The youth is the key to opening a closed door that will lead everyone to a more sustainable future. But are the youths aware of what and how they should shape themselves to lead a better life for a better future?

According to a source, life skills navigate youths to a successful life. Learning and practicing leadership is one of the skills youths need.

Khuswindera Singh, 25 years old from an ordinary youth to a leader proves the statement right and shares the importance of leadership at a young age.

Khuswindera is currently doing his diploma in Information Technology (IT) at ADTEC Taiping and is the head of the Malaysian Indian Youth Council (MIYC) at the Buntong Branch. The MIYC is known as the largest Indian youth-based national organization in Malaysia. The Non-profit Organization (NGO) aims to create awareness and empower Malaysian Indian youths to improve their socio-economic status and guide them towards creating a path for themselves.

“It does involve a lot of commitments and restless days but it’s worth it for one’s gain”, explains Khuswindera during an interview with Varnam Malaysia.

He has been serving the associations for the past 3 years. When questioned about what made him volunteer in NGOs he said platforms like this help in building great leadership and forming strong network connections.

At the age of 12, Khuswindera lost his father and took the responsibility to take care of his family. Coming from a middle-class background the young man had to balance part-time jobs and his academics. During his high school and college days, he worked as a part-time technician repairing laptops for students and educating teens that were unaware of the usage of the e-learning platform. It was also during this time he joined the MIYC association as an active member.

After volunteering at MIYC, Khuswindera adapted and nurtured the volunteerism value and leadership skills into him. In general, over the course of a programme, an individual will make a personal pledge, based on the skills they begin developing there, and so did Khuswindera. He represented Malaysia as a delegate for the Global Youth Leadership Summit 2022(GYLS), in Bangkok and received The Emerging Leader Award 2022. He also participated in a volunteer programme representing Malaysia at The Imagine Peace Camp (IPC) 2022 which was held in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.

“The whole fact of me volunteering is to help others that are in need. I know the battles one has to go through during hard times because I have been in that situation. And today, I will do my best to help the community, especially our Indian youths” said Khuswindera.

Recently, Khuswindera initiated a Youth Development Workshop at Buntong, Perak that involved 70 youth participants. The programme received good feedback as it aimed to cultivate the youth’s personality, leadership, and volunteerism in line with the Rukun Negara principles.

“My main objective is to guide youths to the right path after their SPM completion. Some youths are unsure of the direction to head and I believe with programmes and NGOs like this, our community will grow and reach the stars too”, he added.

To date he is currently holding and engaged in a few positions:

Ketua Cawangan Majlis Belia India Malaysia (MIYC) Buntong
Ketua Penerangan Majlis Belia India Malaysia (MIYC) Negeri Perak
EXCO Pertubuhan Gerakan Mahasiswa Perak (GMPk)

Khuswindera concluded that youths not only represent the future of our country but also the society’s main agents of change and progress. To make that valuable progress, one should have good leadership values and a willingness to help one another grow.

“I am grateful for being a part of MIYC, as it helped me shape who I am today. And to all youths out there, wake up and start exploring or join volunteering programms to gain more knowledge and new skills for a better future.

And remember throughout the journey forgive the missteps, teach through mistakes and learn from setbacks.”

Thank you for the amazing youth leadership story and for sharing the importance of volunteer programmes Khuswindera. Hope this would be an eye-opener and a chance for many youths to arise in leadership and volunteerism.