PRESS RELEASE
PETALING JAYA: RYTHM Foundation (RF), the social impact initiative of the QI Group, has joined forces with three other Malaysian organisations to champion a Youth Development program called Jaguh RF. In addition to RF, the partnership includes MySkills Foundation, MyPJ, and the PJ City Football Club (PJ City FC).
Jaguh RF is a development programme aimed at boys in their early teens from low-income families who are less academically inclined, to excel through sports. The programme will include a combination of activities aimed at the holistic development of these boys. The highlight of the program is the focus on utilising football to channel the energy and potential of the participants in a positive way.
Jaguh RF was officially unveiled at an event held here recently to commemorate the signing of the MoU by the four partners. Present at the MoU signing ceremony were RYTHM Foundation Chairperson, Datin Sri Umayal Eswaran, President of PJ City FC, Dato Sri Subahan Kamal, Advisor of MyPJ, Mr. Jeffrey Phang and Director of MySkills Foundation, Mr. Pasupathi Sithamparam.
In its launch phase, Jaguh RF will be a three-year program which kicks-off in April 2021 and will include 40 young boys aged around 13-years from underserved communities in Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan
“Sports is as a potent driver for social change in many communities around the world. And with Malaysia’s love of football, we believe we can use it as a tool to build a trust base with these boys and work on behaviour change. It’s a powerful tool to promote a sense of belonging, fair play, and respect among the youth. And for many of these young boys, sports provides a safe space for them to escape the sometimes harsh realities of their lives which includes poverty and social exclusion” said Datin Sri Umayal Eswaran.
PJ City FC President, Dato Sri Subahan Kamal welcomed the Jaguh RF initiative as he has seen first-hand how sports can help young people with character development.
“The future of our nation rests with our youth. Therefore, it is important to nurture them and channel their talent and energy towards attaining growth and transformation. PJ City FC, which recently became the only all-Malaysian team in the Super League, is excited to be part of this programme which has so much potential to help bring about societal change at a structural level,” he noted.
As one of the training providers for the capacity building program, MySkills Foundation will focus on character development sessions for the students. My PJ, a community organization will serve as the ground partner to help identify the youth who can benefit from the programme and also work to promote the programme on behalf of RF in the relevant communities.
Both Mr. Pasupathi and Mr. Jeffrey Phang agreed that Jaguh RF is a well-structured program with the potential to change the course of the lives of the participants.
“The character development segment will focus on five pillars: Self -Esteem, Health, Family & Peers, Community & Nation, Leadership, and Career. This program aims to produce youths who are holistically developed, able to manage their lives and becoming leaders, able to make wise choices in choosing their career or further education paths, and able to manifest loyalty and responsibility towards the community and the nation at large,” said Pasupathi and Phang Jointly.
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About RYTHM Foundation
RYTHM Foundation, the QI Group’s social impact initiative, invests in the communities in which we operate, through strategic partnerships, employee volunteering, and community service.
RYTHM, an acronym for Raise Yourself To Help Mankind, and the Foundation’s core values are built on the principles of Empowerment, Volunteerism, and Resilience. Through all of our work, be it grant making, volunteer engagement or investing in human development programs, our goal is to empower lives and transform communities.
RYTHM Foundation strives to reinforce the QI Group’s aspirations and responsibility in playing a pivotal role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Our focus areas are Education for All, Gender Equality and Sustainability Community Development.
Visit us at www.rythmfoundation.org
About PJ City FC
Petaling Jaya City Football Club (PJ City FC) is a professional football club that currently plays in the Malaysian Super League. Named after the vibrant and diverse city of Petaling Jaya, the home of the QI Group in Malaysia, the PJ City FC was launched under the purview of the QI Group in 2019 as a youth and community development initiative.
Under the PJ City FC umbrella are the Super League Team which currently is an all-Malaysian team, the Under 21 Team – an amateur side, and the Under 19 Team – a young and upcoming amateur squad. For more information, visit www.pjcityfc.com
About Myskills Foundation
MySkills Foundation was initiated as a response to the need for an alternative program for change in the life of a group of school dropouts in Malaysia who were constantly rejected by institutions.
After an initial study of the issues at hand and identifying the nature of the "crisis", we put up a transformation plan. The rejected students came from difficult circumstances. Many were from dysfunctional families, growing up with grandparents, single mothers, exposed to gangsterism, living in cramped, unsafe environments and most of all in poverty, with all its related problems. Some of our youth from a right, loving and supportive environment have also fallen into the influenced trap of substance abuse and negativism. We developed a holistic transformation skills training program which focuses on character re-engineering with skills competency for sustainable human development. More information on MySkills Foundation’s initiatives are available at www.myskills.org.my
About MyPJ
We are residents, businesses and organisations operating within Petaling Jaya and supportive of Petaling Jaya vision of being a liveable city. We also believe that for PJ to progress, there must be close collaboration and communication between MBPJ and its stakeholders. In that respect we continue to uphold the principle of public participation as embodied in Local Agenda 21.
We are also caring citizens that are concern enough to learn and study about issues that are confronting Petaling Jaya and seek to provide our cooperation to enable Petaling Jaya to become a model liveable city in Malaysia. . You can interact with us on twitter using hashtag #mypj or follow us on twitter @ taxpayerpj. Website: www.my-pj.info
Media Contacts:
1. RYTHM Foundation and PJ City FC - Martin Soosay - (012-6375029 – martin.soosay@qigroup.com
2. MySkills Foundation: Malathi - 013-3383036 - myskillsfoundation@yahoo.com
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