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by Jason Khaw Soon Hoe
The personal stories were what really struck me. I was moved by what the three panelists had to go through to be where they are today and yet still not there yet. Their passion for their communities or their chosen natural world took them away from their comfort zones or the society’s usual expectations to a selfless path. A path to protect a species, a vulnerable environment and empower a community, often strangers at first.
Webinars often feature impressive slides, impactful headlines and loud and clear type of calls-to-action. The presenter would go through those slides and we go away with selective key messages - those that resonate with us. For me, Climate Governance Malaysia’s Life Below Water, delivered an equally urgent message but in a refreshingly different way. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I honestly thought the presentations were too short!
Julian of Reef Check Malaysia - From a successful corporate professional, went on to open a dive shop to indulge in his passion in scuba diving, saw the destruction of the reefs around him, took up the challenge to do something about it and has been doing so ever since he formed Reef Check Malaysia in 2007.
Afiqah of Kelab Alami - What a brave and enlightened young lady! She was exposed to the environmental challenges that afflicted her village community while still at primary school, decided to get involved and now lead a team of equally young and younger protectors to help shine a light on the plight of her fishing community in an area ring-fenced by unabated development. Those challenges still exist today and the threats to her community continue to mount.
Pelf of Turtle Conservation Society - Imagine having to uproot yourself and your family to another part of the country, immerse yourself in an entirely new community, a different way of life, work with and build trust with “strangers” around you - all that to protect the endangered river terrapin.
Without apologies, I have written this blog referring to those 3 presenters in their first names as I already feel I know them well enough to do so. You will too if you had attended this webinar. If you missed it, I strongly encourage you to invest your time in watching it by following the link here.
We hope that you will support the great work that these organisations are doing.
If you enjoyed this, do sign up for our inaugural global summit happening from the 23rd to 26th of March.