8/15/2007 - Campus Check: AFS calls for more youth exchange programmes
It was a night of international splendour when AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia held its Annual Fundraising Gala Dinner. The event coincided with the launch of a worldwide petition to promote peace through youth exchange programmes.
The petition has a goal of gathering more than one million signatures and calls upon world leaders to enable and encourage young people everywhere to live and study in cultures other than their own.
In a video presentation during the dinner, AFS International president Francisco Cazal said these exchanges help teach youth to be citizens of the world and provide them an opportunity to advance intercultural understanding in their communities as well as the international arena.
AFS Malaysia ambassador Yasmin Yusuff shared her experience of staying with a large family in San Diego as a 16-year-old.
“The experience had taught me to be more confident and tolerant, and to communicate with those of different origins with greater understanding. This is what we want to achieve with our youth under this programme.”
Hazrina Haidar, a returnee from Japan, said that living in the country taught her how different we can be.
“When I returned to Malaysia, I used the tolerance and understanding I had learned during my stay in Japan to enhance my relationships with my multi-racial friends,” said Hazrina.
Perhaps the best compliment for the country came when Monica Tilbrook, an exchange student from Australia, described Malaysians as happy and helpful.
When asked what she did not like about Malaysia, the teenager frowned while declaring, “Ikan bilis.”
[You can view the original article here.]
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