KUALA LUMPUR: MySkills Foundation, which aims to create a RM20 million endowment fund to be financially independent, is organising a fundraising dinner today to kick off the project.
MySkills Foundation CEO Devasharma Gangadaran said the event, which will be held at HGH Convention Centre, Sentul at 6.30pm, will help to support 200 poor, marginalised and at-risk youths who come from dysfunctional families.
“We need RM3 million annually to cover our operations, and this fundraising is our main attempt to raise sufficient money. Besides this, we also receive tax-deductable grants from corporations, individual donations and a 10% contribution from the government.”
Devasharma said through the foundation, MySkills has produced 2,500 skilled graduates and counselled over 15,000 students to take up skill training.
“We target youths from 13 to 19 years of age, who had been expelled or had dropped out of school, those from dysfunctional families or living in poverty, and children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
“By dysfunctional families, we mean those who are constantly in conflict, often neglect their children or abuse them at times or regularly, which leads to other family members accommodating such actions. This becomes a vicious cycle. Life in a dysfunctional family is emotionally tumultuous and affects the children’s healthy development.
“We accept students from all kinds of background, including those who are stateless,” he told theSun.
Devasharma said MySkills provides youths with vocational skills, life skills, meals, and accommodation and looks after their welfare.
“We classify the training into two categories – children under the age of 15 and children over 15. Those in the under-15 category will learn basic literacy and numeracy skills, character transformation and vocational training exposure, while the above-15 category will be taught the Malaysian Skills Certificate syllabus, literacy and numeracy skills, character transformation and vocational training.
“The cost of training for each individual is RM12,000 per annum. However, the cost is fully covered for youths from the B40 and B20 group.
“Since character building is our main priority, keeping young children away from dysfunctionalities or negative influences is a critical move, within which MySkills campus becomes an ‘enabling environment’. So, students will only go back twice a year for holidays.”
Devasharma said it is a mistake to assume that school dropouts only come from a particular race or ethnic group as it cuts across the board regardless of this.
“Young adults that attend MySkills need to be trained in life skills such as
decision-making, creative thinking, empathy and coping with stress and emotion. Teenagers are at a vulnerable stage where they are unaware of a lot of things. At such a stage, it is easy for them to be misled if they are not taught these things.
“Only after they’ve mastered life skills will we proceed in teaching them vocational skills. The vocational skills serve to prepare them for adulthood and cultivate and enhance their expertise in the skill that they choose to learn,” he said.
The children have already experienced a traumatic start in their lives. Hence, MySkills prioritises character transformation, he added.
“Our vocational programmes include electrical wiring, caregiving, culinary arts, and welding, among others.
“Our character transformation programmes include sports, social, emotional and life management skills, spirituality and social enterprise.
“We aim to not let the children’s experience drag them down. We want to provide a better path for them to pursue a brighter future.”
