JCI Kinta Held Their IA Banquet, And Are Already Eyeing the Future
by KT Leong
Junior Chambers International (JCI) Kinta held their 8th Installation & Awards (IA) Banquet at the Ipoh Town Council (Bilik Gerakan, Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh).
JCI Kinta is one of the 73 JCI local organisations in Malaysia, and was founded and affiliated in 2016 at the JCI Malaysia National Convention held in Penang. They consist of youth within the 18 to 40 age range, and aims to build leadership among their membership by having activities that serve the community, as well as create entrepreneurial networking opportunities for all involved.
Uniquely, their board of directors only serve 1-year terms, which allows newer members the opportunity to grow by taking on the mantle of leadership.
This year’s ceremony was held on the same day as its fellow JCI Ipoh’s 47th Installation and Awards ceremony, this allowed both chapters to enjoy a higher attendance of visiting JCI chapters from across the nation, including those from JCI Butterworth, Teluk Intan, Kulim, Sungai Petani and others. Also there was the guest of honour, Mr. Puhaz Salleh, President of Majlis Belia Negeri Perak, who was there to witness the inauguration of the new JCI Kinta board of directors for the year of 2024.
With the theme of the ceremony being “Stars of the Night” and the presidential theme of “Empower”, JCI Kinta is embarking on an exciting trajectory.
While some JCI chapters are still recovering from the effects of Movement Control Orders (MCO) due to Covid-19, JCI Kinta is going full steam ahead with a burgeoning membership. Now more than ever, they are in a position to really pull off their projects, including the introduction of “Kinta Food Hero 2.0″. This project, which had participants travel around Ipoh to sample various foods while enjoying party games and promoting Ipoh on social media, was sorely missed last year. So its return is a great welcome, especially on this Visit Perak Year 2024.
Also returning is the “Bazaar Junior Perak“, which became an official Perak state programme last year. This program sees children aged 6 to 12, set up their own stalls to sell products that they source on their own. It aims to teach children problem solving, entrepreneurship, communication and financial literacy, as well as social responsibility through the act of charity, as a portion of their earnings would be donated to good causes.
Under the leadership of this year’s local president, Stephanie Hiew, who has been an active and instrumental member of JCI Kinta for the past several years, these flagship programs and more are on the horizon for this year’s JCI Kinta. They have already held post-mortems on their IA ceremony and hosted a Secretariat Visitation by the Officer from the National Youth Award to showcase their initiatives and discuss future collaborations. They’ve also built their networks by attending events and bonding sessions with other JCI chapters, and even held a corporate visit to Eastern Decorator.
The year is starting strong for them and this can only serve the community, especially of Ipoh itself.
