BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

FIFTEEN young Bruneian leaders left for Singapore yesterday to attend the inaugural run of the leadership exchange programme between the two countries.

The Singapore-Brunei Youth Leadership Exchange Programme (SBYLEP), which will be held until November 14, was first announced by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam during a state visit of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in the Lion City last April.

The programme serves to develop the next generation of leaders and affirms the important role of the young people.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the SBYLEP would be coordinated annually on a rotational basis for the period of four years.

The theme of the programme is “Social Innovation” and it aims to showcase innovative responses to social needs, resulting in positive change, throught the introduction of 3P (people, private and public) sector organisations and their concepts.

Based on the theme, the participants were selected from the public, private and non-governmental organisations.

Talking to The Brunei Times, Hjh Fauziah Hj Abd Hamid, Deputy Director of Research, Development And International Affairs Section under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, said “This will be the first leadership exchange programme. And it aims to expose young leaders under different sectors, to learn about the perspectives of the public, private and NGOs in Singapore.”

The youth leaders will be visiting and receiving numerous lectures from business organisations to look at how to assist community.

Another participants in this programme, Khairunnisa Ashari, the Head of International Relations Bureau of Brunei Youth Council said, “We will be meeting with social enterprises in Singapore, so these leading social enterprises will be sharing about what they are doing, how their businesses are in line with social progress, promoting social enterprise, and sharing some ideas about the factors that contribute to their success.’’

Another objective in this programme is also to strengthen the much-valued relations between both bilaterally and in the many partnerships, especially in ASEAN.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah, the Sultanate’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and his Singaporean counterpart, Lawrence Wong, who is also the Second Minister for Ministry of Communications and Information will attend the “Wrap Up and Dialogue Session” on November 14.

The Brunei Times