iM4U hosts fourth Reach Out event in Puchong

THE fourth iM4U Reach Out Convention & Celebration will take centrestage on April 9 at iM4U Sentral Puchong (formerly Kompleks Rakan Muda Puchong) located at Taman Perindustrian Puchong.
iM4U, which stands for 1Malaysia For Youth, is the youth volunteerism platform in Malaysia that strives to empower and build resilient youth with engaging, unconventional and inspiring activities, and ultimately build sustainable and stronger community with economic impact and foster great leaders for tomorrow.
As such, the annual Reach Out programme, which aims to engage and inspire youth through series of interactive and inspiring talk sessions by inspiring speakers and icons, has attracted more than 30,000 young Malaysians since its introduction in 2013.

This year is no different as five international speakers comprising David Edward Garcia, motivator, author and comedian; Josh Sundquist, best-selling author and Paralympic ski-racer and motivational speaker; Shane Feldman, founder and chief executive optimist of Count Me In; A'ric Jackson, award-winning speaker and slam poet; and 'youth motivator' and speaker Joe Beckman.
All five speakers were present at the press conference and revealed some of the topics they would be covering for the convention. They will be exploring aspects of self-discovery and self-motivation, and most importantly inspiring youths with amazing stories on how they overcome their difficult circumstances.
According to Azlan Rudy Malik, chief executive officer of iM4U and who is also the drummer for Pop Shuvit, the convention is about "bringing ordinary people who has become extraordinary to share their stories" to be an inspiration for Malaysian youths.
He said that all five speakers were chosen for being great communicators of youth, their vast experience in life, and their fun nature in communicating and evoking positive energy in youths.
"I always focus on the Convention and I choose the speakers carefully. It's a really good lineup this year as it's really in line with iM4U, especially Shane Feldman of Count Me In who is running an organisation like iM4U but in Canada which is one of the largest youth-runned organisation. We've got a lot to share with one another and I think he also has a lot to share with the kids coming tomorrow," said Azlan who is expecting a turnout of at least 5,000 participants tomorrow.
When asked about the state of volunteerism amongst youth based on past Reach Out programmes, Azlan replied that although the mentality of youth towards volunteer work needs addressing, it looks promising.
"In the first two years of iM4U's establishment, we came across a lot of hurdles because people thought we were just a flash in the pan, but we kept trying and always believe that content most important. It was quite difficult initially to deal with the students because of the perception that we were just going to be around now and then fade off. But when they realised that we aren't like that they started to engage with us," he said.
By iM4U's third year, there were more positive than negative feedback on its official Facebook page and a good number of users were asking how they could join in on the fun.
Through iM4U and by combining popular culture, like music, with volunteerism, Azlan wants to turn volunteering into something of a social enterprise where youths would be spurred to be apart of it.
"I wanna turn volunteering into something fun and I believe that by doing more activities and engaging more people that they will see the big picture. That they see the fulfillment they receive from doing all the activities and they continue on with it," said Azlan.
The day, dubbed iM4U Day, will begin with the official launch of the iM4U Sentral building in the morning from 9am to 12pm, shortly after which the convention will begin. The speakers are given about 30 to 40 minutes to present their material.
After that, the day will end with a celebration featuring a lineup of performers including Afgan, Nicole Cross, Andie Case, Joe Flizzow, SonaOne, Diandra Arjunaidi, Bunkface, and more.
Admittance is free. There will also be the iM4U Day Dodgeball Championship, iM4U fm Studio Adventure, as well as iM4U Day Carnival which includes activities like extreme sports, a photography exhibition, clothing bazaar, food trucks and more.
For more information, visit www.im4u.my or 1Malaysia For Youth on Facebook at www.facebook.com/1M4YOUTH.