KOTA KINABALU, March 3: Sabah Youth Council has launched a Synergy programme: Sabah Youth in Social Entrepreneurship (Synergy) today.

Its president Ahmad Farid Sainuri said the programme aims to give positive impacts for youth economic and local community development via social entrepreneurship (SE).

In Sabah, he said there were over 2,000 young entrepreneurs registered with the State Sports and Youth ministry, with most of them venturing into small-scale food production and services.

He said there were Sabahan young social entrepreneurs, who have made their name and businesses well known in Malaysia, such as BorneoCocoa, EZPlast, Kundasang Aquafarm and Mount Kinabalu Coffee.

“SE is still a new concept among young entrepreneurs in Sabah.

“That is why we organise this programme as an effort to promote the youth to be involved in both economic activities that impact the community and environment positively,” said Farid.

Synergy programme is supported by the Sabah Sports and Youth Ministry with its graphic unit, Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCEIC) and Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) Malaysia.

Meanwhile, SCEIC general manager Viviantie Sarjuni expressed confidence that with collective efforts by all stakeholders, the concept of SE would be adapted by many more entrepreneurs in the state.

“We need to strengthen the business model even more by learning further about SE such as the type of many social enterprises business models, impact measurement, sustainability and many more.

“Especially during a pandemic, such business models will be able to help the economy more by bridging the gaps between different social income,” she said.

Viviantie added a government agency such as MaGIC, since its inception in 2014, has been championing and very supportive of SE.

She said MaGIC has brought in the “Buy For Impact” initiative to cultivate a conscious buying behaviour among the general public, as well as private and public sectors.

“We also have successful and pioneers in SE here in Sabah such as Changgih Designs, Upcycled Shack, Pangrok Sulap, MJ by MUS, Borneo Cocoa, and many more.

“These SEs and its founders should be given credits for their hard works as being a pioneer and paving the way for more SEs to thrive is no easy job.”

Viviantie assured that they will definitely support any programs that can churn out more youth entrepreneurs and we strive to improve the program execution from time to time.

“I would also like to urge non-governmental organisations to reach out to us if they would like to explore and collaborate in organising programs for their communities,” said Viviantie, adding she hopes to see participants from Sabah rural areas joining in.

The application for the Synergy programme is now open from today until March 21.

More information on the social entrepreneurship programme can be obtained at www.sabahsynergy.com.