Kembara Jom 2.0 Borneo Zone: Sarawak Youth Resilient, Matured To Tackle Current Issues - Adam Adli

SARIKEI, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Adam Adli Abdul Halim described the youth in Sarawak as of resilient stock with high hopes and matured thinking in dealing with current issues that go beyond personal interests.

He said this could be seen through the Town Hall session with the youth in conjunction with the Kembara Jumpa Orang Muda (Kembara JOM) 2.0 Borneo Zone 2 programme at the Kanyan Longhouse, Nyalak Ladong in Pakan today.

"From what I saw earlier, the youth are very hopeful. They don’t wallow in their own problems but think about environmental problems. This is a good sign," he said after the programme.

Adam Adli said that the findings of the Youth Index study conducted by the Malaysian Youth Development Research Institute (IYRES) also showed that Sarawak youth scored the highest in aspects of mental and physical health, with a score of around 70 per cent (pct), thus setting a strong benchmark compared to other states.

"With such a high score, they are in a situation to move forward and contribute to developing society as the current ecosystem is quite conducive for them," he said.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the questions raised by the youth during the session proved their growing concern for societal issues.

According to him, most of the questions revolved around drug problems, leadership and community development, indicating a shift in youth attitudes away from self-centredness.

"The questions from the youth show that they are not self-centred. They ask a lot about drug issues, leadership and community development. This clearly reflects their heightened concern for the community, the state and the nation compared to the past," he said.

He stressed that the development is a positive trend that reflects the readiness of Sarawak's youth to play a key role in community development.

The Kembara JOM 2.0 Borneo Zone 2 programme lasted for three days starting on Sept 11 and gathered 900 youth from various communities.

This zone marks the third in a series of six implementation zones for the Kembara JOM 2.0 programme held from July to November 2025.

Key highlights are a Town Hall session with the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, foster child family programme, volunteerism, cross-cultural engagement, youth leadership, social entrepreneurship and advocacy for the Core Values ​​of Malaysia MADANI.

The newly-introduced foster family approach has successfully strengthened the spirit of belonging, social empathy and cross-racial and cultural understanding.

In addition, Kembara JOM also became a platform for profiling rural youth, encouraging the formation of new associations and studying the socio-economic status of local youth, which will be an important foundation in formulating national youth development policies and strategies.

Other side activities included community gotong-royong (mutual cooperation), distribution of sports equipment, health services, government agency exhibitions and MADANI Unity Games. The traditional activities of “JOM Begiga Ngau Bala Raban Rumah Panjai (fishing)” and “JOM Futsal With Youth” also provided space for relaxed interaction and togetherness.

The closing ceremony was officiated by Abdul Karim, who expressed the state government’s strong support for efforts to strengthen the youth ecosystem.

The programme was organised by the Sarawak State Youth and Sports Department in collaboration with the Sarawak Ministry of Youth and Sports and the United National Youth Organisation of Sarawak (SABERKAS).

-- BERNAMA