The Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise held a two-day values education workshop for fifty local youths to help develop their potential through learning about values. The workshop aimed to teach students about important values like honesty, responsibility, and compassion in order to improve their self-esteem, confidence, and school performance. Students participated in group activities and discussions about defining values, practicing values in their daily lives, and how values can help them achieve their goals and build a better society. The workshop was part of the club's ongoing efforts, through its Education Fund, to provide leadership training, mentorship, and financial assistance to support youth development in the community.

1. A Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise Project
Communication from the REF
CR 201006-0008 June 2010
Unlocking Potential through Values
Two-day values education workshop for youths to build a better future
opened by club president Frances Po Yih Ming. Values
Education is part of a four-pronged initiative of the
club’s Education Fund. Together with the other three
prongs, namely Education Assistance Awards (for
financial assistance), Youth Mentorship and
Leadership Training, the present workshop makes up
a holistic approach by the club towards the
development of youths in the community.
The VEW is a programme designed for students to
discover who they are and to appreciate how values
can unlock their potential. The workshop organized by
the Rotary club brought students of all ethnic
backgrounds together. Besides developing potential,
the workshop provided students with the benefit of
“You must be the change interacting with communities other than their own and
you wish to see in the world.” the opportunity of discovering the important reality that
deep down everyone is not different, thus helping them
Mohandas Gandhi build self-esteem, self-confidence along with promoting
unity. Students participating in the workshop were
The world should be a better place to live. It cannot be encouraged to recognize this as an opportunity for self
denied that there is presently too much pollution, discovery, developing self belief and self improvement.
violence, crime and poverty. One way of creating a better With the lessons learnt from the workshop, they would
world is for each one of us to work for self-transformation be better equipped to make their life dreams real.
because self-transformation on the part of everyone will
bring about world transformation – A Better World. In The workshop was a follow-on from a 4D/3N Youth
order to succeed however, such self-transformation must Leadership Camp organized earlier in March this year
be based on playing the game of life by observing the
rules of the game so that we don’t spoil the game for our
self and for others. The rules of the game are what is
known as “Values” or “Virtues”. And so, “Values
Education” is simply learning the rules of the game of life.
In support of youth development in the community, the
Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise through its Education
Fund (REF) held a 2-day Values Education Workshop
(VEW) from 8-9 June 2010. The workshop was officially
“…discovering the important reality
that deep down everyone is not
different, thus helping the students
build self-esteem, self-confidence
President Frances and Principal Mr Ong
along with promoting unity.” (2nd and 3rd from left) at the workshop launch

2. and the Rotary Club, guest speakers included Ms
Freda Liu from BFM radio station, surgeon Dr Hitendra
Doshi from the National University of Singapore,
scholarship student Ms Kong Phui Yee from Mahindra
World College and Mr M Saravanan from British
Telecom whose participation in the programme
contributed to the success of the workshop.
Specifically, some of the topics covered at the
workshop included:
 What are Values
 Why are Values Important
 The 5 Principal Human Values
 How to Practice Values in Our Lives
 Values in Action
Mr Shankar of EQTD stressing a point to the students  Using Values to Achieve
for the same group of students. The main objectives of
both the camp and the workshop were to equip students There is a multitude of values and it is necessary to
of age 15-19 with positive values and to improve their identify the ones that are important to us because our
overall performance in school. Besides these, the values define who we are. Values are one's judgments
objectives of the workshop included to: about what is important in life and they help us see
things clearly. They govern all that we think, say or do
 Learn what values are – they form our “system of beliefs” that guides our
 Appreciate why values are needed actions. Values are quality conducts and behaviours.
 Establish which values are important
 Understand how values can unlock potential No man is an island. We do not exist independently
but are interconnected to and interdependent on one
The 2-day workshop was attended by about fifty students another as part of a whole symbiotic ecological system
selected mainly from SMK Sri Permata in Petaling Jaya and therefore in the well being of all lies our own
and was held at the school hall. The workshop was complete well being. The students were taught that we
sponsored by the CIMB Foundation and conducted by are all meant for a higher purpose, a purpose beyond
professional corporate trainers EQ Training and just self, with a regard for others. Only when we realize
Development (EQTD). The Rotary club and the trainers this, will we be able to see clearly, fully develop our
will continue to follow-up with the principal and teachers potential and lead a truly fulfilled and meaningful life.
of the school after the workshop to assess student
progress and recommend remedial/corrective actions if Generally, good values or “noble values” are those that
necessary. are related to selflessness and compassion towards
others. The students were taught that noble values are
The main theme for the workshop was “Unlocking needed not just to create a better life for our self but to
Potential through Values”. Besides trainers from EQTD create a better life for all – a Better World.
Students paying close attention at the workshop Group discussion on what are the important values

3. EQTD shared the concept of looking at values from the Peace, Love and Non-Violence. Life is then
Five Principal Human Values point of view. In this model, characterized as a tree on which we grow these major
all the major noble life values are organized and values as fruits (see diagram below) to build a good
rationalized into the main values of Truth, Right Conduct, future.
The Values Tree Active participation at the workshop
REF Leadership Training Programme (LTP) and the  Run the same group of students through both
REF Values Education Programme (VEP) programmes at different intervals/term breaks
The LTP and the VEP are two of the four prongs of the so that the effectiveness of both programmes
REF. The objective of the LTP and the VEP is to equip can be measured clearly
secondary school students of age 15-19 from lower
income families with leadership skills and positive Beneficiaries
universal values with the underlying objective of  Total 50 students preferably from the same
improving their overall school performance. The LTP is school
designed to develop leadership and team building skills. It  From lower income families
is typically a camp style programme which provides  Students who are evaluated by the teacher to
participants with experiential learning opportunities. The have the attitude/ability to improve
VEP is a workshop developed to teach universal life  Currently under performing students
values such as Self-confidence, Honesty, Responsibility,  Racially diverse composition
Compassion and Humility.
Some Topics Covered in the Leadership Camp
Goals of the Programme  Team Leadership and Personal Dynamics
 Improve student’s willingness to participate in all  Test of an Educated Person
school and class room activities  Team Power
 Improve academic results by 10-15% Improve  Skills and Knowledge Power
other qualitative comments by teachers in report  Jungle Trekking and Survivor Skills
cards  The Professional Approach with Studies
 Mind Power
Programme Components  Visioning
 A 4-day 3-night leadership training camp
conducted by professionals Some Topics Covered in the Values Workshop
 A 2-day values education workshop conducted by  What are Values
professionals  How to Practice Values in Our Lives
 Follow-up with principal and teacher to assess  Values in Action
student progress and take remedial/corrective  Inspiring World Leaders
actions if necessary  The Meaning of Truth and Peace
 The Meaning of Love and Non-Violence
 Malaysian Values

4. Besides listening to talks and lectures, students were “The right values – noble ones –
required at the workshop to participate over the two days
in group discussions, flip-chart presentations and short help us acquire the tools to unlock
staged plays to help them realize the important concepts. our potential and build a better
Through these activities, the students were encouraged
to ponder about their purpose in life. Once they could world, while always staying
establish or make a start at discovering this, they would anchored on our purpose.”
be able to see a clearer path to achieving their dreams. In
order to do that, they were given a clear explanation of
what values are and which ones could help them discover consequence, but rather it was about being true to
their purpose. The right values – noble ones – help us one’s purpose, being aware of one’s goals and
acquire the tools to unlock our potential and build a better working hard to achieve them.
world, while always staying anchored on our purpose.
In today’s open society, there are a multitude of both
positive and negative influences. It is impossible to
shield any youth from all the negative influences
without at the same time filtering out some of the
positive ones along with it. The only solution is to
expose the young person progressively to the
influences of life and at the same time build in him/her
a strong value system. This is the only protection a
young person can realistically hope to have from
today’s negative influences.
Through the workshop the students discovered that
the elements of a noble value system are common for
all of us, one that is based on truth, love and
selflessness. With a clear understanding of values and
why they are needed, it is hoped the students will have
a better start to a better life and will build a better
Why values are important world. These so-called “universal human values”
remain unchanging over time. In the end, they learned
While opportunities can be provided for them to grow, that while Gandhi’s words implored that we must be
more than any other aspect, the workshop was about the change we wish to see in the world, such change
awakening the students to their responsibility for their can only be positive if it were grounded on good
own future. Here, it was not only about getting good values…“We should open our arms to change but we
grades for exams, although this would be a natural must never let go of noble values.”
CIMB Foundation’s Elizabeth Liew being acknowledged by Rotarian Alvin Tan presenting the certificate of
REF Chairman Dr YL Yee attendance to a participant
The RCBKS Education Fund was officially launched on 14Nov2009 as a project of the Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise. The
objective of the fund is to support the development of youths of age 15-19 from lower income families, who desire to “help
themselves” become useful members of society, by providing them with education opportunities, leadership training, values
education and mentorship, putting them on the start of the road to a better life. For more information contact ylyee@pc.jaring.my