunities to improve the chances of having a better quality of life. Unless help is provided, youths growing within this community certainly will be trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty and will not be able to realise their full potential and develop into responsible adults. They lack resources as well as spaces to experience meaningful living conditions. The main aim of the PERMATA at-risk youth projects, therefore, is to ensure that marginalised urban youths have better (if not equitable) access to resources available to those of greater privilege within the same generation. This is to ensure that they will experience two important aspects of social sustainability: sustainable livelihood and social justice. In the past, the organisational strategy used for marginalised youths, especially those at risk, was to keep them occupied with positive physical activities during their leisure hours. The strategy, known as deficit approach, assumes that as long as youths can restrain themselves from being involved in antisocial behaviours, the strategy would be a success. However, youths who are not involved in antisocial behaviours are not necessarily addressed and assumed to be able to undergo the transition to adult life responsibly.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
Programmes under PERKASA@remaja has gained due recognition due to its high success rates in transforming those who has been categorized as youth at-risk. The centre actively collects data before and after each programme to effectively gauge the youths’ progress. To date, as much as 80% of those who has attended the programmes has gone on to have a stable career across various industries and fields. Some has established themselves as trainers and facilitators in motivational camps, while some are even rehabilitated to be employed as police officers or auxiliary police within FELDA. Many others have become entrepreneurs, using the skills they have learnt to earn a steady income. The centre is also currently on a mission to further develop the programmes that they are currently running. Aside from improvising their teaching and training modules, the centre are in the process to also increase the number of classes they are currently already providing. This includes computer classes and courses, as well as to build a studio for those who are currently taking photography courses. Classes and courses that are offered will be in tandem with the current market demands to ensure that the youths are able to have steady business and income. The centre also aspires to be the main referral centre in the country for all youth who are categorized as at-risk, thereby making massive positive changes to communities that have previously been the hot-bed for many juvenile activities.
 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
Youths involved with this programme have achieved in many ways such as financial, education and attitude. 90% of them has changed in their attitude according to the questionnaires given to the parents. 70% of the youths has started a small business which starting from home i.e cupcakes making, hair dresser, reflexology masseur.
 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
Based on observation and feedback received from the participants who have gone through the Komuniti PERKASA skills programmes, many of them have started small businesses such as cake-baking and decorating from home, become assistant bridal make-up artists, part-time photographers as well as setting up their own music bands. In undertaking these projects, PERMATA hopes to contribute to at least one of the three important aspect of sustainability – that is, social sustainability. The 'social' has always been one of the 'three pillars' of sustainability (society, economy, ecology) but one neglected in scholarship and research. Social sustainability stems from actions in key thematic areas encompassing the social realm of individuals and societies; these range from capacity building and skills development to environmental and spatial inequalities. Social sustainability is about people – individuals and the community working together to meet at-risk needs, realize their potentials and prosper in a healthy environment. The overall objective of the PERKASA programme is to empower youth by giving them the chance for positive self-development. Through the programmes implemented, it is hoped that participants of the PERKASA Camp and PERKASA Community will take full advantages of the facilities and opportunities provided to enhance their capabilities so as to pave the way for better life as adults.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   BAHAGIAN PERMATA, JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI AND UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   SAIDATU AKHMA HASSAN
Title:   MRS  
Telephone/ Fax:   03-8318 8620
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   saidatuakhma.permata@1govuc.gov.my  
Address:   BAHAGIAN PERMATA, JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI, W101, ARAS 1, BLOK 3440, EB 1, JALAN TEKNOKRAT 3
Postal Code:   63000
City:   CYBERJAYA
State/Province:   SELANGOR
Country:  

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