How a moment to reflect before final exams sparked a movement to empower youth to build a better future
A man who wears many hats, Jabir Meftah’s start in environmental activism came from an unusual situation. It was a moment when he took time to reflect and refocus before his finals, that kick started his passion in youth activism with an environmental focus. Today, the final year chemical engineering student, who also works as an actor, model and host, leads an organisation called Youth Care Malaysia, which aims to rally young people around helping others and the environment, and to train youth leaders to continue building a better future.
“It was a day before my final’s exam, and I wanted a rest from studying, so my friend suggested I participate in a #KutipSampahChallenge. We went to the car park near our university and began collecting trash but there was so much of it. We weren’t comfortable with what we were seeing and vowed to collect more trash after our finals and we continued to do so and encouraged more people to join.”
“All my life, I had been my own greatest barrier, but I knew I had to be better, more empathetic, and more compassionate. I needed to care about something bigger than myself. So I became a passionate activist for the environment and started championing vulnerable communities,” said Jabir.
His passion to spark positive change and mobilise others eventually led to an invite by Her Majesty, The Queen of Malaysia to clean-up Pantai Sepat in Kuantan, Pahang. This is where he saw how effective and empowering campaigns like this could be. Inspired, he launched Youth Care Malaysia, a youth-led organisation that empowers and mobilises youth to care for the environment and society. To date, the organisation has raised more than 4,000 volunteers in 57 projects nationwide which include disaster relief missions, workshops, seminars, tree planting programmes, clean-up, feeding homeless individuals and intellectual discourse.
Jabir is also Malaysia’s changemaker for Samsung Electronics’ regional brand campaign, #TeamUnstoppable which empowers Gen Zs and millennials of Southeast Asia to face challenges head-on and strive for greater heights. Jabir seeks to inspire his peers to be significant in what they seek to do in life, so they can be part of the solution the future will need.
“It’s sad to see many young people who do not know what they are capable of. Youth Care aims to bring them together, to empower them with the skills and experience and mobilise them to be active advocates that will make the future a better place!” said Jabir.
Besides Jabir, #TeamUnstoppable includes five other inspiring young changemakers who are passionate about gaming, food, sustainability, social good, education and fashion, and calls on youth from across the region to share their own inspiring stories and galvanize others into action. They are:
- Jason Chua from Singapore who, at the height of the pandemic, gave out thousands of free meals to hardest-hit Singaporeans, and today continues to make a difference by imparting valuable life skills and providing employment to those in need at his now expanded F&B business.
- Karla Golosinda a Filipina gaming content creator who uses her platform to raise funds for students affected by natural disasters and raise awareness, and garner support for issues surrounding animal conservation and female empowerment.
- Jerome Polin from Indonesia, who shares his love for Mathematics through engaging videos to inspire youths to reach greater heights and help support the education system in his home country.
- Chau Bui from Vietnam who is on a mission to build a more inclusive and accountable fashion industry be leveraging on her social media network to promote health, wellness and sustainability efforts.
- Neng Sarun who works to mobilise veterinary teams to champion mindful pet ownership in Thailand to improve the quality of life for animals in rural areas.
#TeamUnstoppableMY22
Jabir is leading the call in Malaysia for #TeamUnstoppableMY22, to encourage youth to share their unstoppable story on TikTok until 12 October 2022. Participants’ videos should include stories of the barriers they faced and how they defied them with the help of Samsung and must include #TeamUnstoppableMY22 and tag @samsungmalaysia.
Samsung will announce three winners on 20 October 2022[1]. The first prizewinner will take home a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 5G 128GB, so they can continue capturing their unstoppable moments. The second place and third place winner will take home a Galaxy Watch5 40mm and a Galaxy Buds2Pro respectively.
Jabir’s inspiring story on changing for the better is featured in a three part video series. You can watch them here:
[1] Samsung’s decision is final. Terms and conditions apply. For further details, see: https://www.samsung.com/my/teamunstoppable/tnc/
