Symposium Book - FRSIS 2012

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1 Introduction

2 Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah

3 The Pursuit of Global Unity SMS Hulu Selangor

4 Language and Culture Unite the World SMS Tuanku Syed Putra

5 Food Power: Special Recipes Bring Families Together SM Sultan Abdul Halim

6 TheRolesofYouthinPromotingCulturalAwareness SBPIKubangPasu

7 Culture Diversity SMS Kubang Pasu

8 Tolerance Promotes Group Harmony SMS Pokok Sena

9 AmalgamationthroughTechnologyAdvancement SMSSultanMuhammadJiwa

10 Youth and Culture SMS Kepala Batas

11 Youth and Culture SMS Tun Syed Sheh Shahabudin

12 K-Pop: The New Wave of Global Entertainment Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman

13 Achieving Global Unity through Food SMS Teluk Intan

14 MulticulturalismGeneratesMutualToleranceamongNations TheMalayCollegeKualaKangsar

15 Gourmet’sGlobalization SMSRajaTunAzlanShah

16 Nurturing Global Unity through Cultural Diversity SBPI Gopeng

17 Food- A Recipe for Our Unity SMS Tapah

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18 Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity: Cullture and Language SMS Bagan Datoh

19 Culture and Language SMS Kuala Selangor

20 Young, Urban and Profesional SMAP Kajang

21 Unity Starts from the Tummy SBPI Sabak Bernam

22 Arts and Culture Understanding Generates Global Unity SBPI Rawang

23 Decoding Malaysia SMS Alam Shah

24 GlobalCultureGeneratesWorldUnity:CulturePreservation SMSSeriPuteri

25 Cultural Diversity SMS Selangor

26 Arts and Culture Understanding Generates Global Unity SBPI Gombak

27 CulturalPreservation SekolahSultanAlamShah

28 Culture Vibes Sekolah Seri Puteri

29 FoodandUnity SMSBanting

30 CulturalUnderstandingGeneratesGlobalUnity:AnIslamicPerspective SMAPLabu

31 Culture throughout History Kolej Tunku Kurshiah

32 Cultural Awareness and Respect – The Key to World Unity Sekolah Dato’ Abdul Razak

33 TheRolesofYouthinPreservingtheHeritageinMalaysia SMSTuankuJaafar

34 Cultural Awareness and Respect SMS Tuanku Munawwir

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35 EngagingYouthinCulturePreservation SBPIJempol

36 Breaking Barriers, Widening Horizons SMS Rembau

37 Food and Unity SBPI Selandar

38 GlobalCulture:TheActofUnderstandingMulticulturalism SMSMuzaffarSyah

39 TheModernNightmare SekolahTunFatimah

40 Intermarriage as a Catalyst to Improve Global Unity SMS Muar

41 AStudyofStudents’PerceptionsofHedonisticCultureamongYouths SMSJohor inSMSJohor

42 Nurturing Global Unity through Cultural Diversity SMS Kota Tinggi

43 CulturePreservationGeneratesGlobalUnity SMSSultanIskandar

44 GreatFoodGreatNation:CelebratingDiversity SMSSembrong

45 Unity in Diversity SMS Sultan Hj Ahmad Shah

46 Cultural Diversity: The Gateway to Malaysia’s Harmony and Prosperity SMS Tengku Abdullah

47 TheRoleofYouthinGeneratingWorldUnity SekolahSainsSultanHajiAhmadShah

48 GlobalCultureAwarenessandRespectinGeneratingWorldUnity SBPIKuantan

49 Global Culture Generates World Unity SBPI Tun Abdul Razak

50 Cultural Diversity SBPI Temerloh

51 Cultural Diversity SMS Sultan Mahmud

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52 EvolutionofCulture SMSKualaTerengganu

53 Teenagers All around the World Are Alike SMS Dungun

54 Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity SBPI Batu Rakit

55 NatureStandsStillintheUnityoftheYouth SMSHuluTerengganu

56 CulturalUnderstandingGeneratesGlobalUnity SMSSetiu

57 Literature Unites the World SMS Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra

58 Youth and Culture SMS Machang

59 Youth and Culture SMS Pasir Puteh

60 CulturalPreservation SMSSabah

61 Youthvs.Culture:SignificantRolesofYouthinSustainingCulture SMSLahadDatu

62 YouthastheAntidoteofCultureUnawareness SMSLabuan

63 A Dying Culture SMS Kuching

64 StudentsEngagementinCulturalActivitiesorIssues SMSMiri

65 RisingaboveChallenges:MakingaDifferencethroughServiceLearning CresentGirls’School, Singapore

66 EquippingMillennianswithaGlobalPerspective MilleniaInstitute,Singapore

67 Youth and Culture Nanyang Girls High School Singapore

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68 IntegratingCulturethroughCuisine SekolahMenengahSultan MuhammadJamalulAlam (SMSMJA)Brunei

69 Arts and Culture Sekolah Menengah Berakas, Brunei

70 SchoolContributioninDevelopingMulticulturalAwarenessamongStudents SMA1Padang,Indonesia

71 Indonesia’sCulturePreservation SMANegeri2Bogor,Indonesia

72 BoardingSchoolLifestyleDecreasesConflictandImprovesCultural InsanCendekiaAlKausarHighSchool, UnderstandingamongStudents WestJava,Indonesia

73 CultureDisasterfortheYouth SekolahMenengahKejuruan(SMK) Negeri 7 Bandung

74 ArtasaReflectionofCultureandaCountry’sIdentity PasarmintDemonstrationSchool Thailand

75 Food:AnInternationalLanguage KiettisackInternationalSchool,Laos PDR

76 Cultural Diversity St. Mark’s Girls Sr. Sec. School, New Delhi , India

77 ACultureofInnnovation AustralianScience&Mathematics School, South Australia, Australia

78 RID–Resources,InvestmentandDevelopment NationalLyceumD.Philippaof A Case Study in the Azores, Portugal Lancaster, Portugal

79 Hlinsko Students Go Global Gymnázium K.V. RaiseAdámkova55HlinskovČ, the Czech Republic

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80 Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity ITIS “ Cannizzaro” Rome Italy

81 The True Dutchman Does Not Exist Het Amsterdams Lyceum Amsterdam, Netherlands

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FULLY RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM (FRSIS) 2012,27 -31 MARCH 2012 , Melaka, MALAYSIA

“Global Culture Generates World Unity”

Today, respecting and managing cultural diversity is one of the most important tasks that globalization imposes on the entire world; nations that neglect it do so at their own risk. If left unattended to, conflicts between ethnic groups may lead to the destabilization of a nation that can hinder progress in other domains. Quote: Expo Shanghai 2010

Therefore, FRSIS 2012 aims to polish talents and leadership skills among students based on the proposed theme which is Global Culture Generates World Unity.Thissymposiumisalsoaimedtofacilitatepotentialnationalleaderstorespectthecultureandheritageofanationbecauseitisaprerequisiteforaharmoniousdevelopmentofsocietyandnation.Besidesthat,italsopromotesawarenessandunderstandingamongstudentsthatcultureandheritageareinterrelatedandshouldberespected,preservedandkeptintheprogressoftheracebecausethataspectistheidentityofanation.

This symposiumwhich isheld from27th-31stMarch2012 consistsofparticipants ranging from15-19yearsold. Itsmain theme isGlobal Culture Generates World Unity.This themehasbeenchosenas thestudentparticipantsareassetsofacountry thatareveryvaluableas theyareyoung,enthusiastic, energetic, andhavepotentials. Therefore,when these features are combined andpolished, theywill be the catalyst for changeandprogress. The sub-themes of this symposium include, but are not limited to:

CulturalGlobalisationCulture and Economy

Youth and CultureArts and CultureCultural Diversity

CulturalPreservationCulture and Language

Cultural Awareness and RespectSocialisationofCulture


ThecultureofMalaysiadrawsonthevariedculturesofthedifferentpeoplesofMalaysiaandeachoftheculturesisuniqueanddistinctive.Malaysiaisanationfullofdifferentcoloursandhasalreadysucceededinmixingthesecolourstopaintabeautifulmasterpiece.Eventhoughwedifferinmanyaspectssuchasourethnicgroups,skincolours,waysoflife,languageofcommunication,wearestillproudtobeMalaysians.Thequestionsofhowandwhyhaveonesimpleanswerthatisthewillingnessto share and to understand. Art is one of the specialities inMalaysia and it is closely related toculture. Different cultures have different arts fromperforming arts to earthenware to handicraftseach showing its ownuniqueness. There arenumerous cultural contributionswhich aredistinctlyindigenoustothedifferentethnicgroupstobefoundinMalaysia.Theseculturalcontributionsaddmore colours to the already picturesque Malaysia. The people’s willingness to share their arts and culture,andtounderstandandacceptotherculturescontributetothenation‟sunityandachievethegoalsof1Malaysia.Thatishowartsandcultureunitethepeopleofthisnation.Webelievethatifothernationsaroundtheworldweretotakeourbelovednationasamodel,thewholeworldwouldbeabetterplacetolive.

Cultural Understanding Generates Unity

By: Alia Solihin Binti AhmadKolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah,

Selangor, Malaysia


Malaysianforefathersbuiltthiscountrybasedonadeepsenseoftoleranceamongthemulti-cultural,multi-ethnicandmulti-religiousnationstate.Today,after55 longyearsofenjoying independence,theMalaysian people are still enjoying domestic tranquillity under the umbrella of tolerance andacceptance that is shared by all Malaysians. How is this possible? A deeply ingrained awareness and respectinallMalaysiansisinculcatedthroughasystematiceducationsystemthattakesintoaccountthediversityofdifferentethnicgroups.Theelementalaimofeducatingcultureinsecondaryschoolsisnotonlytoinstiladeepsenseoftolerancebutsimultaneouslytoguaranteethatstudentsretaintheknowledgeandpractiseit.Theobjectiveofthisstudyistoanswertwoquestions:first,howdeepis the tolerance level of Malaysian students? And second, which method or branch of culture is most easily understood and adapted?We conducted surveys throughquestionnaires at a neighbouringschoolintheHuluYamdistrictinordertosubstantiatetheresults.Thatparticularschoolwaschosenonthegroundsthatthestudentpopulationwasequallydividedamongthethreemainraces.ThroughourownArtsandCultureClub,wecarriedoutvariousactivitieswiththestudentsandobservedtheresults. Based on the results, we deduced that the level of tolerance among students was very high andtheywerealsopractisingtheacquiredknowledgeintheirdailylives.Thiswasclearlyseeninthewaytheysocialise.Thesesurveysandobservationstronglysuggestthatthelevelofawarenessandtoleranceisveryhigh.However,thesamecannotbesaidofthepracticeofthisknowledge.Throughthis club, we are providing the modus operandi to extend the knowledge into practice. From theactivities,weareconfidentthatstudentswillapplythisknowledgethroughouttheirlivesevenafterleaving school.

The Pursuit of Global Unity

By: Nicholas Lim Jin ShenSekolah Menengah Sains Hulu Selangor,

Selangor, Malaysia


Language and culture are fundamentally inseparable as both of the components complement each other. Culture is a kind of social inheritance, shared by the whole community, and not belonging toanyparticular individual.As language is theprimarymediumofcommunication, it functionsasareflectorforboththepersonalityoftheindividualandthecultureofhishistory. Inturn, ithelpsshapebothpersonalityandculture.Theobjectiveofthisresearchistostudytherelationshipbetweenlanguage and culture.

Throughout my research, I found that the way a community uses language is part of the community’s culture,justasothersharedpracticesare;itisawayofdisplayinggroupidentity.Waysofspeakingfunctionnotonlytofacilitatecommunication,butalsotoidentifythesocialpositionofthespeaker.A culturemusthaveat leastone language,which it uses as adistinctmediumof communicationtoconveyitsdefiningideas,customs,andbeliefs,fromonememberofthecommunitytoanothermember. Different cultures have different and unique languages which are used to display theiridentities.Languageunitethecommunityastheyareusingthesamemediumofcommunication,andsharingthesamebeliefsandculture,thus,itisproventhatlanguageisimportantinunitingpeoplewhocomefromdifferentbackgrounds.

I can summarize the relationship between culture and language as follows: language is a keycomponentofculture.Itistheprimarymediumfortransmittingmuchofculture.Withoutlanguage,culture would not be possible.

Language and Culture Unite the World

By : Farah Adilah RoslanSekolah Menengah Sains Tuanku Syed Putra,

Perlis, Malaysia


Foodisgoodforallsortsofthings.Foodisameansofunitingpeopleasitissomethingthatpeoplecan bond together over. We turn to it when we need comfort. Food creates comfort since everybody ishappywhenfoodismentioned.MalaysiancuisinereflectsthemulticulturalaspectofMalaysiawithherdiverseethnicgroups.ManydishesinMalaysiaarederivedfrommultipleethnicinfluences.Foodissomethingthateveryoneneedsandisessentialtolifejustlikeunity.TheobjectiveofthisresearchistoprovideinformationonthepoweroffoodinunitingallMalaysians.ThemethodofresearchusedisbyconductingasurveywiththestudentsandteachersofSekolahMenengahSultanAbdulHalimasrespondents.Oneoftheoutcomesisthepositivecorrelationbetweenthedifferentdishesofeachraceto the unity of Malaysians. Besides, it is found that food can actually promote mutual understanding amongMalaysiancitizens.ItcanbeseenvividlythatnowadaysunityamongMalaysiansisstrongerthan in other countries. This can be proven by the results of the research done. In school, students arefoundtobefamiliarwithdishessuchasyongtaufu,roticanai,androjak.Infact,studentseatthese dishes almost every day although those dishes are not from their own cultures. Whether we realise it or not, food has actually changed the lifestyles of Malaysians where in this modern world MalaysianslovetospendtheirtimeatMamakstallswiththeirfriendswhoareofdifferentraces.Withthis modern lifestyle, even the weak become strong when they are united.

Food Power: Special Recipes Bring Families Together

By: Ahmad Azaruddin AzmanSekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Abdul Halim,

Kedah, Malaysia


Perceptionofpeople today is thatyouthandculturearenevergoing toblend.Theadventof fastgrowingtechnologiesandvastmodernisationhasovershadowedthebeautifulculturethathasbeenkeptsafebyourancestorsforustomakethisworldabetterplaceforeverybody.Itisnotsurprisingthat culture is in the backburner in the minds of youths and for some it has no place at all.

We live, we breathe and we sleep culture, and as youths who want unity and peace on Mother Earth, whydowenotmakeaparadigmshiftandrealisethatcultureiseverythingthatmatters?Onedayisnever enough for us to talk about culture because the word itself has an enormous meaning to every person in this world.

Youthsarethefutureandcreatingculturalawarenessamongusisessentialtoensurethatthisworldisfilledwithcultureexuberanceineverycornerregardlessofcolourandrace.Theworldisoursinthefutureandwhenwehavecultureinourhearts;itisamatteroftimebeforetheworldwilluniteasone.

The Roles of Youth in Promoting Cultural Awareness

By: Shafeeq Ahlami Bin Khairul AmanSBPI Kubang Pasu,Kedah, Malaysia


What does the phrase Cultural Diversity mean? The word culturalcanbedefinedasconnectedwiththecultureofaparticularsocietyorgroup,itscustomandbelieves,whereas,diversity means a range ofmanypeopleorthingsthatareverydifferentfromeachother.Ontheotherhand,culturaldiversityisacolossalinfluencetogenerateglobalunity.

Malaysia. A country concealed behind the epicentre of major economic growth in the Asian region, is actually becoming the epitome of vibrant cultures. In fact, throughout this harmonic country live multipleracessuchasMalays,Chinese,Indiansandothersthatlivetogetherpeacefully.Itallstartedintheearly1900swhentheBritishbroughtinathrongofmigrantsfromIndiaandChinatoworkintheestates and as labourers. Since then, Malaysia has become the focus of diverse cultures in the region.

Eachraceherehasitsownuniquecelebrations,customsandwaysoflife.Althougheachoftheracesisdifferent inamyriadofways, thecitizensofMalaysiastill live inpeaceandharmony.Theunityestablished in the past is simply too tough to be destroyed.

In conclusion, we, as the responsible successors of Malaysian future, should endeavour to preserve this cultural bond forever. Besides, we should always respect the beliefs of other races and side-step allthesensitiveissuesthatcouldcausedissension.Thecontinuityofthisculturalbondingisvitalasitsignifiesourultimateglobalunity.

Cultural Diversity

By : Amal Azraai Bin Che AzuhaSekolah Menengah Sains Kubang Pasu,

Kedah, Malaysia


The21stcenturyisknownforthecreationofthemodernstateinwhichcultureisstillregardedasanimportantaspectinourlife.Ourworldisrichwithculturaldiversity.Therearemanydifferencesamong these cultures such as in the aspect of social life, moral values, beliefs, religions, customs andnorms.However,problemsarisewhenpeopleareawareof thesedifferencesyet theydonotrespect them. These problems turn into something worse which leads to a new form of prejudice called racism which propagates the belief that some races are superior to others. This new prejudice causes people to be disunited.

Inordertoovercomethisproblem,wehavecomeupwithanoverviewoftheissueentitledGlobal Cultures Generate World Unity: Tolerance Promotes Group Harmony.

Tolerance literally means the willingness to accept something especially opinions or behaviour that wemaynotagreewithorpeoplewhoaredistinguishedintermofsomethingthatisdifferentfromus.Inotherwords,toleranceisthecapacityforthepracticeofrecognizingandrespectingthebeliefsorpracticesofothers.

The objectives of this research conducted are to highlight the importance of tolerance for groupharmony, to encourage the practice of tolerance in life and to overcome the problem of racism.Themethodologyofourresearchconsistsofthreestages,whichareobservation,surveysanddataanalysis.

Tolerance is one of the key issues in solving the problems of racism that are prevalent in our world anditcouldbepracticedinmanyaspectsoflife.Ifallthepeoplewhoarefromdifferentbackgrounds,cultures, religions and beliefs could learn to be tolerant towards each other, peace and harmony will rule in our life. Hence, it is proven that tolerance is the catalyst necessary to promote group harmony.

Tolerance Promotes Group Harmony

By: Husna Izzati Binti SabriSekolah Menengah Sains Pokok Sena,

Kedah, Malaysia


Thepeopleoftodayhaveundergonealotofchangesduetoglobalisationastheworldnowisgrowingrapidly by leaps and bounds. This is mostly caused by the emerging wave of technology which creates anewshiftinculturallifeofthesocietythroughouttheglobe.

In the present era, the people now are more technology-savvy. Through advancements in technology, a lot of people nowadays are exposed to cultures from other countries. A lot of mediums now are commonly-usedusedbythepubliceveryday.Thus,thissituationisexpectedtogenerateanewformofculturewhichindirectlywillpromoteunityamongthesepeople.Thequestioniswhatarethekindsof technology which contribute to this unity? Also, how do these advancements play their role in changingtheparadigm?Istherereallyanyefficientmediumwheretheprocessofinter-culturingcanbe established?

Therefore,theseadvancementsintechnologymighthaveahugeimpactincreatinganew-dimensioninthewayof lifeoftoday‟ssociety. It isbelievedthatthroughthistechnologyglobalunitycanbegenerated via its worldwide standardised usage.

Amalgamation through Technology Advancement

By: Farah Iliyana bt Mohd NoorSekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Mohamad Jiwa,

Kedah, Malaysia


Cultureconsistsofthebeliefs,behaviour,objectsandothercharacteristicscommontothemembersofaparticulargrouporsociety.Inanotherdefinition,cultureispresentedasthewayoflife.Acountrythathasavarietyofcustomsorculturesisconsidereduniqueandinteresting.Oneoftheimportantreasonsformaintainingacultureisthecultureofvaluesandtheattitudesofrespect.Bothoftheseare almost non-existent in the youths of our country.

CulturalawarenesscanbedevelopedindifferentwayssuchasbyorganisingYouthCulturalCamps.Atthiscamp,youthswillbeexposedtotraditionalskillsandculturalvalues.Bothofwhichareimportantresourcesforpreventinginvolvementinnegativeactivitiessuchassubstanceabuse,gangstersandviolence.Positivebehaviourincreasesthecapacityofthewholecommunitytocopewithchange.

Understandingone‟scultureisanessentialpartofbuildingculture.Ifsomeoneisdifferent,orholdsdifferentbeliefs,itdoesnotmeanheisbadorwrong.Althoughmanyeducatedadultsunderstandthis,childrenorstudentsoftendonothavetheabilityorknowledgetograspthisconcept.

Beingawareofourculturedynamicsisadifficulttaskbecausecultureisnotconscioustous.Sincebirth, we have learnt to see and do things at an unconscious level. Our experiences, our values and ourculturalbackgroundsleadustoseeanddothingsinacertainway.Sometimeswehavetostepoutside of our cultural boundaries in order to realize the impact that our culture has on our behaviour. It is very helpful to gather feedback from foreign friends on our behaviour to get a clearer picture of our culture traits.

Youth and Culture

By: Muhd Ikmal Bin Ahmad HanizarSekolah Menengah Sains Kepala Batas

Kedah, Malaysia


Youthisthetimeoflifebetweenchildhoodandadulthood(maturity).Definitionsofthespecificagerangethatconstitutesyouthvary.CultureinLatiniscultura, lit.(“cultivation”)isatermthathasmanydifferent inter-relatedmeanings.However,thewordculture is most commonly used in three basic senseswhichareexcellenceoftasteinthefineartsandhumanities,alsoknownashighculture;anintegratedpatternofhumanknowledge,belief,andbehaviourthatdependsuponthecapacityforsymbolicthoughtandsociallearning;andthesetofsharedattitudes,values,goals,andpracticesthatcharacterizesaninstitution,organization,orgroup.

In Wikipedia, youth culture is the sum of the ways of living of adolescents;itreferstothebodyofnorms,values,andpracticesrecognizedandsharedbymembersof theadolescentsocietyasappropriateguidestoactions.Youthcultureisspecifictoadolescents,anddiffersatleastpartiallyfromthecultureofoldergenerations.Elementsofyouthcultureincludebeliefs,behaviours,styles,andinterests.Anemphasisonclothes,popularmusic,sports,vocabulary,anddatingsetadolescentsapartfromotheragegroups,givingthemwhatmanybelieveisadistinctcultureoftheirown.

The purpose of doing this research is to study whether youth culture is important to generate global unity. Furthermore, this research has been done to prove that youths also have the ability to unite people around the globe. To complete this task, three methods were used. They are Internet browsing, literature review, and discussions and exchange of ideas among us. All these methods helped us to achievetheobjectivesofthisresearch.Basedonthisresearch,wesuccessfullyprovedthatyouthareable to generate global unity through culture.

Youth and Culture

By: Amzar Bin HudzairiSekolah Menengah Tun Syed Sheh Shahabudin

Pulau Pinang , Malaysia


The term “K-pop” is recognised as a rising youth culture globally. But most of us do not know what it reallyis.K-pop,shortforKoreanPopbydefinitionisamusicalgenreconsistingofdance,pop,hiphop,electro-pop,rock,R&BandelectronicmusicoriginatinginSouthKorea.K-popbegangainingwiderinternationalattentionunderthenameof“theKoreanWave”,orHallyu in Korean. The purpose of this researchistoidentifythepopularityofK-popasaglobalyouthculture.K-popwentthroughaprocessoftrialanderrorbeforeitbecomefamous.K-popmusicisuniqueandcatchy.Itfeaturesarepetitivechorus with a synchronized group dance, for example the song Nobody by Wonder Girls which became a phenomenon.

K-pop has become a phenomenon around the globe through the Internet. The Korean management agencies driving the K-pop craze have for the last several years beenmaking active use of socialnetworkserviceslikeFacebookandTwitterandoperatingtheirownchannelsonYouTube.FansallovertheworldcopythedancemovesanduploadthemonYouTube,thus,attractingpeoplearoundtheworldtoK-pop.FansdemandtheseK-popgroupstoperform in theircountriesbydoingflashmobsandgroupdancestoattracttheseartistes.Frommyresearch,Icanconcludethatdespiteitslackofhistory,Koreanpopculturesellsitselfasaglobalstandard,andisnowanintegralpartofKorea‟snationalimageandbrand,likeKoreansemi-conductorsorKoreancars.Thisdidnothappenovernight:it was a product of many years of hard work, planning, and investment.

K-Pop: The New Wave of Global Entertainment

By: Muhammad Hanif Omar Bin Mohd. YazidSekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman,

Perak, Malaysia


Establishing a strong bond among people from all around the world with food as its catalyst may sound almostimpossibleandunachievable.However,withglobalisation,theworldhasbecomesmallerandcommunitiesaremoreacceptingofoneanother.Thus,nothingisimpossibleinthesemoderndays.Globalunitycanonlybematerialisedifwefocusonourcommontiesratherthanonourdifferences,and food, as we all know, has the power to get people to sit together. How can food achieve unity? Thisistheissuethatwehavebeenpushingveryhard;achievingglobalunitythroughfood.Foodisourmostvaluableheritage.Weworkhardtoimprovisewithourfoodtomakethembetter,moredeliciousand mouth-watering, without changing the recipes and by adding new spices and proteins. We change the look but not the recipe. As the saying goes, to understand the food means to understand the culture.Wewouldliketointroduceyoutoourfourresearchoutcomeswhichareglobalisationoffood,uniquenessofdelicacies,culinaryeducationandgovernmentprogrammes.Understandingthecultureof a certain dish will help a lot in making this idea come to life. Food has its own ways of establishing unity.Everycountryintheworld,withoutexception,hasitsownsignaturedishthatcomesalongwithamagnificentculture.Wewillguideyouallthewayinordertomakeyounotonlyunderstanditbutactuallywanttobepartofit.Wewillemphasiseontheevolutionofcertaindishesthathavebecomeaworldwidesensation.Thedishesnormallyoriginated fromfarcornersof theworldand throughintegrationof cultures via educationandmarriage, havebeenmodified, transformedand givenanewleaseoflife.Allthesignificantpointsaboutthecultureandoriginofthefoodthatwegotfrominterviewingpeopleandmassmediawouldbeexplained thoroughly throughout thepresentationsession.Throughthesemethods,globalunitycanbeachieved,thus,makingthisworldabetterplaceforthefuturegenerationstoconsiderashome.

Achieving Global Unity through Food

By: Meor Mohd Hakeem Bin Meor HashimSekolah Menengah Sains Teluk Intan,

Perak, Malaysia


AconvergenceofmultipleraceslikethissymposiumisnotararityinMalaysia.Butthelikelihoodoftheseconferencestogenerateaproductivefeedbacktomakeadifferenceisslim.Thisisduetothefactthatunderstandingbetweenculturesisnotasubjectthatwespeakofdaily,thus,indoctrinatingourmindsintoatenebrousboxofstereotypicalview.Withoutaproperunderstandingofone‟sculture,diplomatic relationships between countries cannot be established. This can only be realised oncetherepresentativeofanation,beheastudent,diplomat,politician,worldleaderor,oftheutmostimportance,societyopentheireyesandmindstowardstoleratinglivinginadiversecommunity.Oneof the many problems that people are facing today is the arrogance of a culture in its refusal to accept others.Inthisexample,peopledon‟tseetherelevanceofmulticulturalism.

Thisresearchhasbeenconductedtoshowhowmulticulturalismcontributestotheadvancementofsociety and the obstacles that we face to overcome cultural intolerance in trying to generate global unity. In thiseraofglobalisation, thedifferencesbetweenculturescan lead to thedegradationofpeace and harmony. As long as there are peoplewho cannot accept and tolerate amulticulturalsociety,adisruptionofpeacewillarise.Therefore,wewillalsodiscussthecatch-22ofchanging.

Multiculturalism Generates Mutual Tolerance among Nations

By: Safuan Bin SabriThe Malay College Kuala Kangsar

Perak, Malaysia


Food is any substance consumed to provide nutrition. Food,which is consumeddaily, is believedto somehow connect us with the people around us. The variety of food plays an important role in unitingpeople.Therefore,weareherewithourresearchentitledGourmet’s Globalisation to prove to everyone that food indeed has brought human beings together over the centuries, with the hope thateveryonewill trustusandcooperatewithus tocontinueunitingpeople throughcuisines.Byorganizingopenhousesandattendingfestivals,wehaveobservedtheeffectivenessoffoodinbringingpeople together. The diversity in delicacies has indeed opened the minds of people to accept everyone aroundusandignorethedifferencesthatseparateus.Bydoingso,foodbecomesthedominantfactorinunitingpeopleglobally.Itscross-culturalinfluencehasattractedhumanstounderstandmoreaboutone‟sculture.Cuisinessuredoactasanagentoffusionbetweenpeoplefromallwalksoflife.Ithaseven become a medium to conserve the culture by preserving its taste and origins. Food creates advantagesoutof differences, thus creatinga special bondbetweenpeople.After all, food reallydoescreateunityindiversity.Asaresult,wecannowseethathumansaregettingmoretolerantandopen-mindedinseeingthingsandgivingopinions.Theytendtothinkofothers‟culturesandcustomsfirstbeforemakingadecisiononsomething.Thisshowsthatfoodhasastronginfluenceonpeoplebyintroducingthemtoone‟sculture.ThisprovesthatwhenMaryFrancesKennedyFishersaidSharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly, she was absolutely right.

Gourmet’s Globalisation

By: Hana Maryam Binti Mohammad KamalSekolah Menengah Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah

Perak, Malaysia


Whatisculturaldiversity?Cultureisdefinedasanactinwhichagroupofpeopleorasocietypracticeeverydayintheirdailylifewhicheventuallybecametheiridentityortraditionwhereasdiversityissynonymictovariation.Inotherwords,culturaldiversitygivesthemeaningofavarietyoftraditionand identityborn fromdifferent societies.Asweall know, theworld today isexperiencinganerawhere unity is a must in order to sustain peace and harmony. In my paperwork, I would be glad to deal with some aspect of global unity through cultural diversity. Unity through cultural diversity means to exploreandenhancea commonvalue thatemphasizes interdependence,equality, justice,humanrightsandthesanctityofeachindividualdignity.Ourgoalistofurtheraunifiedvisionandrecognitionof the principal of “Unity and Diversity”. In Malaysia, our Prime Minister had successfully introduced a well-accepted policy which is 1 Malaysia and the policy unites all Malaysians. The same goes to a widerscope, theglobalcommunitywherecooperationbetweencountries isverycrucial.Throughthis,wecanbuildamore inclusivecommunitygrounded inrespectofdifferencesbasedonraces,culture,religion,gender,politicalaffiliationandethnicity.Intheprocessofnurturingglobalunity,weareabletoidentifyfourimportantprincipalsthatneedtobepractisedbytheworldcommunityinorder to turn this dream into a reality. The four principals are:

•tohonourthedignityofeachracethatstandsinthisworld•tocreateabasicequalityamongallhumans•toexecuteuniversalhumanrights•toestablishafundamentalinfreedomofthought,conscienceandbelief

I believe that through these principals we are able to generate world unity.

Nurturing Global Unity through Cultural Diversity

By :Mohamad Firdaus bin Mat DinSBPI Gopeng,

Perak, Malaysia


It isnotexaggeratingwhenwesayfoodcanbeacatalystforunity.Whenwetalkaboutfood, it isimportant for us to understand the heritage of the food we digest. We should also understand what foodcangenerate;whatthegovernmentcangeneratethroughfood.Fooditselfisaculture.Itbringstheworldtogether.Thesedays,weareleftwiththeimpressionthatsocialnetworks,technologyaswell as gadgets are the mediums that unite the world. What we have failed to realize is that we have beenunderestimatinghowmuch foodhashelped in theprocess. In fact, food isoneof themainreasonswhypeoplehavebeenbondingaroundtheworld inthefirstplace. Inthepresentationtocome,thebentwillbestraightened;thedarkwillbelitandthelostwillbefound.Thepresentationwillbefullofanswersforquestionsthatmayormaynothaverunthroughyourmindswhenyouconsiderourcatalyst.Explanationswillbegivenaboutthehow,whyandwhatprovesfoodastherecipeforthedeliciousunityamongthenationsaroundtheglobe,howthegovernmentcanhelpinthemakingofthisparticularrecipeandhowthiscanaffectus,theyoungergenerations,thegenerationsbeforeaswellastheonestocome.Letusshowyoutheingredients,letusfeedyouyourcravingsandletusfulfilyourappetite.Allyouhavetodoissitback,relax,andenjoythemeal.Letusindulgeyou,becauseyes,foodistherecipeforunity.Ironic,isn‟tit?

Food- A Recipe for Our Unity

By: Norazeera Bte Al-WahabSekolah Menengah Sains Tapah

Perak, Malaysia


Formanypeople,languageisnotjustamediumofcommunicationbutisalsoapartofculture.Cultureis defined in various ways. The definition usually includes some notion of shared values, beliefs,expectations,customs, jargon,andrituals.Language is the set of common sounds and symbols by which individuals communicate(Shelling,1960).Multiculturalismseemstobeontherisearoundtheworld.Oneofthemosttangibleproofsistherecentgrowthofbilingualandmultilingualeducation.

It is great that all residential schools inMalaysia require students to take up a foreign language,however, a few auxiliary ventures need to be taken in order to help the students understand the relationshipbetweenlanguageandcultureandhowithelpstopromoteglobalunity.Asclichéasitmaysound,LanguageMonthisanactivitycarriedoutinschooltopromotetheuseofthedifferentlanguages. Throughout themonth, students are not just exposed to the linguistic aspect and itsappreciation,butalsohowitisrelatedtothecultureofthepeoplewhospeakthelanguage.

ThisprogrammeiscarriedoutbiannuallyinSABDA,specifically,inthemonthsofAprilandSeptember.Throughactivitiescarriedout,thestudentscouldgenerateakindofuniquenewmentalitythatisableto form a spirit of individualism with surprising ability to adapt, receive and celebrate global unity together.Theseactivitiescandiminishbarrierssuchascultural,racialandsocialwhichsurroundthenativesociety;thesebarriersimbuethesocietywithamplifiedprejudicestowardsforeignlanguages.

Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity:Culture and Language

By: Muhammad Hazemm Iman Bin AzleeSekolah Menengah Sains Bagan Datoh,

Perak, Malaysia


Inaworldwheredifferenttypesofpeoplelivingindifferentcountries,thereisboundtobedifferentcultures.Whatisculture?Andmostimportantly,howdowediscoverourowncultureanddifferentpeople`sculturefromdifferentcountries?

Logically, we would know what our culture is, based on the things that we do and see everyday, but to understanditcompletely,wewouldhavetospendsometimetogainknowledgeaboutit.Tounderstandotherpeople`sculture,wewouldhavetoputmuchmoreeffortbecausemisunderstandingtowardsit might lead to a global disaster. Therefore, it is important that we understand each others culture so that we can gain global unity. Art is something considered to be very complicated to understand, especially if it does not originate from our own country. To understand art, one must be interested in it and not take it as something simple.

The two major sides I am about to elaborate on is arts of the West and arts of the East. I will only elaborate onMalaysia for there are toomany countries from the East.Westernmusic, paintings,literature and stage performing technique have grown literally global, while Eastern countries such asMalaysia,likestokeepitstraditionaliveandonlymodernizeitsmusicandotherartisticvaluessothatitwouldbemoreeye-catchingandattractivetoyoungergenerations.Bybeingopen-mindedandlookatthepositivesideofthings,Ibelievethatwecanreachglobalunitybyunitingglobalculturesbecausepossibilitiesareendlessandtheresultsareonlyknownaftertheexperimentisdone.

Culture and Language

By : Nur ‘Adillah Bt. Mohd AnuarSekolah Menengah Sains Kuala Selangor,

Selangor, Malaysia


A very obvious global culture that is in-trend right now is the explosion of yuppies. What exactly are yuppies? It is a term coined to describe a group of people within the age range of 25 – 40 who want the perfect career and life i.e. young, urban and professional. It is a commonly held belief that havingsomethingincommonwithsomeoneelsenomatterhowdifferentthetwopartiesarecanbeamutualgroundforthemtostartaconversation.Therefore,throughthisprojectwestrivetoprovethat students aspiring to be yuppies have a common background for them to communicate hence spurringinteractionbetweenyouthsandformingasociallycohesivenetwork.Theaimoftheproposedresearchistoidentifystudents‟levelofcommunicationwithpeoplewithwhomtheyhavethingsincommon.Throughthisresearchwehopetofindanswerstothefollowingquestions:First,howmanystudents are willing to join the global village by aspiring to be a yuppie? Second, what is the level of readiness among students to generate world unity in terms of their ability to use the English Language asameansofcommunicationattheinternationallevel?Third,howequippedarethesestudentstobecomeglobalcitizenswithregardstotheirintellectual,emotional,physicalandspiritualreadiness?Respondents involved are 173 Form Five students of Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Kajang. Datacollection involvesasurveyusingaquestionnaireconstructedbytheschoolcounsellingunit.Analysis of percentage is done on the data and the results are described in percentage using graphs andtables.Theresearchfindingswillbeusedbytheschooltoensurestudentsareabletocreateasocial network within the society.

Young Urban and Profesional

By : Nurl Nadiah Nabilah Bte AbdullahSekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Kajang,

Selangor, Malaysia


Inhistory,foodhasbeenanessentialneedforsurvival.Mankindhunted,fishedandevenkilledjustto satisfy theirhunger toavoid starvation.Asyearspassed, foodhasevolved frombeing the solenecessity,toaluxuryitem.Foodhasbecomeoneoflife‟sgreatestpleasures.Everypersonineverycountryhashisownculinarypreference.Althougheachofushasdifferenttastes,weallsharethesame love for food.

Malaysia,themeltingpotofcultures,nottomentionthecentreofdiversecuisines,hascuisinesfrommany races and cultures, among which are Indian style cooking, Chinese food, and Malay cuisine. The bestpartisthateventhoughtherearesomanytypesoffoodwithdifferenttastes,everyoneusuallylikes to eat them. This is proven in most food courts throughout Malaysia that sell capati, wantan, nasi lemak, and other wonderful food.

Whenwetalkaboutthecuisinesoftheworld,wearetalkingabouttheinternationalappetitearoundthe globe. Many of us realize that all the cuisines have various styles of cooking and also various kinds of tastes. However, all of these foods can be acquired in our own country, Malaysia. This shows that foodisbecomingafactorforbringingnationstogether.

Althoughwedon‟tsharethesametraditions,apparentlyweallsharethesametasteforfood.Simplybysharingourfoodwearenotonlysatisfyingourtummy,wewouldalsobeabletoshareourculturewithothers;thisisbecausewebelieveinthephrasethat“youarewhatyoueat”.So,whatyoueatishow you live.

Unity Starts from the Tummy

By: Ainaa Najihah Bte Abdul RahimSBPI Sabak BernamSelangor, Malaysia


Aswearelivinginthe21stcentury,artplaysalargepartinmakingourlivesinfinitelyricher.Imagine,just for a minute, a world without art and the impact that lack of graphics would have on your favouritevideogamesorevenyourfavouritewebsite.Artstimulatesdifferentpartsofourbrainsandgivesusawaytobecreativeandexpressourselves.Besides,artisalsosomethingthatmakesusmorethoughtfulandwell-roundedhumans.

Therehavebeenalotofartexhibitionsbeingheldglobally,almostanytimeandanywhere,andithasencouraged me to come up with a paper on this very topic – Arts and Culture.

Inmy paper, Iwould like to dealwith various aspects of both arts and culturewhich I find veryinterestinginthecurrentstateoftheworld.Thispaperattemptstoofferpossibleinitiativesonhowwe,youthsoftodayandleadersoftomorrow,canplayavitalroleinpromotingartsandglobalcultureto generate world unity.

Instillinginterestinartsandcultureamongthesocietyisnotaneasytask.SoIbelievethattoday‟syouthisthekey.Youthsarethemediumandthefirststeptowardspromotingartsandculture,andtheonlywayforwardistostartwithtoday‟sgeneration.

Inmypaper, Iwill propose the initiatives and efforts on howwe could promote arts and culturebetweenthedifferentreligionsandracesandhowwecanplayourrole.Youthcanshowthewaytofostercooperation,insteadofcompetingandhighlightingdifferences,inthehopethatthiswillhelptopromoteartsandcultureglobally;thus,contributingtoworldunityingeneral.

Arts and Culture Understanding Generates Global Unity

By: Syahirah Huda Bte Abd RahmanSBPI Rawang

Selangor, Malaysia


Nationsaroundtheworldareracingtopursuemodernizationparalleltotheprogressexperiencedbyothernationsatthecostofhumanityandunityintheirsociety.However,thisisnotthecaseforMalaysia, as the diversity is turned into an asset to generate unity through the uniqueness of her culture.TherootofherdiverseculturescanbetracedthroughhistorytothecolonizationeraduringwhichtherewasmigrationoflabourersandskilledworkersfromChinaandIndia.Thesechangedthelandscape of Malaysia forever. The Chinese brought, among others, their lion dance and the Indians gaveuswiththeirexoticclothing.Astimewentby,theseculturesandcustomswereintegratedandhasbeenassimilatedandadaptedbythenatives.Thisvarietyofculturesmingled,thus,generatingunity through the new norm of the community such as found during festive occasions. Proofof assimilation can be seen through themonuments, artefacts, food and historical places aroundMalaysia. By successfully overcoming the adversity of racism, Malaysia has become the benchmark for othernationstoachieveunitybyutilizingtheirdiversityofculture.OurpaperwilldealwithhowthisdiversifiedcustomsandculturesmakewhatMalaysiawhatsheistoday.Theobjectiveofthisresearchis to prove how these cultures have made their way into our lives making us Malaysian. We also try tofindhowthesedifferentbackgroundsshowthemselvesinourmodernMalaysiaviaourbuildings,artefacts, food and the remnants of buildings/monuments. We relied quite heavily on our peers and teacherstorespondtoourquestionnaire.WealsospentasignificantnumberofhourssurfingtheInternet for the details that we need. The outcome proves that the cultures have successfully merged andisconsideredthenativeculture,thus,indirectlygeneratingunity.

Decoding Malaysia

By: Aiman Azfar bin A. RahmanSekolah Menengah Sains Alam Shah,

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


Global unity ensues from an evolving awareness and ongoing support of universal values and issues amidappreciationofdiversity.Thesevaluesandissuesincludepeace,compassion,respect,justice,equality,socialresponsibility,humanrights,andenvironmentalpreservation.Objectives:

•TostudymoreaboutcultureofmultiracialsocietyinMalaysia;•Tobuildcross-culturalunderstandingandprovidevitalservicestocommunities;and•TocreateawarenessamongMalaysianstopractiseculturewhichwillfurtherenhanceglobalunity.

Our researchwas based on observation of the status quo of the surrounding.We also did someresearchonthisissueontheInternet.Theoutcomesofourresearcharewegettoappreciatemulti-culturalandmulti-racialharmonyinMalaysiaandinculcatethevalueofrespectingothers.Wecanunderstandpeopleallaroundusbetterandinstigategoodcommunication.Wearenowmoreawareoftheimportanceofpreservingourculture.Onedefinescultureasthe way of living developed and transmitted by a group of human beings, consciously or unconsciously, to subsequent generations. Tobeprecise,ideas,beliefs,values,attitudes,andtraditionsbecomeacceptedandstandardisedinaparticulargroupasanattempttomeetcontinuingneeds.Bypreservingacountry‟slocalcustoms,abetterunderstandingamongthecitizensofanationcanbeachieved.Whenpeaceisasurethinginourcountry, it is not impossible for the people of this whole world to achieve the best of global unity and livehappilyregardlessoftheirdifferencesinlife.Architecturealsoplaysanimportantroleinculturalpreservation.Oldbuildingsshouldbepreservedastheirarchitecturesymbolisesthehardshipsfacedby our ancestors to protect this country. Do not let our culture and history die with our ancestors, or we might not be able to live harmoniously as we are doing now.

Global Culture Generates World Unity : Culture Preservation

By: Syahirah Hanis Bte Abd GhafarSekolah Menengah Sains Seri Puteri,



Cultureexistseverywhereintheworld.Malaysiahasallittakestobeameltingpotofcultureswithher uniqueness. The cultures are many and rich in their own beauty. The people are able to maintain racial harmony and live peacefully. The diversity of global culture has cast a spell on the whole world, showinghowitcangenerateunitybetweencountriesaswellasstrengthentiesbetweentwoormoreraces.Therefore,culture isundeniably,apartofeveryone‟s life.Wecanneverbeseparatedfromculture as it would always be around us.

The theme Global Culture Generates World Unity demonstrates the dire need for everyone to understand the diverse cultures of theworld in order to achieve ultimate unity.Wewould thenunderstandandrespectothercultures,thuspreventingwarsandconflictsduetoculturaldifferences.Diversity of culture in this era might somehow be confused with other cultures since cultural assimilationhasbeenhappeningthroughouttheyears.Withoutunderstanding,onecanneverknowthe true meaning.

ThemethodsusedinthisstudyincludegatheringinformationfromtheInternetandobservingthelatestissuesonculturaldifferencesinaschool.Theinformationgatheredshowsthatmanyaspectsofculturesuchaslanguage,tradition,food,customsandritualsleadtoultimateunity.

This paper also shows that learning a new culture helps in fostering the unity.

“Wecouldlearnalotfromcrayons.Somearesharp,somearepretty,somearedull,somehaveweirdnamesanddifferentincolours.But,theyallfitnicelyintothesamebox.”

Cultural Diversity

By: Alya Farhanah Binti Mohd TarmizeeSekolah Menengah Sains Selangor,



Globalisationisneitherthepanaceawhichwillcuremankindofallproblemsandconflictsnoris ittheultimatecalamitythatwill strikedowntheculturesof theworld.Tobesure,globalisationhasenormouseffectsonculturalheritage.Globalisationhasbeen,perhaps,themostsignificantforceincreatingandproliferatingculturalidentity,andofunifyingtheworld.

Allthepeoplesoftheworldaredifferent;theyhavetheirownidentitiesderivedfromtheirindigenouscultural backgrounds and their personal value systems. It is also important to understand that people do have a great deal in common. Every person, at a fundamental level, needs more or less the same thingssuchasacceptance,respect,love,security,peaceandgenerally,agoodlife.Theirdifferencesarewhatmakethisworldavibrantandcreativeplacetolive.

To succeed in this increasingly borderless world, one needs to go beyond the familiar and embrace the unfamiliarandthediverse;onemusttolerateandacceptdifferentcustoms,behaviours,languages,attitudes and values. However, certain values such as humanity are still important tomaintain apeaceful world. In order to have such values, it is important for the youths to internalise them at ayoungage,preferablyathome,toenablethemtopractisetheminsociety.Youngpeople inthisregardhaveaspecial role toplay.Theyaremostatstake; it is theywhowill inherit theproblemscreated today and yesterday. Therefore, young people have the right, not just the responsibility, to be equipped with a good set of values. As a society then, the youths will learn to accept and be tolerant ofeachother‟sculturesandshouldbewillingtosharethemwiththeworld.

Arts and Culture Understanding Generates Global Unity

By: Mohammad Arif Husaini Bte AzamanSBPI Gombak,

Selangor, Malaysia


Forthousandsofyears,duringwhichhumancivilisationhasbeenevolving,theevolutionofhumanculture which encompasses the way they live has been a never ending process, but at the end of the century, mankind underwent tremendous economic progress and technological advancements, and inadvertently,theyignoredtheirculturalheritage.Asaresultoflettinggoofwhattheirforefathershadshapedforgenerations,theirwhole-heartedadoptionofawaylifewhichisincontrasttotheirparents‟,bringsaboutmanysocio-culturalissues,andthemostprevalentisthecorrosionofvalueswhich occurs in society when the moral and ethical aspects of a culture fails to impress its youth.

Besides that, another issue is the razing of heritage sites, regardless of whether they are UNESCO-gazettedorotherwise.Howareourchildrentofeeltheauraofthepastwhichwouldbeidlinginthehalls of these places?

Asidefromtheissueofthemissinglinkinourheritage,thetourismindustrywouldbeaffectedaswell,sincetheirabsencewouldleadtothereductioninthenumberoftourists.Asolutiontothisissuewouldbetomakeamendmentstothelegislationinwhichthereexistsomeloopholesthatenableirresponsible people to manipulate the bureaucracy.

Anotherissuewhicharisesasaresultofthedramaticchangeinthewayoflifeispeoplenotappreciating,andtoacertainextent,forgettingtheirculturalheritage,forexamplepeoplewearingtraditionalgarbsorplayingtraditionalgames.Itisnotwrongtochangeone‟swayoflifeandembraceglobalisation,butitiswrongwhensomeonedenieshisorherculturalroots.Asolutiontothisepidemicistoinstilinchildrenanappreciationfortheirculture.

Cultural Preservation

By: Mohd Nazmi Bin ZamaliSekolah Sultan Alam Shah,

Putrajaya, Malaysia


Global culture is broad andall encompassing andunique and complex in its definition that thereshould not be one single opinion on what it is. Global culture is something shared in common by the globalsocietyincludingideology,beliefsandcustoms.Thisbeingthecase,oneinparticularisveryclosetobeingnearlyperfectoveralldefinition.

Culturaldiversityisarangeofdifferentsocietiesorpeoplewithdifferentorigins,religionsandtraditionsalllivingandinteractingtogether.Theideologyofglobalculturegeneratesworldunityissomethingthattheyouthshouldbeawareofinreachingtheobjectiveofworldunity.Theyoungstershavetothink out of the box on strategies to understand world culture in order to create bonding for unity in thisworld.Certainactivitiessuchasexchangeprogrammesandintroductionofinternationalstudiesinschoolsforbettertoleranceamongnationaresomeofthemosteffectiveways inachievingtheideologyofgeneratingworldunity.Thegreatunityinourworldwillcontributetoagreatdevelopmentin every aspect, so it is proven that global culture is thus an important asset that is indispensable for povertyreductionandtheachievementofsustainabledevelopmentineverything.Inanutshell,weas the leaders of tomorrow should think beyond the boundaries of our minds and work for broader goals of enhancing the unity of the modern world.

Culture Vibes

By : Nurshahirah RozmanSekolah Seri Puteri,

Cyberjaya, Malaysia


Food is commonly known as things that people or animals eat, meanwhile, unity is known as the state of being in agreement and working hand-in-hand or being joined together to form one unit (OxfordAdvancedLearner‟sDictionary,2010).Thispaperaimstoapproachthesubjectofhowfoodcanstrengthenthetiesbetweencultures.

Localfoodrepresentsthelocalcultureanddespitetheethnicdifferencestherearecommonalities,culturallyspeaking.Food,thus,actasamediumtounitedifferentculturesthroughoutthecountryand provide global unity. Students of various races are interviewed and a simple instrument is used. Data is also obtained from research findings and writings, both in Malaysia and overseas. Localcuisine, primarily consisting ofMalay, Chinese and Indian food, has its hybrid derived from crossculturalinfluencessuchasMamak(IndianMuslim)andNyonya(theMalay-Chinesemix).Foodisoneway to make people happy. It can also unite people from all walks of life and cultures. Food brings love, peace and compassion to the table. Gotong royong isoneoftheeffectivewaysofenhancingracialintegration.Itbringstogetherallraceswhilecleaninghousingareasorcookingforfeasts.Thisshows the spirit of unity when they carry out the Gotong royong together. The food is cooked by many races in their own way. This will allow the guests to taste many kinds of food. In a nutshell, this paper concludes that food and unity will complement each other in many ways. The food that we eatleadstoadifferentaromaofunity.MalaysianscanuniteasonebigfamilythroughthesharingofMalaysianfood.Intheattempttoachievethisgoal,allMalaysiansmustbearresponsibilitytohelpachievegreaterintegrationandstrongernationalunity.

Food and Unity

By: Ahmad Solihin Bin IshakSekolah Menengah Sains Banting

Selangor, Malaysia


If we are to open our eyes wide enough to see through the windows of the world, we would realize that there is an uncountable number of cultures in the place where we are now. So, the point is, how we are supposed to use the abundance of culture is seen as an important component, an asset rather than a liability of development. However, the variety of culture itself will not contribute to the development unless it comes with understanding. As we could see, the government in our country itselfispin-pointingon1Malaysiabecauseitisthatwhichhelpsindevelopingthecountry.However,the world nowadays is facing greater challenges to achieve global unity. The world as we see it is marred and charred with riots, quarrels and the worst scenario that could happen is for example the riots in Egyptwherewars,battles,weapons,andkillingareinvolved.Suchincidentsaretheconsequencesofwhenthereislackofculturalunderstanding,andalsowhenpeoplearedismissingitunintentionallydue tobeing influencedby their emotions. That iswhy;we shouldhaveamechanism to implantcultural understanding in every individual. Fortunately, Islam in its fundamental and principles already havetherequiredformulatoworkwith.Withoutdoubt,ifweareabletofullyutilizewhatIslamhastooffer,theworldwillbeaplaceofpeace

Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity :An Islamic Perspective

By: Fitri Hanif Bin MansorSekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Labu,

Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia


Background:Culturehasmanydifferent inter-relatedmeanings.Oneof thecommondefinitions is„Thesetofsharedattitudes,values,goals,andpracticesthatcharacterisesaninstitution,organization,orgroup.‟Throughoutthecenturies,culturaldifferenceshadbeendividedbycontinents,i.e.Westernand Asian. We can further divide it into European, American, Middle Eastern and South East Asian andChinese.Globalisationandmoderntechnologyhavecausedsocio-culturalevolutionresultinginassimilationofculture.

Objective:Todeterminetheextentofsocio-culturalevolutionduetoglobalisationanditseffectsoncommunity and global unity.

Methodology: Analysing the various printed materials such as TIMES, ASIAWEEK, Economist, and other renowned magazines, materials acquired from the Internet from evidence-based sources, brainstorming sessions amongst youth aged 16-17 years old and a few expert panellists.

ResultsandSummary:Socio-culturalevolutionisunavoidableinthiscurrentmillennium.Assimilationofcultureisgoodtoacertainextent.However,totalassimilationcanresultinlosingone‟sidentityandstereotypingofcommunities.Theyouthsneedtobeunitedtocreateculturalawareness,andrespectfor each other. We need to uphold our integrity and equality, and preserve cultural diversity. Cultural diversityshouldbeourstrengthandweshouldacceptourdifferencesandworkhardertowardsthebettermentofhumankind.

Culture throughout History

By: Nadiah SyahirahKolej Tunku Kurshiah,



Inthiseraofrapidtechnologicaladvancement,thevisionofabetterworldisnotonewhichcomprisesinnumerable scientificbreakthroughsorepicdiscoveries. Instead, thevisionofabetterworld isaworldwherepeoplefromdiverseculturesareabletosettletheirdifferencesandcollaboratetosolvethe greatest problem our world is facing today – disunity. This paper will delve into how we can strive forworldunityandresolveourmostdivisiveconflicts.Thekey to this lies in thechangeofmind-set.Therearefourtypesofmind-sets–„MyWayIstheOnlyWay‟,„IKnowTheirWaybutMyWayIsBetter‟, “MyWayandTheirWay‟,and„OurWay”.What theworldneeds today ispeoplewith“OurWay‟mind-set.Oneofthewaystoachievethis isbycreatingculturalawarenessamongthepeople.Thisentailstheacquisitionofculturalknowledge,culturalawareness,culturalsensitivityandculturalcompetence.Thedigestion,integrationandtransformationofalltheseskillsandknowledgeareimperativeforculturalsynergytohappenandultimately,forunitytomaterialize.

Cultural Awareness and Respect – The Key to World Unity

By:Anas B Ab AzizSekolah Dato’ Abdul Razak,Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia


Theunitednationhas stated thatevery countryhasherownnatural anduniqueheritage. Today,due to urbanisation, a large number of ourworld heritages have beendestroyed in the nameofdevelopment.

Youthistheperiodoftransitionfrombeingachildtobecominganadult.Youthsaretheoneswhowillholdthereignofleadershipforthenextgeneration.Hence,theyhaveabigresponsibilitytocontinueadministratingtheworld.Inordertocreatetrueleaders,today‟syouthsshouldrealisethattheirrolein society is vital.

Heritageincludesthehistory,religions,culturesandtraditionsthatacountryhashadformanyyears.They hold a special bond among the people of the world. Each country always tries to show her identitythroughherheritage.Thus,itiscrucialtohighlightthedetrimentaleffectsifheritageisnotpreserved.

Tocreateabetterworld,theyouthsneedtoknowthattheworldtodaywillnotbeasitisifnotforthe leadersof todaywhohavepreservedand sustained theheritageof thenationas theygo fordevelopmentandmodernisation.

AsMalaysians,heritagehasadearplaceinourheartssinceweliveinamultiracialcountrywithracessuch as Malays, Chinese, and Indians to name just a few. Thus, showing how important the role of youthisinmaintainingtheirheritageisessentialforunityandpeacetobeconserved.

The Roles of Youth in Preserving the Heritage in Malaysia

By: Nazrin Hakim Bte NazaruddinSekolah Menengah Sains Tuanku Jaafar,



Malaysiahadgarneredtheworld‟sattentionforherabilityandcapabilitytomaintaintheunityofthe nation.Despite criticisms,Malaysia is still able to stand strong due to the cultural awarenessandrespectamongthepeopleofthedifferentraces.Basedonthisawareness,wewillshowyoutheimportanceofhavingculturalawarenessandrespectinordertoachievethemissionofgeneratingglobal unity.

Ourpresentationwill bepackedwith ideas to generate global unity.Webelieve that global unitywillonlybeachievedifeachcountryprioritisesthebuildingofunityamonghercitizens.Ourmainobjectiveistoshowthatglobalunityispossibleifwehaverespectandareawareoftheculturethatispractisedbyothers.Allandall,wetrulybelievethateveryoneplaysavitalroleinmakingthemissiona reality. Thus, we will emphasize the roles that we should play and those that we should discard.

Inconclusion,cultureispartandparceloflife.Toleratingandrespectingothercultureswouldbringuseternalpeaceandifwekeeppractisingthisgreatvalue,therewouldbenodoubtthatglobalunityis here to stay.

Cultural Awareness and Respect

By : Muhammad Naufal Mohmad ShahrirSekolah Menengah Sains Tuanku Munawwir,



Cultureistherepresentationofthesumofallourlife‟sexperiences–ourlanguage,beliefs,rituals,food,clothingandsoon.Cultureisourtouchstone,ourpointofreference,ouridentity.Preservingone‟sculturecanbelikenedtopreservingthefabricofone‟sexistenceintheworld.Theintensityofchangeandglobalizationinthetwentiethcenturyputthesites,artsandartefacts,languageandintellectualpropertyofmanyculturesindangerofdestruction.Thereisaworryingtendencyforyouthto forgo theirdistinctiveculture inplaceof technologicaladvancementandmassconsumerism. Iftheconservationethic isnot instilled in theyouthof today, cultureswilldiminishat thehandsofignorance, negligence and encroachment in the future. The importance of culture must be internalized inyouththroughactiveengagementinculturepreservationbyharnessingtheirpotentialinthefieldofeducation,throughtheirawarenessandinvolvement.Aninclusiveeducationwhichsensitizeyouthtotheculturalelementsintheircommunityisparamounttodevelopinghealthyculturalidentities.Youthswithstrongculturaltiesaremorelikelytorespectandinteractpeacefullywithothercultures.Raisingawarenessofthevalueofculturehelpstosafeguardoraltraditions,performingarts,socialpracticesandotherexpressionshandeddownthroughgenerations,allowingyouthstomakeinformeddecisions.Gettingyouthsinvolvedthroughparticipationinapprenticeships,volunteering,exchangeprogrammes, networking and intercultural dialogues can foster interest in culture and mobilize youths totakeupleadershiproles.Youth‟sinquisitivenessandcreativity,aswellastheirnaturalabilitytoforgelinksbeyondtheirowngroup,positionthemaspotentagentswhocansafeguardculture.

Engaging Youth in Culture Preservation

By:Muhammad Adib Bin KamarulzamanSBPI Jempol,



Prejudice,discrimination,ignorance–anormintoday’ssocietyandourutmostfear,anditisgoingfrom bad to worse. It is growing to a bigger scale, taking a massive toll on our most valuable treasure, ourculture.The rise inethnic tensionsandwars ragingbetweennationsare tarnishingourworldlike cancer cells that mercilessly ravage through our body and kill us in the most painful way to a slowdeath.This iswhywe,asyouthsof thecurrentgenerationand leaderof the future,havetomakeastandtogethertoembracethedifferencesintheworldinordertocreateabetterfutureformankind.Aftermuch research,wehave identified the root causeof thedisintegrationof culture.EversinceWorldWarII,peoplehavediscoveredthenecessitiestoachieveaworldbuiltentirelyonunderstanding and the importance of breaking mental barriers to go beyond. These barriers have preventedusfromrespondingtothecallforabettertomorrow.Inlinewiththis,wemustfirstre-evaluatethepotentialofyouththatplaysapivotalroleinmouldingabetterworldforwe,theyouths,arethevoicesofthefuturegenerationandareresponsibleforestasblishingabetterworld.

Breaking Barriers, Widening Horizons

By: Nik Aliaa Qistina Binti Nik ZulkipliSekolah Menengah Sains Rembau,



Food,asdefinedinthedictionary,isanysubstancethatprovidesthenutrientsnecessarytomaintainlifeandgrowthwheningested.Theculinaryhistorythroughouttimeisindigenoustoeachcivilizationandisoftenrecognisedashavingitsownidentity.Malaysia,asacosmopolitancountry,hasapotpourriofracesofherown,eachwithitsownuniqueculinaryhistoryandtraditions.

In Malaysia, the Malays created nasi lemak which is rice cooked in coconut milk over 200 years ago. Most Malaysian food consist rice served with meat and vegetables. On the other hand, the Chinese are famous for their noodles and moon cakes. They have their own unique style of cooking and serving food.Inaddition,theIndiansbroughtroti canai and chapati to our country.

Even though there are many and varied food to be found in each of these cultures, they are able to shareandeateachother‟sdishes.TheMalaysmighteatchapati while the Chinese would eat nasi lemak.However,astimepasses these foodsarecombinedby thecreativityof thecooks tomakesignature dishes which are truly Malaysian. Clearly, food can bring unity to people and it is surely possible on a global scale.

Culinary skills and ingredients have been transported and exported by our ancestors since the beginning of time. Foodhas brought happiness and also brought together people of different backgrounds.Duringfestivals,peopleofdifferentracesandreligionscometogethertopreparenumerousvariationsof food in harmony.

Nonetheless, there are many challenges in using food on a global scale. Each religion may have different taboos and opinions about food. However, the numerous combinations of flavours andtexturesofdifferentcuisinescanandhasbroughtamultitudeofpeopletogether.Thus,foodcanbea catalyst for world peace.

Food and Unity

By: Muhammad Fadil Firdaus bin AnuarSBPI Selandar,

Melaka, Malaysia


We live inamulticulturalworldwherewearedividedby landsandseas,nationalities, languages,religionsanddifferentculturalperspectives.Duetothis,aconflictofinterestsandmisunderstandingsusuallyariseswhentwopeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgroundsmeet.Wecannottakethismatterlightlyasitcancreateabarrierbetweentheglobalsocietyandabalancedadvancementforallnations.Through research and analysis of some case studies, we have found that the only way to solve this problemistofindsimilaritiesandconstructaculture,whichnotonlyoffersunderstanding,peaceandculturalharmony,butalsopreserveseachandeveryculture‟spersonalcharacterandindividuality.This is considered tobeaguideline to international interactionsandhopefullywilldevelop intoaglobal culture for every individualwho considershimself orherself apositive inhabitantof lovelyMother Earth.

Global Culture:The Act of Understanding Multiculturalism

By: Adlina Ab RahimSekolah Menengah Sains Muzaffar Syah,

Melaka, Malaysia


It is sad to see many children nowadays being brought up in an environment where hate and distrust surrounds them.

Racism originates not in the skin but in the human mind. Remedies to racial prejudice, xenophobia andintolerancemustaccordinglyaddressfirstandforemostthosementalillusionsthathaveforeonsgivenrisetofalseconceptsofsuperiorityandinferiorityamonghumanpopulations.

Webelievethat thisnightmarehasemergedbecausethemoderngenerationneitherunderstandsnoracceptseachother‟sculture.This isamajorproblemaswhenpeopledonothaveacommonground to stand on, all hell would break loose. It is reasonable to say that we can solve this problem by employing culture as a medium for global unity. Even our Prime Minister has stated that Malaysia’s cultural, racial and religious diversity is not a hindrance for the people to enjoy harmony without majordifferencesthatcouldcauseconflicts.

He also said that the diversity has instead become the country’s source of strength and pride, and this createdanidealconditionforthesocietytoliveinharmonyandsolidarity.

Ontheotherhand,wearewitnessinganewmodernwavethatisemergingandflourishing.Withthehelpofmoderntechnologyandcommunication,ittranscendsborderseasilyandevenreachesrichandpoorcountries,youngandold,eastorwest,northorsouthandmakesnodistinctionatallonitsway.

Culturalawarenessisbeingappreciativeandrecognisingthatpeoplearedifferentallovertheworld.Itmeansbeingtolerantandsensitiveinmanysituationsandcontrollingourattitudetowardsothers.

The Modern Nightmare

By: Alya Hazira Binti Mohamad KassimSekolah Tun Fatimah,

Johor, Malaysia


Inglobalisedera,increasingpopulationhasplaceddemandsonunity.Itisbelievedthatinternationalmarriage is an instrument for unity. Nearly 1 in 7 marriages in 2008 was interracial or inter-ethnic, according to a report released by the Pew Research Centre Friday. That is more than double the intermarriagerateofthe1980sandsixtimestheintermarriagerateofthe1960s.MostAmericanssaid that they approve of interracial marriage, with more than six in ten saying that they are okay if afamilymembermarriesoutsideofhisorhergroup.Thirty-fivepercentsaidtheyalreadyhaveafamilymemberwhoismarriedtosomeoneofadifferentraceorethnicity.Intermarriagepromotestheconversionofcultureandindirectlycatalysesunity.Theobjectiveofthispaperistoelaborateonanddemonstratehowintermarriageignitesglobalunity.Itwillalsostatesthebenefitsandprovidesinformationontherequirementsofinternationalmarriages.Multipleresearcheshavebeendonetoprovethattheunionbetweentworaceswillproduceoffspringwithbettergenes.Researchersfindthatmultiracialoffspringcanadjustbettersocially.Andwithhigh-profilesuccessofmultiracialprogenysuch as Maya Karin, Tun Hussein Onn, Halle Berry and President Obama, stereotypes about the split world of the tragic mulattohavelongfallenbythewayside.Moreover,thispaperisanefforttoturnsociety‟sattentiontowardstheroleofinternationalmarriagesinachievingthespiritoftogetherness.Inaddition,itisalsoaninitiativetohelpinstilastrongawarenessofthestateofunity,forinstance,nowthenumberofAmericanswhoidentifythemselvesasbelongingtomorethanoneracehasgoneup by 33 per cent since 2000. This is evidence that through intermarriage unity can be achieved.

Intermarriage as a Catalyst to Improve Global Unity

By: Yasmin Binti Mohd ZanSekolah Menengah Sains Muar,

Johor, Malaysia


Culture can be described in many ways in which human beings express themselves for the purposes ofunitingwithothers,formingagroup,defininganidentity,andevenfordistinguishingthemselvesas unique. Even with the diverse cultures all around the world, there are no major issues associated toculture.However,anewculturehascrept intothesociety,„TheHedonisticCulture‟.Puttinganemphasisonself-pleasure,thisculturehasthepotentialtounderminetheeffortstocreateanidealsociety.Therefore,thisresearchwascarriedouttogatherinformationonhedonismincludingactivitiesrelatedtoit,theeffectsofhedonismandthesolutionstothispredicament.Theresearchinstrumentwasa16-itemquestionnairethatwasdesignedtoidentifystudent‟sknowledgeandperceptionofhedonisticculture.Therespondentsconsistof50uppersecondarystudentsfromSekolahMenengahSains Johor. The research found that 95% of the respondents have relatively low knowledge ofhedonism.Theyareunawareoftheimpactofhedonismintheirlives.Finally,thefindingsrevealedthatawarenessofhedonisticcultureisinsufficientandclearlyshowsthatthereisanurgentneedtoovercome this problem.

A Study of Students’ Perceptions of Hedonistic Culture among Youths in SMS Johor

By: Muhd Aizat Bin NoorAzmanSekolah Menengah Sains Johor

Johor, Malaysia


Irrespectiveof the country thatwe live in, itwill always bebetter to stay in a placewhichhas adiversifiedculture.Culturaldiversityiswhenyouhavepeoplefromdifferentcountrieswhoofcoursehave different beliefs, speak different languages, male and female living and working togetherpeacefully.

Aculturecanbedifferentiatedthroughmanyways,dependingonwhatangleyoulookitfrom.Thewaywelive,thefoodweeat,thelanguagewespeak,thecostumeswewear,thefestivalswecelebrate,andthehabitswecanneverrunawayfrom,givestheothersapictureofwhatculturewepractise.When we live together in a place where there are a variety of cultures, it is certainly much more interesting,enhancingandexciting.

Whenwegettoknowotherscomingfromadifferentbackground,itwouldcertainlysparkaninteresttowards each other. Interests lead to understanding and by then only can you learn how to respect eachother.Thereforetheobjectiveofthisresearchistounderstandandreinforcethebeliefthatthemorediversifiedtheculturebetweentwogroups,theeasieritistogetattractedtoeachother.

Torequireinformationaboutglobalcultures,afewQ&Asessionsaredonewiththeteachersintheschoolwhohavestudiedoverseas.Readingthenewspapersormagazinesandsurfingtheinternetareanotheroptiontoobtainideasaboutothercultures.SimplesurveyshadbeendoneintownsnearbytoseehowcautiousthepeopleinMalaysiaaboutotherraces.

As the outcome, it should be understood that there can never be unity, locally or globally, without gettingtoknoweachotherfirst.Thisiseasilydonewhenweareattractedtoeachotherbecauseofthe diversity of the cultures around us.

Nurturing Global Unity through Cultural Diversity

By: Fairuz Najihah binti KamaruddinSekolah Menengah Sains Kota Tinggi,

Johor, Malaysia


Culturepreservationisverycrucialtoconservetheidentityofanation.Infact,cultureisoneofthemainaspects ingeneratingglobalunityas itcan functionasabridgebetweennations.Therefore,creatingawarenessandunderstandingofownaswellasothercultures isvital tocreatingmutualunderstandingacrosscultures.Peopleneedtounderstandandacceptthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweendifferentculturestomaintainandpreservetheidentityofeachnationtowardsthecreationofaglobalunity.Ingeneral,thisstudyisconductedtounderstandtheimportanceofculturepreservationinenhancingglobalunity.Besides,thisstudyalsoexposespeople‟sawarenessoftheirownculture,andtheirrespectandunderstandingofotherpeople‟scultures.Thereisasetofquestionnairewhichisdividedintofoursections:language,custom,artandfood,whichisusedtoobtainthenecessarydata. The respondents are Malaysian students aged 16 to 17 years old. The results show that most of the respondents are aware of their own culture as well as other cultures. Most of them agreed that cultureawarenessisakeytomaintainingonesidentitywherethetargetisthebuildingofastrongandunitednationinordertosustainworldpeaceandharmony.Thus,thestudyreaffirmsthatculturepreservationisveryimportanttomaintaintheidentityofanation.Inaddition,knowingandsharingknowledgeaboutother culturesgiveapositive impactwherepeople canunderstandand respectothersandautomaticallygeneratetogethernessamongnations.

Culture Preservation Generates Global Unity

By: Nur Naqiuddin Bin Mdd NordinSekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Iskandar,

Johor, Malaysia


Food is the other thing besides sports that unite people. We are proud of our food, which is part of our diverse culture. It is more than a commodity that we consume every day. It has a role of unitingpeopleinsteadofdifferentiatingpeople.InaculturallyrichcountrysuchasMalaysia,foodissomethingthatallofusenjoy,althoughindifferentways.Itreflectstheunique„faces‟andculturesoftheracesassociatedwiththefood.Globalisationalsomeansthattheworldhasbecomesmallerand information spreads at thepushof a button. Becauseof this, people around theworld havebecomemoreadventurouswith food.Hencepromoting localdelicacies to the internationalarenacanbemadefasterandsimpler.ThisisnotonlyprofitableforbusinessesbutalsoinstilsasenseofprideamongMalaysianswhenourowndelightfuldelicaciesgoglobal.InthispaperIwilltalkaboutthevarietyoffoodthatreflectsthediverseracesinMalaysiaandhowfoodcanplayaroleinunitingpeople from all walks of life. I will also recommend ways in which local delicacies can be promoted worldwideasawayofpromotingMalaysia‟sethnicanddiversecultures.

Great Food Great Nation: Celebrating Diversity

By: Muhammad Nurazwan RahimSM Sains Sembrong,

86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia


Inthiseraofglobalisationinteractionsamongpeoplefromeverynookandcrannyoftheworldhavegonewiderandfaster,whichhasledtotheemergenceoftheglobalculture.Despitetheidyllicnotionofglobalculture,universallydefinedasoneculturepracticedbyeveryoneacrosstheglobe,onemaywonderwhyracialmisunderstandings,conflicts,andevenhatecrimesstilloccurallovertheworld.

Thus,thispaperintendstodiscovertheconceptofglobalculturebyidentifyingtheneedsforaglobalculture, as well as the drawbacks of living it, in order to derive at one conclusion, i.e. whether it is a healthypracticeorotherwise.

Wegatheredempiricaldatathroughourobservationsofpeople‟sresponsesandopinionsonculturalissues via various online forum sites, video clips of academic talks and dialogues, as well as through studiesofscholarlywritingsandrelatedarticles.

Ourstudyrevealsthatglobalculturecouldbringbothharmandbenefitstothepeopleandthecultureitself. Global culture is needed to eliminate misunderstandings, fight extremism, prevent cultureshock, avoid conflicts orwars, and abolish ethnocentrism. However, global culture has also beenproventohavebroughtnegativity.Studieshaveidentifiedthatglobalculturehascausedcultureclash,lossofculturalidentity,culturalpatterninvasionandculturalimperialismthatleadstoethnocentrism,xenocentrism and parochialism.

Furtherstudyalsoprovesthatthecurrentdefinitionofglobalcultureismisleading.Itdoesn‟texistduetothevastdiversityofculturesfromtheworld‟svariousethnicities.However,weconcurtothefactthatglobalizationhascausedtraditionalculturestobereshapedoreveneliminated.

Theconclusionderivedfromthisstudyisthatdiversityshouldbeappreciatedandthedifferencesthatariseshouldbeaddressedwithrespectandunderstanding,sothatwe‟llsustaintheunityindiversity.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

By: Muhammad Irfan Syafiq bin Mohd AnuarSekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Hj Ahmad Shah,

Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia


Culturaldiversityhasbroughtaboutmulti-racialconflicts intotheworldeversincepeoplebecameliterate. Perhaps in the old days, it was not the culture itself that had become the issue, but the differencesthathadcomeintothespotlight.Beitthelanguageorthesocialstandardofanindividual,the differences have become a major concern when a group of people with different culturalbackgrounds live togetherunderone roof. Combining thedifferences andminimizing the gaparemissions that many countries have tried to achieve.

Negativeassumptionshavebeenmaderegardingtheculturaldiversityconcept.Consequently,manypeople have chosen to fight against the idea of creating a culturally diverse community in theirhomeland.

IthasbecomeourobjectivetofindcausesandconsequencesofculturaldiversityinMalaysia.Ourfindings,whicharebasedonourresearchthroughobservations, interviewsessionswithpeople inmixed-marriagesandreportsbyscholars,haveopenedthepathtoourrealizationofthewholenewlife concept.

Generally, our studies on cultural diversity show that the life concept could be a crisis and at the sametimeablessingtoMalaysia.Theformationofculturediversityfromvariousoccurrencessuchasforeigncolonizationandmigrationhasbroughtabouttheprosandconsofthislifeconcept.Thedifferencesbetweentheculturesbringissueslikeethnocentrismandidentitycrisisamongourpeople.

Despite all these setbacks, there is the bright side of culture diversity which has resulted in the uniqueness of Malaysia. The blending of cultures in Malaysia has, therefore, become its best feature.

Cultural Diversity:The Gateway to Malaysia’s Harmony and Prosperity

By: Mohammad Asyraff Zulkif B Mohd YusofSekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Abdullah,

Pahang, Malaysia


Global culture generates world unity. And how is this related to youth? Generally, looking at the themefromabird‟seyeview,themain idea istheapplicationofauniformcultureglobally, inanefforttounitetheworld.WewouldlovetoofferandaffirmthatMuslimcultureisoneofthebestcultures that will guarantee world unity, but if and only if, each of us really understand the culture. However,itdoesn‟tmeanthatifIamaChristian,IneedtoconverttoIslam.ItmerelymeansthatIjust need to follow the Muslim culture. Why must we refer to Muslim culture? It is because the way they treat people, the way they eat, the way they talk, the way they walk and even the way they sleep hadproventhatitwillleadtoglory.Therewasatime,whenthree-quartersoftheworldwaspartofthe Islamic empire. Besides that, Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. was once declared the best leader of the world. He lead through example. Thus, with his role-model style of leadership, Islam turned to hero from zero. The opening of The City of Lights or Madinah Al-Munawwarah, was the peak of his leadership that really proofs to us that if you live like a true Muslim, and you shall win. When you have faith, the door to success opens even wider. These are some of the proof that Muslim culture is the most suitable and reasonable to be applied in daily life. As youths, we will act as the catalyst for generatingworldunitythroughaglobalculture.How?Letustellyouwhenwemeet.

The Role of Youth in Generating World Unity

By: Ariff Sufi Bin Muhamad YusufSekolah Sains Sultan Hj Ahmad Shah

Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia


Cultureawarenessandrespectarecrucialcomponentsingeneratingworldunity,yetveryfewreallyunderstand and are enlightened by it. That is why we would like to share the opinions of many on the importance of culture awareness and respect and how they relate world unity, directly or indirectly, to our lives. We would also look into some of the many ways to inculcate culture awareness and respect in our society.

In our research, what we have found is that there are amongst us who think of culture awareness assomethingunimportantastheyfinditdifficulttoseehowunderstandingandhavingrespectforother cultures can relate to the comfort of their own lives. However, some do believe and hold on to the vitality of culture awareness and respect to the harmony of their lives. We dwell on how the world would be if culture awareness and respect is truly embraced globally. Other than achieving the obviousworldunity,wecouldalsoattainworldpeacebyavoidingmisunderstandingsamongdifferentcultures.Wecouldlearnnewthingsanddiscoverdifferenttechniquesandwaystolivelifeotherthanthose available in our culture. If we do not embrace global culture awareness and respect, what would probablyhappenisthatthedisharmoniousenvironmentwearelivinginwouldcontinueandglobaldevelopment would be harshly disrupted and might even be stunted.

Here, we look for ways to inculcate culture awareness and respect among the global community. Most people believe that culture awareness and respect are something very abstract but they can mostsuccessfullybeinculcatedthroughashiftinparadigmofthepeopleatlarge.Anotherlikelywayofinculcatingcultureawarenessandrespectisbylearningaboutandunderstandingotherculturesvia tourism.

Global Culture Awareness and Respect in Generating World Unity

By: Saiyidatul Shafiqah ZulkifliSBPI Kuantan,

Pahang, Malaysia


Forcenturies,mankindhastriedtoovercomemisunderstandingsonthebattlefield.Thisisduetolackofknowledgeaboutothercultures.Today,therearefewerbattles,buttherehavebeenanincreaseinconflictsduetoculturalorethnicdifferences.Therefore,globalcultureshouldbeenthemainkeytogenerateworldunity.AccordingtotheOxfordDictionary,thewordglobalisdefinedasconsidering, including or something affecting the world, while cultureisdefinedascustoms, ideas or beliefs of a particular society or country. To sum it up, we can say that the term Global Culture is the customs, ideasorbeliefsofaparticularsocietyorcountrythataffectstheworld.

Peoplesee,interpretandevaluatethingsindifferentways.Whatisconsideredappropriatebehaviourin one culture is frequently inappropriate in another? That is why cultural awareness is very important in generating world unity. These days, many programmes are conducted to promote culturalawareness suchas theBritishCouncilConnectingClassroom (BCCC)programmeand theStudentsExchangeProgramme.Theseprogrammeshelpus toexplore,appreciateandunderstanddifferentculturesbetter.

Furthermore,CulturalGlobalisationwasahotissuenotlongagobutmanydonotknowwhatitactuallyis.CulturalGlobalisationreferstootherelementswhichconditionanddistinguishhumansfromothermammals,andgivesthemasenseof identitywhich involvesthemovementof ideas, information,imagesandpeople.Itcanbereflectedinmanywayssuchasthroughsports,socialnetworking,music,etc.Inthisway,wecanproducemorebrilliantideasorsolutionsonhowtoovercomeproblemsandmisunderstandings without arguments or warfare.

Afterlookingdeeplyintothematter,wecanseethatthesethingshelptogenerateglobalcitizenship.Globalcitizenshipcansimplybedefinedastheawarenessofthewholeworldtocreateglobalcitizensthat stand at the same level. In this context, it can be seen that people realize the importance of having theworldstandingasonewhentheystarttocommunicateandminglewithotherglobalcitizens.Ifthiscanbeenhanced,wecancreateworldcitizenswhosharethefeelingsofloveandrespecttowardseachotherandthis inturnwillcreateabetterandpeacefulworld.Thus,allconflictswillendandcommunal fairness will be created. Hence, our mission to generate world unity will be accomplished.

Culture Generates World Unity

By: Ammar Faez Bin Mohd AffandiSBPI Tun Abdul Razak,

Pahang, Malaysia


Dato’SeriNajibTunRazakoncesaidinhisspeechthathisinvention,“Gagasan1Malaysia”wasinspiredby a German theologian-philosopher, Prof. Hans Kung, who has rightly observed when he said, “There canbenopeaceintheworldifthereisnoharmonyamongthereligionsandculturesforthatmatter;andtherecanbenoharmonybetweenreligionsifthereisnodialogueamongstthem”.Thisinventionofhishasonlyoneparticularvision,andthatwouldbeUNITY.

In Malaysia, we have diverse-races community from different religions, languages, cultures andsocioeconomics.Asweallknow,themainethnicgroupsinthiscountryofoursarethenativeMalaysaswellas largepopulationofChineseand Indians.And lastbutnot least,althoughwehavesuchmix-racesinourcountry,itisobviousthattheethnicitiesretaintheirreligions,customsandwaysoflife.Thatiswhyfestivalsofeachethnicandreligionisapublicholidays.Otherthanthat,childreninourcountryareeducatedinthesameschoolandtheywilleventuallyworkinthesameofficesandspeaktoeachotherinthesamelanguageandthatwouldbeMalaylanguage,ourNationallanguage.Notjustthat,someofthecitizensmarryoutsidetheirownethnicity,forexample,wehaveMalay-Chinese,Malay-IndianaswellasChinese-Indian.Thishappensjustbecauseofoneparticularreason,Malaysians are united and the most important is that WE ARE ONE. Although every race has their owntraditionsandlifestyles,wetendtosocializewitheachotherreallywell.Lastly,bornindifferentethnicity does not mean we cannot tolerate and communicate with other races, but we are most encouragedtorespectother‟sreligions.

Cultural Diversity

By: Mohd Salman Bin SazliSBPI Temerloh,

Pahang, Malaysia


In Malaysia, there are many people of mixed parentage such as Eurasians, Chinese, Malays as well as Pan-Asians. This happens because love developed across cultures. Marriage between people of differentcountriesbuildsanunderstandingbetweencultures.Thisprovestousthatculturaldiversityhas truly spread across the globe.

One of the places where cultural diversity can be clearly seen is at the local food court. Foods from almosteverycountryareavailableatfoodcourtsallaroundtheworld.Asweknow,acountry‟sfoodreflects its identity.When the food froma country is brought into another country, its identity isbrought along with it.

Peoplefromallovertheworldcanbeidentifiedthroughtheirartsandculture.InMalaysia,theliondance is one of the most famous cultural dances performed by the Chinese, especially during the Chinese New Year. This is an example of what brings the tourists here to experience the various cultures in our country. This means that we are sharing our culture with others through our arts.

Culturaldiversitycanalsobeclearlyseeninthehistoryofacountry.Inoldentimes,duringtheBritishoccupation, labourersfromChinaandIndiawerebrought intoourcountry.Theymarriedour localcitizensandtheircultureshadbeenassimilatedintoourculture.Theirculturesliveintoday‟speople.Hence, unity is formed when people share their cultures with others.

Cultural Diversity

By: Nur Raiyan Amalina Bte MarzukiSekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Mahmud,

Terengganu, Malaysia


We have defined evolution as any progress of growth or progression, and culture as the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguish one group of people from another.

People‟sperspectiveoftheworldchangesovertime.Inlessthanfiftyyears,wecouldbelivinginawholenewworld,surroundedbyaformofculturethatiscompletelydifferentfromourstoday.Peopleofonegenerationfinditdifficulttorelatetothosefromothergenerations.Thatisthepriceoflivingin a dynamic world. Technological advancements occur at a frightening pace, with new discoveries beingmadealmosteveryday.Thisisn‟tabadthing–onecouldn‟tpossiblycallitabadthing,whenithasbenefitedussogreatlyovertheyears.Casesinpointaretractorsreplacingtraditionalfarmingmethods andmotorized vehicles replacing walking. To look down uponmodernization would behypocritical in theextreme,andultimatelyunbeneficial.Thosewhocontinue to try toputcultureandmodernization inopposingcampsareultimatelyfightinga losingbattle, for theyareoneandthe same. And thus it is that we put forth that it is not so much that culture is being threatened or eradicatedbymodernization,insteaditismerelyevolvingintoanewform.However,wehavetoadapttothesechangesonewayoranother,orsimplybeleftbehind.Onecannothaltchangebymerelywishing not to be a part of it. In fact, one cannot halt change at all. And so SESTER will not be talking abouthowmodernizationhasaffectedcultureorviceversa,forthattopicisobvioustothenakedeye.Instead we will touch on how culture itself has evolved over the years, something most youths would not usually see.

Evolution of Culture

By: Nuralisa binti ZamriSekolah Menengah Sains Kuala Terengganu



As the saying goes, ‘together we stand, divided we fall’. However, today’s youths are not the same asyesterday.Theyhavetheirownperspectivesaboutunitythathasdevelopedthroughtheirculturebutwe still believe that they are alike. So,we consider teenagers aremostly alike inmanywaysbecauseweareattractedtohowtheteenagers’ interestscouldbringaboutunity.WealsolikethewayteenagersnowadaysexpresstheirdesireforexamplethroughsocialisinginFacebook,Twitterandthelike.Theaimsofthisresearcharetoidentifyandanalysetheaspectswhichhaveenabledglobalculture to develop unity and understanding among teenagers especially in education, technologyandentertainment.Uponcompletingtheresearch,weinterviewed5teenagersfromdifferentsocialbackgrounds.Theinterviewwasconductedtoidentifytheteenagers’thoughtsespeciallyabouttheirlifestyle.Wealsoconductedasurveyusingaquestionnaireon20teenagerstovalidatetheanswersonthescreeninginterview.Thequestionnairefocusedonthreeaspectswhichareeducation,technologyandentertainment,andhow they influenced the lifestyleof teenagersnowadays.Thefinalphaseinvolved Internet research where we used several assessments to confirm the main objectives.ThroughtheInternet,wecouldfindalotofinformationthatwasrelatedtoourtopicthatgeneratedourideaintheresearch.Throughthisresearch,wefinallymanagedtohighlighttheimportanceofglobalunityamongteenagersaseducation,technologyandentertainmentinfluencedtheirlifestyle.Based on the overall research,we found that teenagers, despite inhabiting different parts of theworld,arealikeintheaspectsofeducation,technologyandentertainmentandcouldstillbeunited.

Teenagers All around the World Are Alike

By: Fawwaz Daniel Bin Mohammad SabriSekolah Menengah Sains Dungun,



Global unity could be generated by cultural understanding. Of course, culture is revealed to be a major role within global unity. Creating cultural understanding is immensely difficult since one‟sculture has a differing point of view from another. Still, what isworse is the gap between thesetwodifferentculturesandtheirdifferenceswouldnotmakethembetter.Yes, theremaybesomesimilaritiesbuttheyjustcannotignoretheobviousdifferences.Abridgebetweentheseculturesisindeedneeded.Thisiswheretheyouths‟roleisperfect,aperfectinformationcentrebetweenthecanyonsofdifferences.Youthtrulydoesassisttominimizethegaps.Youthandcultureareabsolutelylikecoffeeandsweetener,differenttypesofcoffeeandsweetener;intheend,it‟sallaboutsatisfyingneeds. Youth must be the epitome of a cultured man in order to generate global unity. By improving culturalunderstanding,youthcanrealizeglobalunity;whenwehavetherightformula,everythingispossible.Culturalunderstandingistheessentialingredientthatwillleadtoglobalunity,arealitytobediscoveredbyenthusiasticyouths.Culturehastobelivedeverysinglemomentofeverysingleday.Culture will vanish if youths do not see the importance of its existence. That is why youth awareness is vitalinthepreservationofcultureaswellasourfooddiversity,languagevariationsandcustomsofthesociety. We cannot hold back the forces of change. cannot deny the role of youth to promote global unity via cultural understanding. Thus, our world today requires cultural understanding to generate global unity. Remember! United we stand, divided we fall.

Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity:The Role of Youth and Culture

By: Muhammad Luqman bin Che NikSBPI Batu Rakit,



The word „Culture‟, derived from the Latin word „colere‟ is defined as the shared patterns ofhuman behaviours and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understandings that arelearnedthroughtheprocessofsocialization. In thepast,culturewascommonlyassociatedwithacertainsocietyorcommunityandusuallyshapedbytheancientheritageofvaluesandtraditions.Nonetheless,todayintheeraofglobalization,wehavecreatedaculturethatgoesbeyondboundarieswhich is known as the Global Culture through the medium of social networking. Global culture is a set of core values that is shared worldwide. Aspiring to save the earth, we are proposing for a global culturethatmovestowardsachievingonedream,onehopeandoneaspirationthatis;worldunitytowards preserving nature.

We as humans all over the world are actually living on the same Earth and breathing the same air, signifyingthatweareinfactunitedbynature,yetweareseparatedbydifferentideologies,politicalviews of the ruling class, and economic barriers in dealing with nature. All these have caused disastrous impact uponMotherNature andwedonotwant this to continue. “The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge because in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future.”(MannesM.,AmericanWriter,1990)Thisiswhereweneedtheglobalculture,withtheyouthasthe„targetcommunity‟.Itistimenowfortheyouthtostanduptogether,tobeunitedintheirglobalculturetosaveMotherEarthandthuscreateabetterplaceforus.

ThisproposalwillgobeyondtheextramileinpromotingsocialnetworkingasanalternativewayinunitingyouthstowardspreservingMotherNature.

Nature Stands Still in the Unity of the Youth

By: Farhanazuha Bt Mohd, DzulrazmanSekolah Menengah Sains Hulu Terenganu,



This paper examines how language helps to build cultural understanding among people worldwide and in the process enhance global unity. Language is more than culture and culture is more than language.Thispaperdiscussestherelationshipbetweencultureandlanguageandhowbothbringthepeopletogether.Languageconnectspeoplethroughoutthecontinent,whileculturecreatesthemutualunderstandingwithoutboundaries.Oftenlanguageusedislimitedtothelocals,butnowitcanbeusedworldwideasinternationallanguageespeciallywhenpeopledealwithbusiness.Cultureissignificanttoonegroupofpeopleasthetrademarkoftheiridentityandnowithasbecomesomethingthatcouldbelearntbyforeignersaswell.Moreoftenthannot,onewillfindthatlanguageisinfluencedbyculture.Othersmayfindthatlanguageinfluencestheculture.Whicheverhappens,bothelementscannotbeseparatedastheyinfluenceeachotherandshapethepeople,thehistoryandthecitytheylive in. Also, long ago, language and culture could only be understood by their own people. Thus, in order toget toknowthepeopleand their lifestyle,oneneeds topracticeand learn the languagewhich apparently is their culture as well. By doing this, it gradually make two people from other parts of the world unite in a unique way.

Cultural Understanding Generates Global unity

By: Syed Muhammad HafizuddinSekolah Menengah Sains Setiu



According to the Oxford English Dictionary, cultural is connected with art, literature and music.Literature includes poems, plays and tales. People started to recognize one’s masterpiece as literature since thousands of years ago and later, every country had her own masterpieces of literature that werewrittenbyherpeople.Everymasterpiececarries itsownthemes,messagesandvaluestobedeliveredtothepeople.Therefore,Ihavemadeahypothesisthattheassimilationofvaluesobtainedfrom literature into daily life can be used as a medium to unite the world.

In order to prove this hypothesis, I have conducted a survey among 50 students of Sekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra to get the data on this topic. The result of the survey is as follows: 28%ofthestudentsagreethatliteratureremainsatopicthatcanattracttheinterestofpeople.28%of the students agree that by learning literature people can learn good values such as tolerance, respect, loveand thevalueofacceptingeachotherand thenapply them in their life.29%of thestudents agree that the Internet is the best way to share literature masterpieces with the rest of the world.15%ofthestudentsagreethatthevalueslearnedthroughliteraturecanbeusedtounitetheworld. As the conclusion, literature brings many good values that teach people to appreciate each other;nottodiscriminateagainstoneanother.Ibelievethatliteraturehasabrightpotentialtobemade into a medium to unite the people in the world.

Literature Unites the World

By: Aminatul Aisyah Binti Mat AminSekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra,

Kelantan, Malaysia


Youthisthetimeoflifebetweenchildhoodandadulthood(maturity).Definitionsofthespecificagerangethatconstitutesyouthvary.Cultureisatermthathasmanydifferentinter-relatedmeanings.However,theword‘culture’ismostcommonlyusedasanintegratedpatternofhumanknowledge,belief and behaviour that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning. The worldiscurrentlyfacingadilemmarelatingtohowtheYgeneration(we)cansustaincultureintherapidincreaseoftoday‟sworldtechnology.Inordertofindtheappropriatesolutions,wehavemadeafewdiscoveriesthatwillbepresentedinourbrief15minutespresentation.Theobjectiveofourpresentationistoexposetheideasofimprovingtheyouthinthecontextofculture.Next,wewanttomakeafewsuggestionsontherolesoftheyouthtopreserveculture.Then,possiblyweintendtoshareourideasamongthestudentsasthesayinggoes„sharingiscaring‟.Someofthequestionsare:Whatcultureshouldbemaintained?Whataretheeffortsattheschoollevelthatcanbecarriedout?Finally, what are the consequences of failure to eternize culture? Hopefully, all the main ideas that willbediscussedcanestablishayounggenerationwhoisveryconcernedaboutculture.Asaresult,theefforttomaintainculturewillbeeasierandmoreeffective.Indeed,youthisthegoldenassetinimproving,preservingandelevatingourculture.

Youth and Culture

By: Nurul Syarafini bt SuhaimiSekolah Menengah Sains Machang

Kelantan, Malaysia


The world is changing; it has become globalised. It has become more and more multicultural.What itmeans is that thedirectionof the future isofmulti-ethnicandmultilingual communities.Thedevelopmentofdigitaltechnologiesandinternethaseliminatedinternationalboundaries.Themovementofpeopleandbusinessesareeasier,morefrequentandmoreinternationalised.Movementof foreign workers is not only of the unskilled but also involves those of professional and highly skilled. Countrieswill soonfind themselvescompletely intertwined inbusiness,environmentalandglobalissues.Thisistherealityanditisimminent;wearemovingtowardsaglobalworldwithaglobalculture.I am convinced that we the youths recognise what this is leading to but what are we doing to prepare ourselvesforthisworld?Itisessentialthatwestartlearningaboutotherculturesanddevelopingtheskillstoworkinamulti-culturalenvironmentorriskgettingleftbehind.Thispaperremindstheyouths,as the future leaders of this world to be culturally aware of the dangers of stereotypes and prejudices andattemptstoreduceethnocentrism.Itencouragesyouthstolearnmoreaboutotherethnicsandculturesofdifferentpeoples.Interactingmorewithothersfromdifferentcommunitiesandcountrieswillhelpyouthstobecomeawareofthesimilaritiesanddifferences.Asthemediumandavenueareplentiful, youths can choose an enjoyable channel to feed their curiosities and interests and self-pacetheirdevelopmentasglobalcitizens.Youthsshouldstrivetobegloballyawareandtoopenandexpandtheirminds.ThegenerationYpopulationneedtoadaptnotjustforthesakeofhumanitybutalso for the self-serving reason of their future career in this new millennium.

Youth and Culture

By: Natasha AmaninaSekolah Menengah Sains Pasir Puteh,

Kelantan, Malaysia


Throughout this era of globalisation, cultures and traditions play tremendous important roles inkeeping our identity and originality. Cultural identity is essential for the peaceful cooperation ofcivilizations. Ifpeoplehavea strong senseof self-identity throughculture, theyaremore likely tointeract peacefully with other cultures, with respect for the diversity of value systems and religious beliefs as well as the tangible aspects of culture.

Behindeverythingisastory.Andbehindusall,traditionsarewhatweembodyandsomethingweoughttosustaininordertoachieveunityandavoiddeployanceofdissatisfactionbetweenthepeople.Malaysiaiswidelyknownasacountrythathasamulti-racialcommunity.Livinginacountrywhichissignificantinsharingculturesandcolour,thepeoplepracticesharingandtoleranceintheirdailylives.OncecolonizedbyBritishithasbroughtatremendousincreaseinimmigrantsfromallovertheworld,resultinginhavingmulticulturalcitizensindifferentpartsofthecountry.Luckily,thischangehasnevercommenced anything obnoxious.

Protecting and preserving culture includes aspects of human rights, tolerance, development andprotecting cultural sites and artifacts, as well as intellectual property rights for culturally specificlanguageandart.TheUnitedNationsEducationScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO)istheprimary body of the UN to protect and preserve culture. In schools, history and social studies have beenmadecompulsory.Itishighlyrecommendedforteacherstoimplantthesenseofappreciationofthe culture inside each and every student. As they reach maturity, these lessons will eventually make sense.Anothersimpleyeteffectivewayistopracticeitindailylife.Weddingceremony,celebrationofspecificethnicscouldopentheeyesofpeopleandseeitasanopportunitytoattracttouristsintheexquisite cultures we have. This may look like something unimportant but if we take it for granted, we are prone to repeat the mistake our ancestors made, blaming each other. when they know they are breathing the same air and walking the same ground. A historian, Antoine De Saint once said “you havetoendurecaterpillarsifyouwanttoseebutterflies”.

Cultural Preservation

By: Mohd.Hans Afifi Bin HassanSekolah Menengah Sains Sabah,

Sabah, Malaysia


Youthsor teenagershavealwaysbeen labelledas rebellious.This is the transitionalperiodduringwhichyouthsareoftenmisunderstoodandmistreatedbymany.However,whetherwelikeitornot,itcannotbedeniedthattheycancertainlyplayaveryimportantroleinpromotingandsustainingtheexistence of any culture. They are the leaders of the future who, if given the chance and space, will contributeimmenselytoanyorganisationandevenacountry.Anyculturewillalsobesustainableforyears to come if the youths or teenagers are given greater roles to promote them.

Youth vs. Culture:Significant Roles of Youth in Sustaining Culture

By: Izz Zaimul Akmal Faiq Bin AwakSekolah Menengah Sains Lahad Datu,

Sabah, Malaysia


Cultures,traditions,unity?Doweevennoticeit?Yes,itisoneoftheterriblyvastproblemthathaseverexistedinthis largeblueplanetasthis„disease‟ofculturalunawarenessspreadsthroughoutthemodernsociety.Nowimaginethisinstead,theculturesthatwasoncemadeandpractisedbyourancestors which comprise morality, beliefs, and values in life are being desolated. This causes the lackingofdeportmentintoday‟ssocietythatwillleadtoanunpeacefulearth.

Nottoworry,believeitornot,myarmyoffourhavefoundtheanti-venomwhichisactuallyjustlikesmalleffectivepillsintheworld.Youmightbesurprisedasthissmallgroupisactuallyaregreatleadersof the future. Even now, this group is giving a lot of impacts to the world, bringing smiles to every habitant of the planet. The name of that powerful compound is YOUTH, which is us. We are the ones thatwhoarestillbeingunderestimatedofdoinggreatwonderstotheworld.Evenso,ithasbeenproven that although we are just small pieces in the society, producing wondrous miracles is likely our job.Aswegoaheadtakingournexttaskwhichispromotingculturalawarenessandbringingunitytothe world, it is just as easy as ABC. This is where our journey begins...

Youth as the Antidote of Culture Unawareness

By: Sam Rantucci JaifaniSekolah Menengah Sains Labuan,

Sabah, Malaysia


AlthoughSarawakisthemostmultiracialstateinMalaysia,mostoftheyoungergenerationareunabletospeakintheirnativetongue.Ifthiskeepsup,futuregenerationswillnotrealizethattheyhavelosta precious treasure.

Beforewestartpointingfingers,wemustidentifytherootofthisproblem.Youthsarelessexposedto their culture as their elders neither talk to them about it nor use their mother tongue with them. Anotherreasonismodernisation.Somepeoplethinkthattraditionalcultureisuninteresting,theydonotfeelthebeautyofit,andeventuallyitisforgotten.Thepaceoflivingisgettingfasterandpeopledonotwanttodothingstheyconsiderunbeneficial.Besides,youngstersthesedaysareinfluencedbyentertainmentssuchasHollywoodandK-pop.Insteadofpromotingtheirownculture,theyidoliseotherpeople‟sculture.

How to save our culture from dying? Firstly, parents should expose their children to their culture by taking them back to the village during holidays, speaking in the mother tongue at home and showing themtheirtraditionalcostumes.Themassmediaalsoplayacrucialrole.Moviesandmusicarecloseto theyouths‟hearts.So,wehave touse thesemedia towin theyoungsters‟hearts. Inorder toachievethisdream,theartisteshavetothinkoutofthebox.Next,thegovernmentshouldintroducesubjects such as Kenyah, Bidayuh and Melanau Languages and Cultural Understanding as subjects in schools.Bydoingthis,wewillfeelmoreappreciated.Thegovernmentalsoneedstothinkcriticallyonhow to modernise without losing our culture.

In a nutshell, Rome was not built in one day.Consistentactionsshouldbetaken.Inordertobegreatleaders,wemustfirstknowourownhistory.

A Dying Culture

By: Michelle Melly HenrySekolah Menengah Sains Kuching,

Sarawak, Malaysia


Nowadays, most people around the world are too focused on modernizing their lives. In the process, theygraduallyforgettheirculture.Oneisdifferentfromanotherbecauseoftheirdifferentculturalpracticeswithin their races and nationalities. Youngsters are able to understand and learn aboutcultureeasilyastheyareeagertolearn.Hence,studentsarethetargetgrouptocontinuethepracticeof culture in their daily lives.

Our research objective is to understand and knowmore about the culture of a particular race inthe world. Besides, it is to enable the students to acknowledge their responsibility to learn and practisetheirowncultures.Moreover,theresearchisdonetofindwaysforculturetobeengagedbystudents.Itistoestablishabetterunderstandingandappreciationfortheirownculturebyknowingthesimilaritiesanddifferencesofdifferentcultures.

Oneofthewaystoattractstudents‟interestincultureisthroughtheculturalclub.Culturalheritagecompetitions should be organised for students as it is an opportunity and also an eye-openingexperience.Bybringinginexperts,theycancomeupnewideasforpractisingcultureinafunway.By doing research on this topic, we can increase public awareness among students about their roles inmaintaining theexistenceofculture.Studentswillhavemoremotivation inschooldueto theirinvolvementinculturalactivities.Throughculturalsharingwecanbridgethegapsbetweenpeople.Everyonemustdevotehistimeandenergytoensurethatcultureremainsintheheartsofeveryone.Thereismoretoaculturethanmeetstheeye.Weshouldalwaysrememberourcultureasitreflectsour origin.

Students Engagement in Cultural Activities or Issues

By: Mohamad Hazrul Bin SulaimanSekolah Menengah Sains Miri,

Sarawak, Malaysia


Character building is an integral part of learning for every student at Crescent Girls School and service learningoffersthemtheopportunitytodiscoverthemselvesbeyondtheircomfortzone.Bybringingthemselves closer to the community, all Secondary Two students in the school were able to serve the lessfortunateinvariouscountrieslikeMalaysia(Sarawak),Vietnam,IndiaandChina.

Thepurposeofthispaperistofocusontheeffectivenessofservicelearningconductedinthevariouscountriesandhowthe localcommunityhadbenefitedfromthis.Atthesametime,thepaperwillalso explore how service learning can build character when students at Crescent were given the opportunitytoactivelyparticipateintheirownlearningandreflectonthevariouschallengesfacedduring these overseas trips.

Rising above Challenges: Making a Difference throughService Learning

By: Arya Sreekumar and Ngo Rui Xuan SheenaCresent Girl’s School,

Singapore


Singaporeisacosmopolitansocietywherepeopleliveharmoniouslyandinteractionamongdifferentraces is commonly seen. One of the unique features about Singapore is the inherent cultural diversity of the island. The immigrants of the past have given the place a mixture of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Europeaninfluences,allofwhichhaveintermingled.Withtheadventofglobalisationandincreasingtechnological advancements, not only does one have to know how to interact with his or her own countryman,butalsowithpeoplefromaroundtheworld.Therefore,theneedtopossessmulti-culturalliteracy isall themoreurgent.Thispaperaimstosharethe initiativestakenbyMillennia Institute(MI)toequipourstudentswithsuchaglobalperspective.ThefocuswillbeonMI.World,astudentexchangeprogrammethataimsatmakingconnectionsandprovideauthenticlearningopportunitiesforstudentsbeyondgeographicalboundaries.TheeducationalexperiencesofferedinthisProgrammein the context of real-world issues have widened their horizons and enriched their lives which will standthemingoodstead.TheotherinitiativewillbeMI‟scontinuinginvolvementintheAsia-EuropeClassroomNetwork(AEC-NET)whichaimstofostercollaborationsamongsecondaryandhighschoolteachersandstudents inAsiaandEuropewith theviewtopromotingcollaborative,cross-culturallearning andexchangesbetween countries. Thebenefitsof these involvements are clearly felt bystudents who have been involved in these programmes and a major outcome has been that such interactionswiththeirpeersandcontemporariesfromothercountrieshaveallowedourstudentstowiden their cultural horizon and led to their having greater cultural awareness and respect.

Equipping Millennians with a Global Perspective

By : Ng Gek Lian Elean , Samuel LeeMillinea Institute,

Singapore


Thispaperaimstohighlightseveralkeyaspectsofyouthcultureanditseffectsonyouthdevelopment.Youthcultureisshapedbydifferentenvironmentsthatyouthareexposedtoandinteractwithdaily,thusexercisingextensiveinfluenceondevelopmentofyouths.Withintheaforementionedcontext,the paper explores impacts of firstly, peer pressure as a global social phenomenon and secondly,effectsofthegrowingprevalenceoftechnologyamongyouthinternationally.Subsequently,thepaperpresents viable solutionswhich canbe implementedby youth leaders in various factions of theirsociety.

Informationpresentedinthepaperisobtainedmainlythroughresearchofbooksandonlineresources.Thisresearch intendstoembodyaglobalperspectiveonthetwo issues inquestion,whichwillbeachieved throughuseof statistics and reports fromawidearrayof countries spanningAsianandWesterncultures.AsthepaperdoesnotseektorepresentthesoleperspectiveoftheSingaporeanyouth culture, this research has purposefully omitted use of personally conducted surveys in therestricted environment of the school or of Singapore.

In the paper, extensive research from an array of countries point to the universal trend that peer pressure as an aspect of Youth Culture has grown increasingly prevalent globally, with several chief impacts:lowself-esteemandyouthengagementinillegalactivities.Intermsoftechnology,twomainfactors have shown to impede and disrupt youth development, namely computer technology and entertainmentthroughtelevision.Researchrevealsthatthisbringsaboutseveralpertinentimpacts,suchasyouths‟desensitizationtowardsviolenceandtheover-relianceontechnology.

Researchhas further shownthat inboth issues, solutionsprovidedbyvariouscountries stemmedfrom a top-down approach, either through the government, external organisations or the schoolmanagement,whilelittleeffortshavebeendonebytheyouthsthemselvestosolvethisproblem.

Youth and Culture

By: Low Yu Xin , Anabella Chen LixinNanyang Girls High School

Singapore


Foodisnotonlyconsumedtofillusuportogiveusenergy,itisalsoawayforustosocialisewithourfriendsandfamily.Thereisavarietyofdisheswhichonecanfindinacountryandmostofthemareafusionfromdifferentcountriesorculture.Withfood,peopleareabletolearnaboutforeigncultureand also its history. This fusion can be tracked down throughout history where traders travel from one country to another bringing along their culture and also food.

In Brunei, restaurants can be found almost everywhere just like in other countries and they serve Western food, Japanese food, Indian food and even Korean food. Excapade is an example of a Japaneserestaurant.Whenonedinesout,oneisexposedtotheculturethroughtheJapanesemusic,theJapanesechopsticksandJapanesepicturesanddrawingsthatdepicttheculture.

Inour school, SekolahMenengah SultanMuhammad JamalulAlam (SMSMJA), cooking is part ofthe CCA. We are taught not only to cook local but also foreign dishes. The teacher included some informationaboutJapansuchasthenamesofJapaneseingredientsandhowtomakeorcookthefood.

Themethodsweusetogatherdataareusingaquestionnaireandinterviews.Fromthisresearch,wehope to be able to show that through food one can also learn and understand other cultures as well.

Integrating Culture through Cuisine

By: Muhd Nabeelu-Rahman bin Haji Awang Ya’akub andNur Aqilah binti Haji Mohd Sufian

Sekolah Menengah Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam (SM SMJA)Brunei


Onthesurface,itseemsthatthevastdifferencesamongpeople,countries,artsandculturesallovertheworldhavesomewhatmadeusassumethattheworldcannotbeunited;however,weobservedthat Arts and Culture specificallyMusic and Traditional Dance could unite the world. This paperoutlinesourfindingsonwhetherMusicandTraditionalDancecouldgeneratetheunityoftheworld.OurfindingsarebasedonquestionssuchashowArtsandCulturehelptounitetheworldandwhatitcan change in the way people think of the world with regards to unity, what the impacts of Arts and Cultureonpeople‟swayofthinkingaretowardseachother,amongculturesandcountriesandhowpeoplesettheirmindsondifferentaspectsoflifeindifferentenvironments.Inourmethod,welookedatexamplesofthedifferentmusicandtraditionaldancesofBruneiandothercountries.Weidentifiedand listened to songs from around the world which have been shown to have given a strong impact tothepeople‟swayofthinkingandgreatlyinfluencedtheworldingeneral.Wealsolookedattheways that arts and culture have been used to promote unity on a large scale and their impact on the newgeneration.Ourfindingshowsthatthelattermethodisimportant.Thereasonbeingitisshownto have a greater impact.

Arts and Culture

By: Ahmad Syauqi Bin Haji Junaiadi and Azimatul Aniqah Bte Md SopianSekolah Menengah Berakas

Brunei


Schoolasaformalinstitutionplaysanimportantroleindevelopingculturalawarenessamongstudentssincemulticulturalawarenesscanassistinpreparingstudentsforlifeinanethnicallydiversesocietyandcanbringabout cognitive,psychomotorandaffectivebenefits to students throughnumerousprogrammesandactivitiesorganizedatschool.

Multiculturalawarenesscanassistmembersofmulticulturalgroupstoidentifywherethingsmaybegoingwrongorright.Bydevelopingmulticulturalawarenessamongstudentscoming fromdiversecultures,nationsandraces,theycanappreciateandunderstandmoreaboutthedifferencesthatexistaroundtheglobeduetothelargenumberofculturesinexistence.Inaddition,byhavingmulticulturalawareness,thestudents,whoaretheyouthsofthenations,candevelopbetterinterpersonalskills,newfriendships,promotehealingandharmonybetweengroups,andsoforth.Moreover,multiculturalawarenessoffersstudentsopportunitiestoobserve/participateintheaffairsofthecommunity,andengagethemdirectlyandactivelyintheprocess.

Therefore, indevelopingmulticultural awareness, therearemyriadsofprogrammesandactivitiesthatcanbeimplementedatschoolsaroundtheworld.Firstly,theschoolcanorganizeseveralactivitiesthatcanimprovestudents‟knowledgeandunderstandingaboutculturesexistinginthisworldsuchasmulticulturalperformancesorcontestsfacilitatingstudents‟introductionofseveralculturesfromseveral nations. Secondly, through students‟ exchange programmes in which students from oneschoolstudyatdifferentschoolsindifferentcountriesforseveralmonths.Throughthisprogramme,thestudentscanlearnmoreaboutthelocalculturesincetheywouldgainfirst-handexperienceofreal life at that locality.

Inshort,bydevelopingmulticulturalawarenessamongstudentsatschools,therearemanybenefitsthat could lead students towards the development of their cognitive, psychomotor, and affectiveabilities.

School Contribution in Developing Multicultural Awareness among Students

By: Fiqi Quinta DecroliSMA 1 Padang,

Indonesia


Indonesia is a country which has many cultures. It has 33 provinces, and 115 vernaculars. Each provincehasdifferentuniquecultures.Nowadays,manyforeigncultureshavealreadyinfluencedourculture.ItcausestheIndonesianstobeinfluencedbytheseforeigncultures.TheIndonesianpeoplecanacceptforeignerseasily,buttheystillpreservetheirlocalculturestopreserveIndonesia‟sculturaldiversity.Thatiswhywe,asIndonesia‟syounggeneration,mustpreserveourcultures.

Preserving our culture is not only the discussion of how to preserve the culture itself, but also taking actionbasedonsaiddiscussions.TheseactionscanbetakenbypreservingandpromotingIndonesia‟sculturesatinternationallevel.Preservingshouldstartfromsimplethingssuchasthewearingofbatik,andtheconsumptionoftraditionalfood,practicingtraditionaldancesandusingIndonesia‟slocallyproducedgoods.Promoting Indonesia‟s culturecanbedonebypromoting interestingplaces thathaveuniqueculturalvalue,suchastheBorobudurTempleinMagelang,theBalitraditionalculture,traditionalsouvenirsinYogyakarta,andbatikhomeindustriesinSoloandPekalongan.

BatikisoneofIndonesia‟sculturalheritageasrecognisedbymanynationsintheworld.Indonesianbatik products are unique so that they must be preserved. Indonesian batik has been declaredmasterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since October 2, 2009. Nowadays,practicallyeveryonelikestowearbatik.Theyarewornasdailywear,batikuniform,orforofficialfunctions.IntheBatikWorldSummit2011,thereweresomedisplaysoftheworksofforeigndesignerwhodesignbatikclothes.Enthusiasmforbatikcontinuestogrowintheinternationalarena.Batikcanbeameansofunityandbrotherhoodoftheworld.

Asaresult,weconcludethatbypromotingandpreservingourcultures,wecanpreservetheunityofIndonesiaandthatoftheworldaswell.Indonesia‟scultureswillbecomeawell-knowncultureattheinternationallevel.ThissituationwillattractforeigntouristsfrommanycountriestovisitIndonesia.

Indonesia’s Culture Preservation

By: Raudhatul HusnaSMA Negeri 2, Bogor

Indonesia


Cultureisdefinedasthesystemofsharedbeliefs,values,customs,behavioursandartsthemembersof society use to interact with their world and with one another. Boarding school is a school where everystudentstaysinduringschooldays.Inlife,culturaldifferencesareunavoidablebecauseweliveinamodernworldwhereeverycountryisbuiltbymanyethnicgroupsandtribeswholivewithdifferentnormsandvalues.All thesedifferencescausemulticulturalism.Multiculturalismtendstonaturallycreateconflictsbetweenpeopleofdifferentcultures.Therefore,onewaytodecreaseconflict istoimproveculturalunderstandingbetweenpeoplewholivewithdifferentcultures.Boardingschoolisanexampleofculturalunderstandingapplicationbecauseeverystudenthastolivewithdifferentpeopleevery day. There is no boundary to how many cultures students are going to live with and how many conflictsstudentsaregoingtohave.Thepurposeofthisstudyistoanalysethepossibilityofconflictin boarding school lifestyle andwhat could decrease conflict and improve cultural understandingbetweenstudents.Thisstudyisdescriptiveandqualitative.Therefore,threestepswereconductedinthisstudy:thefirstwascollectingthedata;thenanalysingthedata;andthelastwasdrawingtheconclusion.Thedatawascollectedviaamultiple-choicequestionnaireadministeredtotenthgradersofInsanCendekiaAlkausarHighSchool.Fifty-threestudentsparticipatedand53validquestionnaireswere collected. In this study, the writer found that boarding school lifestyle contributes to low number ofconflictsamongstudentsofdifferentethnicgroupsandculturesandthislifestyleimprovesculturalunderstanding among them.

Boarding School Lifestyle Decreases Conflict and ImprovesCultural Understanding among Students

By: Ghina Shabrina AwanisSMA Insan Cendekia Al Kausar ,

Indonesia


Theremanycaseswheretheyoungpeopleareinfluencedbybadculture.Theculturedoesn‟tmatchthenormsofthecommunity.Sotheybecamepublicenemies.Ithappensbecausetheyoungarestilltryingtofindtheiridentities.

In my country, there are some groups called Motorcycle Gangs. Originally, they were merely groups of young people who band together because they have the same hobby i.e. riding the motorcycle. Theiractivitiesweremainlyrepairing,modifyingandridingthemotorcycles.However,todaythesegroups are involved in criminal activities such as robberies and thefts. They have become publicenemies.Whydidthishappen?Theansweristhetransformationofculture.Theywatchmoviesthatcontain violence and bullying. And they imitate what they have seen in real life because they think that it makes them look strong and in control. We must careful because if these groups dominate, the community will be controlled by them and it will become a criminal community. They will forget abouttheiroriginalculturethatdoesnotcondoneviolenceinanyform.Atthismoment,Itrytofindasolutiontoovercomethisproblem.Theyoungpeoplemust learntodifferentiatebetweengoodculture and bad culture. This is because if we allow the bad culture to spread in our community, it will cause trouble someday. We must always maintain the culture that we have inherited from our ancestors. These cultures are rife with values for humanity. Therefore, we must keep all of the good culture and try to eliminate the bad culture before it brings disaster someday.

Culture Disaster for the Youth

By: Purnawati and Nida Sabila FirdausSMK Negeri 7 Bandung,

Indonesia


Culture isan integratedpatternofhumanknowledge,belief,andbehaviorthatdependsuponthecapacity forsymbolic thoughtandsocial learningorthesetofsharedattitudes,values,goals,andpracticesthatcharacterizesan institution,organization,orgroup.Culture isan important factor ineveryone’slife.Itisthefoundationtoaprosperouslifetime.Inordertokeepitalive,doingyourparttopreserve it is extremely necessary. We need to preserve our culture in order to protect the country’s identity.Itistrueinglobalizationthattheworldpopulationmustblendin.However,Ibelievethatwedonotwanttobethesame,butwedowanttounderstandeachotherinourdifferences.Culturalpreservationmustbedonebyyounggenerationofthecountrybecausetheyaretheonewhowillcarrythisculturefromthepastgeneration.Wemustcreateunderstandingandspreadtheknowledgeabout language, food, artand festivalofourownculturebecause themajorproblemsof culturalendangeredisthattheyouthwereinfluencedbywesternandpopculturethattheyignoretheirowncustom. Knowledge and understanding of culture should be spread by modern technology such as internet,socialnetworketc.becauseitistheeasiestwaytoreachyounggeneration.Whenwecanrealizetheimportanceofourcultureidentityandlearntoapplyitwithmodernity,thenwewillbeable to preserve our valuable culture.

Youth and Culture Preservation

By: Thanaporn SaleepholPrasarnmit Demonstration School,

Bangkok Thailand


Throughout the world different countries have their own styles of cooking, eating and cultureconnectedwiththeirfood.Eachcountryhasitsownsignaturedished,forexampletheSpaghettiofItaly,theRoastBeefofoldEngland,theTeriyakiofJapanortheHaggisofScotland.HereinLaosthelegacyofourhistoryandthecomingtogetherofmanynationstoassistinourdevelopmentmeanthatthe capital, although small, has a wide range of cuisine. From China to Vietnam and Korea to Mexico, the choice is wide.

This has not changed the cultural habits of the locals who have many of their favourite foods prepared intheirownparticularway.ThebasisofLaofoodisstickyricewhichisrolledintoaballanddippedintomany delicious dishes. The food is traditionally eaten sitting on the floor of the house on abamboomat,dishesareplacedcentrallyoftenonawoventray.Eachguestisgivenastickyricebasketandeveryonehelpshimself,withallthefamilyjoininginlivelyconversation,whichemphasisestheimportance we place on family values.

Our own signature dish is Tom-mak-hung or papaya salad. We are going to prepare a short video which will show how you can create this dish so you can experience the magic yourselves, and see howitiseateninatraditionalhouseinatime-honouredway.

Webelievethatthroughfoodandtheunderstandingofthecultureofdifferentcountrieswecancometohaveagreaterappreciationandrespectforthewidevarietyofculinaryexperiencesworldwide.

Food: An International Language

By: Susen Simcock and Moukda Souk AlounKiettisack International School

Laos


Culture–somethingthatdistinguishesinsidersfromoutsiders,ormembersofonegroupfromthoseof another. It is shared with those from whom it is learnt and with those to whom it is taught. The phrase Cultural Diversitymeansarangeofdifferentsocietiesorpeoplewithdifferentorigins,religionsortraditionsinteractingandlivingtogether.Indiancultureisrichanddiverseandasaresultuniqueinitsveryownway.Ourmanners,wayofcommunicatingwithoneanother,areoneoftheimportantcomponents of our culture. Even though we have accepted modern ways of living, improved our lifestyle,ourvaluesandbeliefsstillremainunchanged.Nowadays,theIndianCulturehascrossedthegeographic boundaries and has extended globally. Whoever it may be, an Indian or a person from any othercountryisattractedtotheexuberantIndianCultureandtraditions.ThecultureofIndiaisoneofthe oldest and unique. In India, there is amazing cultural diversity throughout the country. The South, North, and Northeast have carved out their own cultural niche.

Cultural Diversity

By: Aaakarsha Handa and Divya VermaSt. Mark’s Girls Sr. Sec. School,

New Delhi, India


ComeandseeanexplorationoftheAustralianScienceandMathematicsSchool(ASMS)throughtheeyesofitsstudents.Theywillinvestigatehowthediversitywithintheirschoolhascontributedtothecreationoftheschool‟suniqueculture.TheASMScontainsstudentsfromoversixtydifferentculturalbackgroundsandisatemporaryhometomanyinternationalstudentsthroughouttheschoolyear.

Using a combinationof a video featuring thepopulationofASMSaswell as anoral presentationtheywillimmerseyouintheirschoollife.Thepresentationwilldiscoverwhatexactlyitisabouttheirschoolthatattractsallthesedifferentculturesandsocialgroups.Weareconstructinganoutcomethatdescribeslifeinanexceptionallearningenvironmentsuchasours.Usingourownschoolresourcesandvariousotherstatisticswewillprovideabriefoutlineofthemoreformalaspectsofourschool.

Another method of research being used for this project is of course the process of interviewing a widerangeofstudents,teachersandeventhirdpartiestogetadeeperunderstandingofdifferentperspectivesofourinnovativeschool.Notonlywillthispresentationconsistoffactsandinterviewsbut the personal opinions of the presenters themselves.

Participants will gain an understanding of modern Australian culture, the Australian Science andMathematicsSchoolandofcourseourpersonalviewsonthetopicasawhole.

A Culture of Innovation

By: Sara Krneta and Jason ByrneAustralian Science & Mathematics School

South Australia, Australia


A case study was contextualized in a peripheric region of the European Union, the Azores Islands, stressing the importance of natural resources, and with a special emphasis on cultural issues – traditionsandidentities–asamovingforcetoformsomesortofsustainableeconomy.

Our subject of choice - the Archipelago of the Azores - was based on the following topics: its diverse naturalresources;themulticulturalstrutureofitspeople’sidentity-astrongemigrationwithpeopleconstantly coming back home - , and the fact that, for centuries, these islands have been an obligatory stopover,intheconnectionbetweenEurope,America,AsiaandAfrica.Furthermore,astrongeffortisbeingmadefortheempowermentoftheirendogenous,naturalandhumanresources.Traditions,rituals and other assets of our cultural heritage are being reconstructed to be consumed as the Azorean image of the 21st century and are transforming the singularity and the character of these islands into their trademark image.

ThisstrategyofpayingspecialattentiontothedifferenttracesoftheAzoreanculturalidentity,andthefact they are being used as an economic moving force, transformed these islands in one of Europe’s emerging peripheric regions where the employment rate and the indicators for quality of life have been lately raising. The Pico Island, UNESCO patrimony, is one of the top world islands, as a perfect destinationforecotourismandoneofthetenbestplacesintheworld,wherethemixingofcultureshasbeenbetterpreservedsincethetimesofthePortugueseexpansionperiod.Ithasgotveryvisiblemarksasajunctionpointbetweentheeasternandthewesternworld.Teaproduction,itscultureandtraditions,importedfromAsia,isagoodexampleofthis.

This study case was based on the analysis of small enterprises related to the subject of this research – culture,tourism,thegooduseofsimpleresources,renewableenergiesandseaactivities.Theconceptof leadership skills within the companies and markets proved to be fundamental for the success of variousinitiatives.

As part of the strategy applied, from the conceptualization of the project and different researchactivitiestoitscommunication,bothinsmallgroupsorinclass(whichworkedasasmallenterprise),closeattentiontothelearninganddevelopmentofleadershipskillswaspaid.

RID – Resources, Investment and DevelopmentA Case Study in the Azores, Portugal

By: Margarida Vicente and Sofia CordovilNational Lyceum D. Philippa of Lancaster,

Portugal


TheCzechRepublic isa little country in theheartofEurope.Thehistoryof thecountryhasbeeninfluencedby the fact thatwehave always beenoccupied by somemorepowerful countries, beit the Austria-Hungarian Empire, Germany or the Soviet Union. The Czech people tend to be very reservedandratherhostiletowardsnewcomers,strangersandnewtrendsastheyhavelearntfromtheir history that these newcomers had never brought any good.

This is a rather judgemental statement but the truth is that when you come to the Czech Republic as a foreigneryouwillgetaverycoldreceptioncomparedtoothercountries.Ofcourse,theyounger,moreeducatedpeopleandthosewholiveinbiggercitiesaremoretolerant.AndthankstotheglobalisationoftheworldtheCzechpeoplearegettingtoknowotherculturesmoreandarebecomingmoreopento new things. Xenophobic? Yes, we are, unfortunately.

This must be changed. We – the students feel the urge to do something about it. In our school, which issituatedinthesmallcountrysidetown,wesometimestalkaboutthexenophobia,culturaltoleranceandracism,butitisnotapartoftheregularschoolcurriculumandwearenotreallymotivatedtochange anything. It really is up to individual teachers how much he or she is able to make us interested byhowheor she introduces this important topic. Inourpresentationwearegoing to showhowextracurricularactivitiesinourschooldealwithglobaldiversityandnotonlytoeducateusstudentsbut they also have an impact on all the inhabitants of our small town.

Hlinsko Students Go Global

By: Tomáš Pšorn, Martin PavlišGymnázium K.V.

Raise Adámkova 55 Hlinsko v Č,53901 the Czech Republic


Weoftenareledtoconsiderpeoplewholivefarfromusonlyasdifferent,focusingourattentionmoreonthedifferencesthanonthesimilarities;theconsequenceofthisattitudeisthatweoftenbecomescaredtodealwithrealitiesapparentlytoofaraway.

Thepurposeofcreatinginterculturalinitiativesisbreakingdownthisideologicalwallandreplacingitwiththeawarenessofbeingthecitizensofaglobalvillage.Aplaceinwhichthecollaborationbetweenverydifferentsingularitiesallowsallofustocreateasenseofcommunityandrespect:there‟snothingsoqueerasfolk.OurschoolITISCannizzaroinColleferroisaleaderinItalyforthiskindofactivities.This is possible thanks to the tireless work of some teachers who truly believe in approachingdifferentculturesandrealitiesasatooltogivestudentsacompleteschoolformationandthroughourinternationalprogrammesthatstimulateinterestandcuriosityinthestudents.Thestudentswhoparticipateininternationalprogrammesaremorelikelytoenrichtheircultureanddevelopalotofdifferentskillsthroughinteractionandcollaboration,mainlyconcerningcommunicativecompetenceand the capacity to carry out projects and create original products. Results obtained by human interactionaremuchbetterthanresultsobtainedthroughstudyingandbooks.

This belief is witnessed by a long history of cultural exchanges that our school has had with Malaysian, Singaporean,andIndianschools.Traditionmovedbythewillofsharingourorigins,foodculture,artsand religion with yours, going back to our country enriched by the knowledge that all of you gave us. We believe that sharing is the key to cultural growth. All this shows that, despite the distance and culturaldifferences, familyvaluesremainthesame; inmycountrywesayTutto il mondo è paese, which means people are the same the world over.

Cultural Understanding Generates Global Unity

By: Alessandro RealeITIS “ Cannizzaro” Rome

Italy


The Dutch are known for their knowledge of windmills, tulips, waterworks, their open-mindedness andforbeingtall,butwearealsoknownforbeingstingy,stubbornanddowntoearth.ButtosaythesepointsarekeydescriptionsofDutchcultureisasuperficialanderroneousstatement.

In2007,ourcrownprincessMáxima,originallyfromArgentine,heldaspeechaboutDutchcultureandstated: “The true Dutchman does not exist.” There was much discourse about this statement as many peopledidnotunderstandwhatshemeant.TheprincesswasreferringtothedifficultytodescribeDutchnationalidentity,asitisasocietyinwhichover170nationalitieshaveestablishedthemselves.ShewouldnotdojusticetothevarietyofdifferentDutchmenifitwaslimitedtoonestereotype.

Therearemanydifferencesbetween individuals,but ingeneral,youcouldstillgivesomenationalcharacteristics. The most important is that the Dutch are open to different cultures. This seemsparadoxical: an important element of our national character is willingness to welcome othernationalities and cultures resulting in tolerance and respect towards themulticultural societywehavebecome.Buttherealsoisa(political)movementstatingthatthemulticulturalsocietyhasfailed,giving rise to a lot of discussion.

TheDutchhavehistoricallybeenstronglyinfluencedbyothercultures,somuchsothatanauthenticnational character is almost a contradiction in terms.Nonetheless, onQueen‟sDay orwhen ournational soccer teamplays, thecountrybecomesunitedandpeoplecometogetherdressedup inorange!Inourpaperweshalldescribewhathistoricallyleadtoourmulticulturalsociety,itsbenefitsand what needs to be done to safeguard it for the future.

The True Dutchman Does Not Exist

By: Charlotte Christina Adrianne Verweij and Simone Ditte KropHet Amsterdams LyceumAmsterdam, Netherlands

Symposium Book - FRSIS 2012

Education

Transcript of Symposium Book - FRSIS 2012