With the objective of instilling the right skills and attitudes whilst providing the tools needed for the future generations to manage money effectively, PINTAR Foundation (PINTAR) in collaboration with HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad and HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad (HSBC Malaysia), recently completed the “Clothes of Confidence: Money and Me” (CoC) programme at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tabakang in Serian, Sarawak, which saw 100 underprivileged Form Four students participating in a 6-day financial empowerment and social entrepreneurship workshop aimed to enhance the financial capabilities of the Sarawak youth.
Organised throughout the months of January and February 2019, the community outreach programme which was jointly-curated by PINTAR and local social enterprises Grow the Goose and Uniforms 4 Us (U4U), includes the developmental workshops which provide financial empowerment for children to help them attain financial literacy. The workshop was specifically targeted at Form 4 students from the B40 income level families, for them to get a good understanding of basic money management skills as they plan for their next steps and move into an adult life in the next two years.
Stuart Milne, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Malaysia said at the ceremony, “At HSBC we are focusing our efforts on helping disadvantaged young people develop the employability and financial skills they need to thrive in the modern world. Providing our youth with knowledge on financial literacy is a key part of our sustainability strategy on future skills. Through this project, “Clothes of Confidence: Money and Me”, we hope to equip the young from the communities we serve with the skills, attitudes and tools to be financially capable, managing their money wisely and effectively. We hope the 100 young boys and girls that have been trained will be inspired to become entrepreneurs by leveraging on their increased financial skills, passion and amazing talent and in return, to share their financial knowledge and contribute back to their communities.”
Apart from gaining valuable knowledge from the workshop, each of these students also went home with a brand new set of school uniforms presented by Stuart Milne. Stuart also sat as one of the panel judges along with Karimah Tan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, PINTAR Foundation and Neleon @ Milion ak. Sayeng, Serian District’s Education Officer at the pitching session where the children proposed sustainable business ideas to improve economic wellbeing.
“With a vision to inspire young people to become responsible citizens through the PINTAR concept, PINTAR Foundation strives to continue building partnerships with corporations, partner NGOs and the Government to enhance the motivation and success of underperforming students through education. We recognise that amongst the many challenges faced by youths today, financial empowerment is an area that needed emphasis due to the growing number of Malaysian youths facing financial dilemmas simply because of the inability to manage their finances. We also see the birth of a generation who are mobilising their skills and passions towards a more ethical future hence we felt the CoC is a holistic program that meets the important components that would act as a financial safety net for them,” added Karimah Tan Abdullah about the programme.
This programme is one of HSBC’s Financial Empowerment projects in Sarawak with more children from different areas will be invited to participate and educated via the similar module in the coming months including students from SMK Mendamit in Limbang. In addition, HSBC and PINTAR will also organise the Train-the-Trainer: Financial Empowerment for Sarawak Youth programme, aimed to create future trainers and equip the selected youths with the skills and knowledge to start a social enterprise within their own respective communities, to further generate a sustainable income and help drive social progress.
