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MAKNA Ambassadress to the Urban Youth

Mia Palencia was appointed MAKNA Ambassadress to the Urban Youth of Malaysia on the 29th of September 2005. Mia's acceptance of this important appointment was considered seriously with the following in mind.

Mia's Motivations

Mia is aware of various issues concerning public health, poverty, animals and the overall environment. She feels very strongly about these issues and tries to help in ways that she can. This mainly means singing for charity events and concerts to raise funds for various causes. She realizes that many people usually think about helping others in their later years. This makes sense as most people have 9 to 5 jobs and a family to care for and being retired means having more time and perhaps some money to spare. Mia does not have a 9 to 5 job and feels the time to spare is now and her instincts say, "time well spent on a worthy cause". What she already knows about cancer and its rampant habits dismays her. She recently learnt about the National Cancer Council (MAKNA) and its enormous efforts that give affected people hope.

Mia's Focus

Her time with MAKNA will be spent focusing on the urban youth. There are two main reasons for this direction. The first reason is that the probability of anyone contracting this disease depends very heavily on lifestyle. Unlike other diseases that one can contract via contact with other people, this disease can occur within anyone, at anytime! This means that the chances of getting cancer depend very much on the everyday things that we may do without thinking about, like the food that we eat, the environment that we work in, and the people that we hang around with. With the obvious in mind, she feels that the best way to avoid cancer would be to adopt a healthier lifestyle. The youth therefore have a bigger chance of changing their ways of life now, in their younger years. She wants to make sure that they know this.

The second reason is that, like her, the Malaysian youth are mostly still in high school or college. This means that they have fewer social responsibilities, more time, more energy and enthusiasm that can be fuelled towards this worthy cause. She believes that the lack of interest and participation of young Malaysians in charities is not because they do not want to help, but more because they do not know how to go about it. She wishes to reach out to these youngsters and show them how they can help.

Mia's Methods

She already has various ideas that, if materialized, may help MAKNA and herself to achieve the goals they have both set for their common cause. These include:

• Spreading awareness of MAKNA and its efforts via merchandising. This can be done by tying in with a well-known local fashion company (whose stores are mainly patronised by urban youth) to design and produce fashionable T-shirts that appeal to youngsters. These T-shirts can be designed to show MAKNA’s logo, the periwinkle flower, and the new slogan for MAKNA’s current campaign, “Sens Saves Lives”.
  
  
• Providing more information about cancer, MAKNA and her efforts through speaking at high schools, colleges and universities.
  
  
• Reaching out to Malaysian youth via music. This can be done by holding music festivals/concerts at colleges and universities, anywhere really, in support of MAKNA. In this way, knowledge about cancer can be presented to youngsters in a language that they can relate to. These music events can also be held to raise funds for MAKNA.
  
  Mia has to first reach out to the most difficult audience, being corporate companies and their human capital who have their own very definite ideas. Their support would undoubtedly be the catalyst and will begin the journey of treasuring their potential stakeholders who are the youth of Malaysia.
  
  A third alternative solution requires a third alternative attitude. Mia calls out to the people in fashion, education, music, etc. and challenges them to make a difference today!

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