The Malaysian Youth Delegation hosted the annual Retreat at EPIC Collective over the weekend of the 28th and 29th April 2018. New members were asked to reflect the activities they took part in, what they learned along the way, and what they took away from the experience. Here’s what our new members had to say:

By Chen Hui Ling

The first time that I heard about MYD was from a talk delivered by Adrian prior to COP 23. However, doubting my capabilities and thoughts of having to juggle between academics, commitments in clubs and attending MYD have put off my desire of wanting to be part of an NGO, let alone being a youth delegate.

This time around, I have gathered enough information from my coursemate, Azam, who was a delegate for COP23. Along with the encouragement from a few others, I made the decision to join MYD. Another decision that I had to make was whether or not to attend the retreat, which was set on the most crucial time period, the assignment deadlines and study week. Regardless, I attended the retreat and did not regret one bit.

Throughout this entire retreat, I have learnt that I knew almost nothing. The way the world works is just so different than I had thought it would be. My favourite part of the retreat would definitely be the history lesson, if not the toilet agreement, where we were fed information about the birth of the UNFCCC, the well-known Paris Agreement and lots of other agreements that I never knew of.

This retreat have taught me valuable skills, and in particular, negotiating with people. Through the negotiation of annex and non-annex one in the ‘toilet agreement’, I have come to realise that we as humans often forget to think from others perspective, to stand in someone’s shoes when making decisions. I have also learnt that being with the right people helps in building my confidence and pushing me towards my goal. I have been inspired by so many people, and I can’t wait to be inspired more.

Overall, I have enjoyed myself and have learnt a lot throughout this retreat. Malaysian youths like myself don’t really get exposed to issues regarding climate change, and more often than not, people don’t realise the urgency of climate change. Being together with a group of like-minded people have shown me how making a change is possible, and how we can all strive together in making a difference.