Wanna Change The Country? Apply For This Fellowship & Shape Digital Policy For Malaysia
Youths IRL aims to bridge the gap between policymakers and digital natives, ensuring that policies are more reflective of real-world digital experiences.
By Laila Zain — 15 Nov 2024, 12:55 PM
Applications for Youths IRL, a two-month fellowship aimed at empowering young Malaysians in digital policy, are set to open on 18 November
This initiative, launched by Ratio:Cause in partnership with the Communications Ministry, Meta, CelcomDigi, Content Forum, and SAYS, seeks to gather 10 youth leaders from across Malaysia to shape the future of digital governance.
The fellowship provides a unique opportunity for participants to engage with partner organisations, deepen their understanding of online safety, and develop their own perspectives on the evolving digital policy landscape.
With pressing issues such as online scams, cyberbullying, and child exploitation online, there is a clear need for stronger digital governance. Youths IRL aims to bridge the gap between policymakers and digital natives, ensuring that policies are more reflective of real-world digital experiences.
Over the course of the programme, participants will take part in masterclasses designed to enhance their digital literacy, policymaking knowledge, and public speaking skills
Topics covered include:
Masterclass 1: Anti-Crash Course on Online Safety
Learn how to protect yourself online by understanding the mechanics of scams and boosting your account security.
Masterclass 2: Is This the Real Life?
Sharpen your digital literacy with fact-checking techniques and get up to speed on AI and misinformation trends.
Masterclass 3: Yapping Skills 101
Build confidence in public speaking and communication, so you can nail your next big speech.
Masterclass 4: Very Demure, Very Lawful
Explore the basics of policymaking and gain insights into Malaysia's digital landscape, helping you develop inclusive policy ideas.
The fellowship will also feature mentorship sessions with industry leaders, providing valuable feedback on participants' policy proposals.
In mid-March 2025, participants will take part in an Immersive Learning Week, which will involve field trips and hands-on learning with partner organisations
Participants will get to attend an in-person learning week, packed with field trips to see firsthand how digital policies are made and implemented in the real world.
At the end of the week, participants will present their finalised policy proposals that have been developed over the course of the programme.
Youths IRL is a programme under the Online Safety IRL campaign — educating the public to protect themselves online and create safe online spaces against scams and threats to safety
Other programmes under the campaign include Creators IRL, a fellowship for 10 content creators aimed at raising community resilience against online harms through creative, memorable, and impactful online safety messaging.
Youths IRL strives to give youth voices a platform to shape the development of digital safety measures, as well as influence peers in building safer online communities.
The programme is open to all Malaysian youths aged 18-25, and applications are open until 1 December. Visit the official website for more information and to apply.
Follow @youthsirl on Instagram for updates.
