2010 Youth Leadership Program Alumni Practice Their Leadership Skills

A group shot of the 2010 SEAYLP alumni with U.S. Embassy Alumni Coordinator Intan Safinaz in Kuala Gula, Perak. (U.S. Embassy photo)

2010 SEAYLP alumni work together with volunteers from Friends of Mangrove to replant the mangrove seedlings. (U.S. Embassy photo)

Approximately 200 mangrove seedlings were planted on September 29, in Kuala Gula, Perak, by six 2010 Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP) alumni, as part of a U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur sponsored follow-on project. The alumni were joined by Global Environment Centre (GEC), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), volunteers from a local organization called Friends of Mangrove and U.S. Embassy Alumni Coordinator Intan Safinaz.

This environmental project will help sustain the local mangrove ecosystem which is vital for marine life and the local community of Kuala Gula’s livelihood. As part of the project, the alumni learned mangrove swamps form coastal protection against tsunamis, storm surges and act as a natural filter against water borne pollutants. The alumni also gained firsthand knowledge from the local community and fishermen on their way of life – especially cockle reaping techniques.

As a result of this project, the alumni now have a deeper understanding from the perspective of the local community on the fragility and importance of the mangrove ecosystem and its role environmentally and monetarily.  The alumni stated that the leadership skills they developed during their SEAYLP program in the U.S. helped them develop this project and they look forward to their next environmental and community outreach project with other Malaysian American Alumni Partnership (MAAP) alumni.

The Alumni were presented a ‘Certificate of Completion’ from GEC, for their participation and contribution to the mangrove replanting project.