environment education Archives

Toyota Eco Youth program is now 20 years old

UMW Toyota Motor’s Toyota Eco Youth (TEY) program has now been on for two decades, during which time the importance of preserving the environment has been nurtured among Malaysian youth. It has also empowered the youth with Toyota’s own problem-solving skills and knowledge.

For the 20th edition of TEY, the Ministry of Education once again joins forces with UMW Toyota Motor to run state and national level competitions. It is the leading program cultivating environment consciousness and innovation amongst the youth of the nation, with Leaderonomics Community as the working partner for this year’s initiative.

Over the course of the last 20 years, TEY has introduced various themes with one common goal: molding an environmental conscious society of the future. A total of 258 schools, 1,910 secondary school students and 762 teachers have successfully benefited from the program and invigorated environmental initiatives in their school compound or district.

Additionally, the program gives them a platform to lobby their ideas with stakeholders that involves local authorities, community and even media.

Reimagining Mobility
The theme for the 20th edition is ‘Reimagining Mobility’, which depicts the creation of safe and eco-friendly mobility solutions for the nation. The spirit of inclusivity and freedom of ideas are the foundation to this year’s theme.

“Toyota Eco Youth has been leading the way in Malaysia for 20 years and this year promises even more innovation and advancement under the theme of ‘Reimagining Mobility’,” said Akio Takeyama, Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor. “The young people of this country are the seeds of its future and TEY aids in growing their creativity and bring their innovations to fruition. We see this program as a tool to assemble the brightest minds of our nation to propagate a greener future for all of us”.

3-year program, instead of one year
The program is open to secondary school students aged 13 – 16 years old and there is unlimited school participation. However, unlike previous years which have been completed within a year, the concept for this year’s TEY program is will run for 3 years.

The 2020 edition of TEY will also see the class of 2020/2021 having the privilege to return as facilitators for the following year’s batch. The digitalization angle of TEY is taken up a notch by setting up a TEY Apprentice online club.

The top 16 teams for Year 2020/2021 TEY members will be equipped and trained with project management skills that incorporate Toyota’s Problem Solving Methodology. With the knowledge harnessed, the top 16 TEY competitors will build a prototype solution based on their local community. This dual-pronged approach that has been curated for TEY ensures that they are both theoretically and practically comprehensive.

Students can register now via www.toyota.com.my/toyotaecoyouth, or with their respective schools. The format of this program will be fully online which includes the interactive e-learning lessons and workshops. The final judging phase enables students to showcase their progress through social media and livestream channels.

RM64,000 prize pool
This year’s prizes are also doubled to further reward ingenuity amongst the youth and winning teams will stand a chance to win cash prizes from a RM64,000 prize pool.

“The pandemic has not deterred us from our steadfast commitment to empower the youth of our nation through the Toyota Eco Youth program. With every problem comes an opportunity and this pandemic has enabled us to circumnavigate these obstacles to digitalize the program mechanics to be online,” said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor. “This move is in line with our progressive approach that enables TEY to continuously develop the youth despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.”

Since its inception, UMW Toyota Motor has invested more than RM7 million on the program. It hopes that students benefiting from this program can become ambassadors in the future to advocate environmental sustainability and overcome mobility limitations.

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Sabah’s SMK Tamparuli is tops in 19th edition of Toyota Eco Youth programme

Since 2001, UMW Toyota Motor Sdn. Bhd. (UMWT) and the Malaysian Ministry of Education have been jointly organizing the Toyota Eco Youth (TEY) Programme to educate Malaysian youth on the importance of conserving the environment and also inspire them to act responsibly towards the environment, ensuring a sustainable future.

The programme, one of UMWT’s annual Corporate Social Responsibility activities, aims to cultivate environmental awareness and instill good environmental habit in young Malaysians as they are the future caretaker of the environment.

“Our corporate social responsibility is to help educate and instill love and care for the environment in the nation’s youth.”
Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor

In its 19th edition this year, TEY carries the theme ‘Be the Superhero to Save the World’. It incorporates elements from the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, a global initiative by Toyota Motor Corporation which aimed at going beyond zero environmental impact.

“Our business is not just confined to make ever better products that are safe and environmentally friendly. We also see it as our corporate social responsibility to help educate and instill love and care for the environment in the nation’s youth. One of the initiatives is the Toyota Eco Youth programme which have been running since 2001,” said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor.

This year, 12 secondary schools from around Malaysia participated in the programme which began in August this year. Students and teachers from the schools attended a 3-day ‘boot to learn Toyota’s 8-Step Problem-Solving Methodology. This is an approach practiced by UMWT employees to solve various types of problems, including those involving the environment.

Each school received a RM2,000 grant to kick off their project. Drawing on what they had learnt, they had to go through a market validation phase where their ideas – in the form of a product or service – were implemented and tested with the community of choice, impacting the beneficiaries.

In the final phase, each team made their final presentation and pitched their ideas to a panel of judges comprising representatives from UMWT, the Ministry of Education and myHarapan. After reviewing each presentation carefully, the best submissions by 4 schools were announced with SMK Tamparuli from Sabah picked as the Champion.

For their impressive efforts, they received prizes ranging from RM10, 000 for the Champion; RM7, 000 for second prize; RM5, 000 for third prize and RM3, 000 for the fourth prize. There was also a consolation prize of RM1, 000 as well as other prizes of RM500 each for the best video presentation and best-supporting teacher.

To date, UMWT has spent almost RM7 million on the TEY programme which has seen participation of 258 schools and 2,000 students. Commenting on the achievement of the TEY, Mr. Ravindran said it is clear that continuation of the programme can help in environment-related issues that affect not just today’s generation but also those in the future.

“We will certainly continue to run the TEY annually and as we gain feedback and experience each year, the programme will evolve accordingly so that it addresses appropriate issues,” he said.

Visit www.toyota.com.my to read more about UMW Toyota Motor’s other CSR activities.

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