It's all about our future
The AYA Dream Malaysia Awards is a pilot project initiated by the Asian Youth Ambassadors (AYA), a non-profit youth development organisation founded in Malaysia for the primary purpose of “inviting, inspiring, instructing and involving young people to dream dreams and be responsible in fulfilling their destiny for the good of all”. AYA’s main priority is a commitment to raising leaders of excellence, believing that sound and solid leaders determine the overall health (spirit, mind and body) of a whole generation as it does a whole nation.
What is AYA Dream Malaysia Awards?
The AYA Dream Malaysia Awards is about our future - and the people who are farsighted enough to invest in it. The Awards is in line with AYA’s objective of building tomorrow’s leaders today and to create a better and brighter future for Malaysia by inspiring, inciting and inculcating responsible attitudes and actions especially – but not exclusively - in the hearts and minds of our youths.
This Awards serves as an encouragement to emerging individuals and responsible institutions to persevere in their dreams of improving the quality of life for themselves and for those around them in spite of the difficulties and obstacles they encounter.
Life College is sponsoring a scholarship worth RM 16000 - RM 24000 to the winner of The Most Outstanding Youth of The Year.
Voting ends on 7th November, and the winner will be announced at the AYA Dream Malaysia Awards Night on 13th November 2005. Cast your votes here!
Comments
I've just visited the AYA website, and my main criticism about the awards is that I don't really get it.
Of the six candidates nominated, the only one that I feel demonstrates any sort of fit to the criteria ("The Award is considered based on the facts given or obtained of an outstanding spirit") is Yvonne, and that's partly because I've read her blog and know a fair bit about her already.
The rest? Their writeups don't do them justice. I feel no sense that they've shown "outstanding spirit" to get where they are. I don't even know what exactly they've done to deserve their nomination.
Is John Ling there because he wrote "Fourteen Bullets"? What about Tash Aw (33 years old)? He was on the longlist for the Booker, you know. You don't get there without making sacrifices along the way. And he is an inspiration to all writers that, yes, we can. (Perhaps he isn't Malaysian. Then I point to someone like Huzir Sulaiman instead.) Why doesn't his writeup adequately reflect what else John Ling has done to deserve his nomination?
I just don't get it.
Posted by: dzof | October 14, 2005 05:07 PM
Dzof, it's good on you to publicize Yvonne, and to support her. Kudos to you.
However, have to disagree with you re John Ling. One might just see Fourteen Bullets, but it has to be read in context with what it is. Before John, no Malaysians were writing "popular fiction", such as thrillers and the like. John, through his enterprise in reaching publishers, has opened up the market for writers of popular fiction to enter the market. Does one see a Malaysian Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum yet?
Bear in mind, popular fiction is different from what Tash Aw is writing on, namely Asian heritage aand family, a road already paved by Amy Tan and Catherine Lim.
Cheers!
Posted by: yiliang | October 14, 2005 07:19 PM
Tash and Huzir are both over the age of 30. John Ling is only 21. I think it's unfair to compare, especially since John is only starting out.
Have you visited his website? I think he has achieved quite a fair bit for his age.
I also heard from a friend that he actually went through a lot of heartache, apparently because Malaysian publishers were not willing to give his type of action writing a chance.
Definitely an interesting dude to look out for.
Posted by: jimbo | October 15, 2005 04:09 PM
Congratulations to Yvonne for winning the Most Outstanding Youth of The Year.
Her outlook on life despite her obstacles inspires us to believe that things could be possible if you persevere.
Posted by: Jay and Kay | November 19, 2005 02:47 PM
Thank you Jay and Kay! Everything is possible for the both of you as well! Cheers!
Posted by: Yvonne Foong | November 19, 2005 06:21 PM