Youth Leadership Bootcamp Empowers Future Changemakers

MUKAH: The Leadership Bootcamp for Youth 2025 (Central Zone) concluded on Monday with a strong call for the younger generation to continue stepping forward as changemakers and contributors to Sarawak’s future development.

Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, said the four-day programme has clearly boosted the participants’ confidence, teamwork and communication skills, preparing them to take on bigger leadership roles in their communities.

“If this is the result of four days of training, Alhamdulillah. We want to nurture young leaders who are not only confident in speaking, but are knowledgeable, credible, and able to act as a leader with substance,” she said when officiating the closing ceremony at Kingwood Hotel Mukah.

Dato Sri Fatimah also emphasised the state’s ongoing commitment to gender equality and inclusivity through the establishment of the Diversity, Equality, Equity and Inclusivity (D2EI) Unit under the Ministry.

She highlighted statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) 2024 that show Sarawak women achieving strong progress in education, but remaining underrepresented in politics and economic participation.

She added that the State Government has channelled significant assistance to empower women’s involvement in entrepreneurship, including grants and special financing schemes, as well as educational opportunities through full scholarships for eligible women to pursue postgraduate studies at the Asian Women Leadership University College in Penang.

Dato Sri Fatimah explained that since 2019, the Ministry through the Sarawak Women and Family Department has organised 20 leadership development programmes involving 485 participants across the state.

This includes the Women Leadership Programme and the Leadership Bootcamp for Youth series which continue to serve as important platforms for capacity building.

“Programmes like this not only shape leaders, but also nurture a spirit of service to family, community and the state,” she said, before officially concluding the ceremony.

Among those present were Director of the Sarawak Women and Family Department, Salmah Jobeli, Mukah Division Resident, Datu Kueh Lei Poh, Chairman of Dalat and Mukah District Council, Cr Aini Suhaili and Pemanca Mohamad @ Mohd Jali Kawi.

-UKASnews