The winning team from SMK Siburan Kuching celebrate their victory at the Click! 4.0 Grand Finale with DCM Edgard Kagan and Dr. Elizabeth Lee, Senior Executive Director Chairperson of Sunway Education Group. (U.S. Embassy photo)

The Embassy’s annual premier social entrepreneurship program aimed at students ages 14-16 concluded its fourth series of camps on September 23 at a Grand Finale held at Sunway University Kuala Lumpur.  Following the Click! Camps in Penang, Terengganu, and Sarawak organized by LifeChamp Sdn Bhd and the Malaysian Alumni Partnership (MAAP), 6 teams were chosen from 43 teams of high school students to fly to Kuala Lumpur for the finals.

Deputy Chief of Mission Edgard Kagan presented all six teams with trophies and certificates signed by Ambassador Joseph Yun.  SMK Siburan prevailed as champions this year, the first school from East Malaysia to win the Click! Competition.  The SMK Siburan Kuching students received a grand prize of full scholarships to further their studies at Sunway University, worth a total of RM150,000 (almost $50,000).  The winners also received I-pod Touches, and the opportunity to participate in a selection camp for the AFS Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program that could lead them to study and live in the United States for six months. The second and third prizes went to participants from Sekolah Menengah Islam Al-Amin, Kemaman, and SMK Maran Pahang who won scholarships worth RM75,000 and RM50,000 respectively.

In his remarks, Mr. Kagan congratulated the “Clickers,” who he said would be the leaders to solve the problems of the future. He thanked the sponsors, Sunway Education Group, Boston Consulting Group, AFS Malaysia, and Khazanah National Berhad for contributing prizes this year.  He further added that the Click! Program remains one of the Embassy’s most successful public-private partnerships and youth outreach programs.

The six teams came from SMK Kota Masai 2, Johor; SMK Maran, Pahang; Al Almin Islamic School Kemaman, Terengganu; SMK Mahang, Kedah; SMK Padang Polo, Penang; and SMK Siburan, Sarawak.  During the finale, they pitched their projects in front of a panel of judges from the Boston Consulting Group, Sunway Education Group, and myHarapan Foundation.  Participants of Click Camp 4.0 include students from the English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) Program schools, Access English Microscholarship, Teach for Malaysia, and Islamic madrasah schools.  The final teams were mentored by American ETAs, teachers, and consultants from the Boston Consulting Group.

Each team of five members  have been planning and implementating their social venture project for eight weeks, while discovering new skills such as creating a business model, developing project timelines, creating presentation slides, and using Facebook and a promotional video to promote their projects.  Students developed creative and critical thinking skills, promoted team work, and improved their confidence in speaking in English.

Since its inception in 2010 in Cherating, Pahang, the Click Camp series has engaged over 900 Malaysian youth and has instilled youth participants with a global mindset and a sense of social responsibility.  .  The program also promotes a strong three-way relationship between the United States, the business community and local communities.

Partners of Click Camp 4.0 included the Ministry of Education (MOE), State Education Departments (JPN), English Language Training Center (ELTC), ELS Language Center, Teach for Malaysia (TFM), the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), the Social Entrepreneurship Alliance, and Matrix Research.

Participants and partners of Click Camp 4.0. (U.S. Embassy photo)