Facilitating Community Development through Institutional Engagements: Reflections from 2016 Nigeria IACD Conference

This article reports on recent experiences of the conference/workshop management team and the host (Kwara State University - KWASU) of the fourth meeting of the Nigerian members and potential members of the International Association for Community Development (IACD) and the third National Community Development Consultative Conference/Workshop, held in Malete, Kwara State Nigeria from 11 to 14 October 2016. In reviewing the meeting and conference/workshop, the following sub-topics were used for organizing the contents of the article: community development and institutional engagements in Nigeria; IACD National Association in Nigeria; conference/workshop theme and overview; participations/state representatives and conference streams; keynote addresses; conference mobile learning workshop; conference/workshop assessment; and conclusion. The article also draws out implications of the conference/workshop for community development practice and professionalism in workplace settings within national contexts with mandatory institution supports. Finally, brief perspectives of the next Nigeria IACD conference to be held in Kano State are also provided. Keywords: Community Development, Institutional Engagements, Nigeria, IACD-Nigeria Conference 201

The hidden curriculum of a special education program in a Junior Science College in Malaysia

The purpose of this study was to explore the facets of the hidden curriculum in a Junior Science College from the perspective of students labelled as gifted. This college is set up specifically for gifted and high academic achiever students. A qualitative approach was chosen to gather the data from former students and current teachers of this college. The data was collected from three focus group interviews with 16 former students, individual interviews with four students and 6 teachers, observations of school activities and document reviews. The data was analysed manually, codes and categories were identified and a rich description based on the categories was written to answer the research question. The results showed that the hidden curriculum is the result of the practices, procedures, rules, relationships, structures and physical characteristics of the Special Education Program (SEP). Eight themes were identified which resulted in the learning of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. The study concluded that the hidden curriculum facilitated the transmission of social norms while the learning improved positive interpersonal and intrapersonal skills in the students, in spite of the restrictive nature of the special education program. According to the results, it can be concluded that flexibility and creativity in instruction promotes positive traits in students and teachers

Parenting and community engagement factors as predictors of religiosity among muslim adolescents from Malaysia.

Despite the plethora of research on correlates of adolescent religiosity, few studies have examined the contribution of social context to religiosity among non-Western Muslim samples using multidimensional religiosity measures. To address this gap, the current study investigated the influence of community engagement and parenting factors on religiosity among 596 Malaysian Muslim secondary school students (M age = 16.10, SD = .29). After controlling for gender, family structure, family income, and social desirability, the results showed that parental monitoring, mosque involvement, and school engagement significantly predicted religious worldview, whereas parental religious socialization, parental monitoring, mosque involvement, school engagement, and youth organization involvement accounted for a significant amount of the variance in religious personality. Implications for further research on socialization influences on religious development among adolescents are discussed

Majlis Belia Malaysia: Quo vadis transformasi era semasa

Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM) yang juga dikenali sebagai Majlis Belia Kebangsaan merupakan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang suaranya diiktiraf bagi mewakili generasi belia di Malaysia. MBM dirangka agar dapat berfungsi sebagai sebuah badan induk pertubuhan belia di peringkat kebangsaan dalam menyelaras semua pertubuhan belia yang bergabung di bawahnya. Penubuhan MBM di bawah Peruntukan Akta Pertubuhan Belia dan Pembangunan Belia 2007 bertujuan bagi menggalak dan mendorong pertubuhan belia supaya memainkan peranan yang positif dan berkesan kepada masyarakat dan negara, merangsang dan mewujudkan perhubungan, kerjasama, persefahaman dan persahabatan antara pertubuhan belia dengan belia yang seimbang dalam pelbagai bidang, dan memupuk sikap bertanggungjawab, patriotisme dan kesukarelawanan dalam kalangan pertubuhan belia. Namun, apakah MBM pada saat ini telah menjelma dalam erti kata sebenar iaitu sebagai pemangkin pembangunan belia di Malaysia secara holistik? Menggunakan maklumat sekunder makalah ini bertujuan untuk membuat penilaian awal tentang status MBM dalam memainkan peranan seperti yang digalurkan. Apakah kehadiran MBM telah dirasai oleh generasi belia di Malaysia secara keseluruhan? Di dalam mendahulukan kepentingan belia di Malaysia, apakah “hubungan istimewa” MBM dengan generasi belia pada saat ini boleh dianggap melebihi “hubungan istimewa” dengan pihak ketiga sehingga MBM dianggap dekat di hati belia dan integritinya tidak dipersoalkan sama sekali? Penilaian awal ini menunjukkan bahawa MBM cenderung untuk terikat dengan perancangan bersifat dari atas ke bawah. Dalam perancangan seperti ini matlamat dan cara untuk mencapai sesuatu keputusan banyak ditentukan oleh pihak pemerintah. Lebih malang lagi, MBM dilihat tidak lebih daripada penyediaan gelanggang pendakian pemimpin politik yang bakal ditonjolkan pada masa hadapan. Justeru itu, makalah ini membuka ruang perbincangan tentang isu belia dari sudut yang pelbagai demi membina keupayaan generasi tersebut pada masa hadapan

Malaysia Youth Council (MBM) and its relevance to youth development

Problem statement: Malaysia Youth Council (MBM) which is also known as National Youth Council is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) accredited to represent the voice of youth generation in Malaysia. Its main aim is to boost and motivate youth organizations to play a positive and effective role towards society and country. However, does MBM currently being transformed holistically in the true sense as the catalyst of Malaysian youth development? Does MBMs presence being felt by youth in Malaysia completely? Approach: Data for this study were collected based on literature analysis, random observations on the scenario that happened, discussion among fellow researchers in the field of youth development and selective and informal feedback from a number of fellow practitioners that are active in youth work in Malaysia. Results: Analysis found that there are still several outdated issues that need to be resolved especially related to the weakness of the youth organizations in Malaysia, whereby this not reflect the acknowledgement of MBM as the body that fight for the youth concerns in Malaysia. Conclusion: The findings provide space for further research on issues raised from various perspectives apart from empowering Malaysian youth in the near future

The function of MYC in youth development in Malaysia

In Malaysia, youth is defined as anyone who is between 15 and 40 years old. From this age interval are significant in terms of numbers and if translated into a source of energy, youth give positive influence to the nation development in term of the political (the voters), social (cohesion) and economic (human capital) aspects. Malaysian Youth Council (MYC) is a recognized non-governmental organization that represents the voice of Malaysian youth. The objective of the establishment of youth organizations in Malaysia is to provide tools and opportunities for youth development, empowerment and engagement so that young people can contribute towards national building. MYC has three main functions: 1) to implement youth development, 2) to coordinate and organizes activity, service and advocacy, and 3) to serve as a platform for youth delegates in a variety of scope and level. Since the majority of Malaysian population is under 40 years old, the continuing youth development programs and initiatives should involve youth directly. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of MYC in youth development in Malaysia. The results indicate that the Malaysian youth Council (MYC) needs the supports of community members and affiliates to be effective in achieving its goals