Latest news with #youthengagement
Malay Mail
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
World Pickleball Championship makes historic debut in Malaysia with 1,500 athletes
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — The rise of pickleball in Malaysia reflects a broader global trend, with the sport serving as a powerful tool for community building and youth engagement, said Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli. 'We've seen pickleball grow rapidly here in Malaysia, from community courts and school programmes to social activities and public events,' Adam said. 'It is simple to start, thrilling to master, and most importantly, it brings people together.' He said the sport's inclusivity and accessibility have made it popular across all age groups, aligning with the ministry's mission to promote healthy, active lifestyles. 'For us at the ministry, this sport aligns with our broader mission: to strengthen community well-being and to provide young Malaysians with more platforms to compete and succeed,' he added. At the launch of the World Pickleball Championship (WPC) Asian Grand Slam being held in Malaysia for the first time, Adam hailed it as a milestone moment. The event will bring together more than 1,500 athletes from 20 countries and regions, making it the biggest pickleball event ever hosted in Malaysia and the largest WPC tournament in history. 'This isn't just about medals and matches. Events like this create tangible impact — in tourism, in business, in real development, and in how we position Malaysia as a destination for world-class competition,' he said, noting that the championship is expected to generate over RM30 million in economic value. When asked about the sport's ranking in the country, Adam said that while its popularity is undeniable, defining its exact position is complex. 'We can say it's definitely very popular due to its accessibility. Old and young can all play. But how do you define 'number one'? Is it based on player numbers, popularity, or something else?' he said. 'I hope that with help from organisations, associations, and partners, we can help the sport grow through competitions like this. That will help pickleball become at least one of the top sports in Malaysia.' Malaysia leading Asian pickleball growth At the event, Seymour Rifkind, founder of the World Pickleball Federation, said the sport was exploding in popularity here. 'I made a prediction 13 years ago when pickleball was a backyard game that it would be the fastest-growing and most popular sport in the world,' he said. He said that Malaysia leads the region in growth rate. 'The fastest-growing pickleball per population is Malaysia. Malaysia is number one, Vietnam is number two, and the amount of growth here in two years is incredible. Continue doing what you're doing on social media; it's working.' The championship will run from tomorrow until Sunday at The Pickle Grounds in Bandar Utama, Kuala Lumpur, featuring various age groups and categories. International athletes are arriving today, and entry for spectators is free. Among the notable Malaysian former athletes competing are Christian Didier Chin, a former top junior tennis player, and former national tennis player Colin Wong Wei Ming.
Times of Oman
12-07-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Shabiba's Jawa'iz Basma to honour exceptional social impact initiatives and achievers
Muscat: Muscat Media Group, in partnership with Gulf Leaders Circle, has launched Shabiba Jawa'iz Basma 2025, a pioneering initiative dedicated to recognising outstanding contributions to the social, environmental and economic well-being of communities across the Sultanate. The awards presentation event will take place on 17th September at St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort, bringing together leaders from government, business and civil society. The awards will felicitate initiatives, organisations and individuals that have made a significant impact in areas such as sustainability, environmental protection, youth engagement, women's empowerment, financial inclusion, SME development and more. With over 20 diverse award categories, the initiative aligns with the goals of Oman Vision 2040, promoting inclusive growth, public-private collaboration and sustainable development. 'The Shabiba Jawa'iz Basma is more than a celebration,' said Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali, CEO, Muscat Media Group. 'It's a call to action — to honour those who are redefining what it means to create value for society and to inspire others to follow.' Awards will be presented across five major themes — Environmental Impact, Community Well-being, Inclusive Development, Corporate Responsibility and Leadership in Sustainability. Specific categories include Biodiversity Conservation Initiative, Clean Energy Initiative, Community Healthcare Initiative, Women Empowerment Initiative, Financial Inclusion Initiative, SMEs Development, Omanisation Achievement and Social Entrepreneurship. Additionally, awards for Leadership in ESG, Leadership in CSR. Leadership in ICV and Social Impact Leader of the Year will recognize visionary individuals and organizations driving long-term, systemic social development in Oman. The evening will commence with a keynote address titled 'Redefining Success: Embedding Social Impact in Policy, Business and Innovation,' followed by the awards ceremony and a gala dinner. The event promises a distinguished gathering of senior officials, CEOs and leaders in CSR, ESG and ICV from across sectors.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Musk's X appoints 'king of virality' in bid to boost growth
Elon Musk has appointed a product developer responsible for several successful youth-focused social media apps to a senior role at Bier has been made X's head of product three years after publicly suggesting on the platform - then known as Twitter - that it should employ him."I've officially posted my way to the top," he wrote in a post on X announcing the role.X has been on a rollercoaster ride since it was bought by the world's richest man for $44bn (£38.1bn) in October has faced problems with advertisers, seen high profile users quit and wrestled with the emergence of new rivals Bluesky and Threads. However, experts say Mr Bier's appointment could boost its prospects with a key Benvie, chief executive of social media consultancy Battenhall, said Mr Bier's experience in developing features that engage younger users, like anonymous polling, makes him hopeful his arrival could bring some "X-factor" to the platform."Getting that knack for what consumers want, and Gen Z users in particular, is precisely what X needs right now to turn things around, as all is not lost for the once-greatest social network," he told the BBC. Successful - and controversial A former student at the University of California, Berkeley, Mr Bier grew to prominence after launching a slew of anonymous apps aimed at included tbh (an acronym for "to be honest"), a platform allowing US high school students to participate in anonymous, friendly polls. It was acquired by Meta in 2023, his compliments-focused app Gas was bought by Discord, after it climbed up US app download capital firm Lightspeed referred to Mr Bier as the "king of virality" when he joined them as an advisor last the means by which Bier's now defunct app tbh reportedly targeted younger users were also somewhat reported in 2018 that it had obtained a memo in which tbh's founders told Facebook colleagues, post-acquisition, of "a psychological trick" that could be used to amass teen included scouring Instagram for high school students' accounts, it said. How Musk transformed social media giant X in 2024In his post on X Mr Bier described his new employer as "the most important social network in the world". "While I already spend every waking hour on this app, I'll now be spending that time helping others unlock that same value," he would include "leveraging the power" of X's generative AI chatbot Grok to develop "hyper-relevant timelines," he added.X's usage and popularity has fluctuated under Musk's leadership of the said in March that the platform had more than 600m monthly active according to Pew Research Centre findings published in December, 17% of US said they use X - down from 23% in 2022 and 33% a decade ago. Talent tensions The appointment of Mr Bier at X comes at a time when tech firms are jostling for top staff, namely sought-after engineers, to spearhead their AI Zuckerberg announced a new "superintelligence" team at Meta on Monday, after reports it had targeted OpenAI staff with $100m-plus compensation includes Nat Friedman, former boss of software development platform GitHub, Alexandr Wang of data annotation firm Scale AI and co-creators of OpenAI's OpenAI executive likened the company's approach to its staff with huge compensation offers to a break-in, according to an internal memo seen by Chen, its chief research officer, reportedly said he was working with OpenAI boss Sam Altman on "creative ways to recognise and reward top talent".The BBC has asked OpenAI for comment. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Devon group helps young people get into fishing industry
A new Devon community interest company (CIC) is hoping to help with the future of the fishing industry by bringing in new Young Fishers aims to get young people aged between 11 and 25 years old interested in a career, with paid-for lessons for those who need Jemma Jewkes started the CIC after conversations with her partner Chris Roberts who runs a fishing charter. "He and his fellow fishermen are always complaining that there is no youth coming into the industry," she said."We're trying to save the future of our fishing community by making it fun, inclusive and meaningful from an early age". Devon Young Fishers has three goals - teaching practical fishing and safety skills at sea, gaining mentorship and connections, and encouraging participants to explore career pathways in marine sustainability and conservation - meaning it is not just for those wanting to work in industrial 16, who wants to be a marine biologist, said: "Being out on the water and getting comfortable is really helpful, and also knowing the fish we catch."Jack, 14, was the first of the group's students, and because of the help now wants to be a fisherman when he finishes school."It's good fun seeing what you catch, and it's hands-on, you are always doing something", he said. However, in order to be able to take on more people and expand beyond Salcombe, the company needs more charter skippers who are willing to take on team are also working to reduce the age on commercial vessels from 16 to 14 to enable more young people to safely come into the Jewkes said: "If we get the age lowered to 14, in line with child working regulations and with all proper risk assessments and health and safety, we can introduce more young people into fishing".
Mail & Guardian
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
G20 youth confront challenges of multilateral cooperation, national sovereignty
National sovereignty has been a key undercurrent from delegates representing the Global South. A recent youth summit tied to this year's G20 programme under South Africa's presidency revealed a divergence between the ambitions of the Global South and the priorities of the Global North on issues such as on net-zero commitments on climate change, gender matters, debt, finance and intellectual property. Youth delegates gathered at the Y20 pre-summit in Pretoria on 18 and 19 June, to discuss demands to be put to G20 leaders ahead of this year's heads of state summit to be held in South Africa in November. The Y20 platform's draft recommendations were on topics ranging from climate change to digital governance, inclusive growth and meaningful youth engagement. While there was broad consensus on climate justice, sustainability, AI literacy and youth participation, delegates at the Y20 summit disagreed on net-zero commitments, gender related issues, debt, finance and intellectual property. US President Donald Trump, whose country will take over the G20 presidency from South Africa later this year, has Earlier this year, US secretary of state Marco Rubio In its preamble, the Y20 draft highlights 'the sovereign right of each country to implement the recommendations of the Y20 summit communique or other proposals in the present agreement, consistent with national laws and development priorities'. Y20 chairperson Raymond Matlala told the Mail and Guardian that national sovereignty has been a critical theme throughout the discussions. 'We do believe that the ambitions of the Global South can align with those of the Global North. Across all five policy tracks, there is a strong degree of alignment on overarching priorities. The main challenge lies in negotiating the language to reflect a consensus that respects both perspectives, rather than a fundamental difference in goals,' he said. He added that negotiations were still in the early stages, with both pushback and contention encountered on technical and sensitive issues. In the climate justice and environmental sustainability track, the draft urges G20 countries to expand equitable climate finance, prioritising adaptation for least-developed countries and small island developing states. It recommends debt-for-climate swops, blue and green bonds and nature-based solutions, while reaffirming the principle of Although debt-for-climate swaps — where countries redirect debt payments to The US and EU, among others, pushed for legally binding net-zero commitments while China opposed obligations, stressing nationally set targets. Similarly, while the US and UK advocated for fossil fuel phase-outs, Russia remained silent, hinting at continued dependence on hydrocarbons. Proposals for deep-sea mining moratoriums, championed by Canada, also lacked consensus. National sovereignty has been a key undercurrent from delegates representing the Global South, Y20 public relations and media officer Irfaan Mangera told the M&G , saying while 'international cooperation is vital, it cannot come at the cost of domestic developmental priorities, policy autonomy or historical redress'. 'For Global South nations, sovereignty is not just a political concept; it's a lived struggle against legacies of colonialism, debt dependency and global policy prescriptions that often ignore context,' Mangera added. 'Alignment between the Global South and North is possible, but only through genuine partnership, not paternalism … Y20 is a space where we are challenging the old binary. 'The goal is not uniformity, but mutual accountability, where Global North countries recognise their historical responsibilities and Global South countries are empowered to drive locally-rooted solutions with global support.' The inclusive economic growth and employment track proposes creating a global sustainable livelihoods index to monitor just transitions. G20 youth called for milestone-based loans, youth-responsive financial systems and investment in AI-aligned skills training to reduce the NEET [not in employment, education or training] labour force rate. Disputes have also arisen around land redistribution, with countries diverging on whether it should be included in youth-focused economic justice proposals. Meanwhile, reform of the UN Security Council, particularly curbing veto powers, was supported by Mexico, Turkey and South Africa, but lacked broader endorsement. Y20 sherpa Levi Singh told the M&G that the inclusion of sovereignty in the draft communique is an established norm within the multilateral space that reaffirms that consensus is limited to the national legislative policy and framework environment of a member state. In the G20, 'We do realise the importance, and affirm the importance of, national sovereignty in the implementation of whatever agreement is reached through consensus. I think it's worth noting that we've also invited member states to include reservations on specific paragraphs where needed on issues of contention as we seek to build consensus,' Singh said. Delegates supported ethical digital governance under the AI, digital innovation and skills track. Proposals include embedding AI literacy in education, ensuring access to AI infrastructure and regulating AI systems through rights-based and youth co-created platforms. However, calls for technology transfer and open access from developing nations were met with resistance from the latter, who favoured private sector-led innovation without interference with intellectual property rights. The tension extended to AI ethics, where there was no clear agreement on regulatory harmonisation versus national discretion. For the Global South, sovereignty is a shield against unbalanced partnerships to safeguard domestic policy in the face of global pressure, said Amina Willims, a member of the Al, digital innovation and skills track. 'I think alignment is the gift we can claim once we've reiterated against one-size-fits-all-solutions that have widened the increasing gaps between the Global South and North,' Williams said. 'We have an opportunity to reshape the global digital agenda into one that is shared, just and inclusive and that starts with acknowledging each nation's right to declare its own developmental path while contributing to a collective vision.' The inclusive social development track placed emphasis on ending gender-based violence, achieving bodily autonomy, supporting mental health and ensuring rights for climate migrants. It also highlighted the need for inclusive education, particularly for those in conflict-affected regions. However, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, while supported in some quarters, did not receive universal support. The use of intersectionality was supported by some countries, including Germany and Canada, but faced opposition from Saudi Arabia. The inclusion of LGBTQIA+ rights and gender-based violence issues is deeply rooted in cultural contexts and political realities, Matlala said, adding that Y20 was committed to advocating for universal inclusion. 'Any compromises considered will be carefully negotiated to ensure that the final communique upholds the integrity of inclusive principles without alienating key constituencies,' he said. For the sake of compromise, 'LGBTQIA+ issues may be framed under anti-discrimination, access to healthcare or gender equity, rather than culturally contentious identity labels', Mangera weighed in. 'So, instead of framing LGBTQIA+ rights, mental health or land justice in ways that risk cultural rejection, Y20 leaders are increasingly grounding these issues in broader human rights frameworks that resonate across political lines,' Mangera said. Singh said the UN's sustainable development goals, as well as its Pact of the Future, Declaration on Future Generations and Global Digital Compact form a key part of South Africa's G20 negotiations. In the youth engagement and multilateral reform track, the youth delegates agreed on the creation of a Youth Negotiations Corps to push for reforms at the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organisation South Africa also proposed the establishment of a permanent Y20 council which would address gaps in continuity, institutional memory and accountability in youth engagement, Matlala said. The final Y20 communique is expected ahead of this year's G20 summit, where world leaders will decide whether South Africa's declaration will build on Brazil's push for multilateralism and reform or mark a turning point toward a more unipolar world order.
