STUDENTS Credited Co-Curriculum Course QKK2101 Bakti Siswa (BAKSIS) Group 1 and 3 2020/2021 session, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus (UPMKB) has organised an online programme called ‘Education for Youth’ which consists of six webinars in total.

These BAKSIS students consisting of Diploma in Fisheries, Diploma in Agricultural Engineering, Diploma in Forestry, Diploma in Food Plantation Management and Diploma in Agriculture have taken the approach of holding online talks using the Webex application platform open to all communities.

The programme began with the first webinar ‘Myhealth: Stress Management’ on 23 October delivered by Senior Lecturer of Science Technology Department UPMKB Dr Wan Nor Zanariah Zainol @ Abdullah.

Among the issues discussed are methods to overcome stress problems so as not to harm the health of students. The session continued with the topic ‘Anxiety Disorder’ presented by Senior Psychology Officer of Student Affairs Division (BHEP) UPMKB Hairunisah Abdul Rahman.

The content of the seminar touches on several aspects related to anxiety, how to overcome extreme anxiety and the characteristics of individuals who have the problem. The seminar continued with the topic ‘Motivation of Excellence in New Norms’.

This session is specifically for students to assist them in overcoming various challenges and familiarizing themselves with new learning norms throughout the pandemic. Among the topics discussed were online learning and the session was presented by BHEP UPMKB Senior Psychology Officer Abdul Rahim Habib. The fourth seminar continued in the form of a talk in which the topic of COVID-19 was selected.

The moderators of this session were UPMKB Academic and Research Division Head Noor Hakim Ahmad and UNIMAS Psychology Officer Mohd Amin Mohd Ismail together with Kedah Baling Hospital Medical Officer Dr Nurul Syamimi Azari as the invited panel. Selection of appropriate half-face masks and selection of effective disinfectants are among the topics discussed.

As a result of the collaboration with the Social Community Programs Urban Society (SCOPURS), the fifth webinar has invited two experienced speakers, namely SCOPURS President and Psychologist Mohd Nazrul Azizi and Psychiatrist and SCOPURS Vice President Dr Nurul Syuhaida Abdul Razak. Generally, this slot focuses on the impact of student independence in producing more responsible and dedicated individuals or students.

The speaker also applied the 3F principle in students, namely ‘Flexible’, ‘Focus’ in learning and ‘Faith’ which is self-confidence. The Education for Youth Teleseminar concludes with the sixth webinar, ‘Effectiveness of Virtual Learning’. This slot was chosen following the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world, causing 'Home-based learning' to be implemented to continue the learning sessions of school and university students.

This session was delivered by Senior Lecturer, UPMKB Science Technology Department Dr Nurul Nadwa Zulkifli. The content of this webinar touches on the preparation of students in virtual learning, methods in implementation and also the challenges faced.

This three-day program has successfully attracted about 1,000 participants from Malaysian institutions of higher learning such as Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Kota Kinabalu branch, Labuan and Perak Matriculation Colleges, Sarawak Mukah Polytechnic, Semongok Sarawak Agricultural Institutions and so on.

Not to be missed are the participation from schools throughout Sarawak and parts of Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia such as SMK Bintulu, SMK Baru Bintulu, SMK Kemena, SMK Kindurong, SMK St. Augustine Betong Sarawak, SMK Cyberjaya Selangor, SMKA Tun Ahmadshah, Inanam Sabah, SMK Tanah Merah, Kelantan and others.

According to UPMKB Senior Lecturer cum program advisor and facilitator Dr Juriah Kamaludeen and Dr Suhaili Mustafa, such a program is of vital importance in shaping human skills of university students.

Among them is fostering cooperation in group work and training students in critical thinking. Also, with the existence of such programs, it can help the community, especially students in obtaining sufficient and accurate information in dealing with this COVID+19 pandemic.

Online media can also be seen as more effective and comprehensive in the delivery of information as it can be accessed from anywhere as long as one has access to the Internet network. It is hoped that all participants benefit from the seminars that have been conducted and apply themselves in their daily life.