Many years ago, the Malaysia government launched a project called Rakan Muda in hope of introducing and organizing many activities for the youth of the country. I believe it was a very good project because the minds of young people today needs to be stimulated. This is part of an effort to curb social ills among the youth. I am not too sure if this program is still available and I sure hope it does.
I did blog about the US version of Rakan Muda not very long ago called the 4-H project. I would like to revisit this project yet again.
Let me just start off by sharing my views on the main advantage of keeping pets as a hobby. Since young (very young), I have been raising animals as pets and it really thought me how to care for another being. It also thought me about taking responsibilities of another thing that has a life. But of course, I encountered many challenges and most of them was in the form of DEATHS. I lost count of the number of times my heart has broken for these dead pets. But through it all, there is always joy having pets around. A dear friend once told me that the great thing about keeping pets is that, we are able to see the entire life cycle – from birth to death of a living creature. This is something we cannot go through with a fellow human being. Most of us are only able to see the birth and others will see our death unless it is a premature death. What I am referring to is a full life cycle. Our pets allow us to go through this entire journey but this is not the reason one should use to consider having a pet.
That being said, I believe very much in instilling good values in children and young people through having pets. I dare say that 8 out of 10 selfish people in this world who only thinks about themselves do not have pets in their lives especially those growing up alone – single child. I definitely want my children to grow up with having pets in their lives. Love is the greatest value one can have in their life.
And back to the 4-H project, in the US, many families live in outskirt areas and most of these families do have a farmhouse. They have ample of land to cultivate some livestocks. At the same time, their communities are just so fun to be with because they form professional organizations to organize fun activities for all age groups in the communities. Now, we all know that most livestocks are kept for consumption. But these innovative people raise animals for consumption and also at the same time organizes shows for various breeds.
Just like a dog or cat show, these activities serve as an outreach program for the community to come together to appreciate the same passion. The 4-H project is where many hobbies are turned into activities for various communities. They have workshops on various types of projects/hobbies for newcomers as well as experts. They have craft making, animal raising and all sorts of worthwhile activities that allows young people to nurture their talents and further develop them.
I can go on writing about this 4-H program but so much has already been written and mentioned about it, I feel that it is appropriate for me to include a link for those who are interested.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H
My hope for our society is to revive the Rakan Muda or create a new program where this sort of activities could be introduce to our young people. It is far more rewarding than having our children racing down the highway with their bicycles.
BTW, I am keeping my fingers crossed again for something exciting happening next week. Trust me, it has got nothing to do with the word kindling or import. Something nice is happening pretty soon but until it happens, we shall all wait.
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