Introduction
The Young Buddhist Fellowship (YBF) was established as early as the ’80s to ’90s. The establishment of YBF provides an opportunity for the adolescences in the Buddhist societies to get to know Buddhism, and gaining the right value of life, and with various training provided, they become the future Buddhist leaders in the Buddhist societies. YBAM has done through the peaks and valleys of the organisational developments in these two decades. Some of the YBF grew steadily with sufficient assistances provided to them, while there are also YBF that tried to strive for survival.
Introduction of Activities
AAC aims to provide a platform for training and networking for YBF in Malaysia. Hence, AAC holds a National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp annually in November or December with the following objectives:
1. To improve the leadership quality among YBF
2. To strengthen the Buddhism knowledge among the leaders of YBF
3. To promote the spirit and ideology of YBF
4. To provide a platform for YBF to network and learn, and hence developing a YBF network.
National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp has gone through a few rounds of revamps and reorganisations and sought for innovations in the theme of ‘learning, enterprising, caring, dedication’, and received recognition from many organisations. Nonetheless, AAC still truly experience the limitations and challenges in the organisations of the National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp. Therefore, State Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp and Seedling Programme were developed as connecting activities for the National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp. With the model where AAC provides speakers and designs the activity, while SLC hosts the event, the following objectives are set:
1. Strengthening the Buddhist activity organisation skills and management skills among YBF
2. Promoting the spirit and ideology of YBF
3. Providing a platform for YBF to network and learn, and hence developing a YBF network.
With the limitation arose from the National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp, the Seedling Programme is developed. This is the programme where the organising committee will be selecting suitable candidates from the National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp to participate in the seedling training and selection camp for the coming year. A series of courses is designed for the programme, including:
1. To strengthen the Buddhism knowledge
2. To cultivate Buddhist leaders with quality
3. To train the activity group leaders
4. To understand the spirits and missions of YBF and Seedling members
5. To elect the new Seedling members
6. To provide a training platform for the Seedling members.
Before the end of the programme, the committee identifies the Seedling members and hoping that with the power of the Seedling members, they will be able to bring more adolescences to learn Buddhism. The advisors and SLC play a very important role in the process of promoting the Seedling programme. In order to provide networking among YBF and advisors, and to improve the ability and confidences among YBF, AAC holds the Advisor Networking Camp in parallel with National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp.
The enthusiasm among the YBF is amazing, and they cultivate the sense of belonging through the YBF activities, which, some of them proceed to participate in the Buddhist societies in the Varsities, and even become the future leaders of the Buddhist organisations. Currently, there is an increased number of people who become members of AAC and involve themselves in the organisations of activities. In the future, the AAC looks forward to continuing the AAC blueprint, working with SLC and advisors to continue nurture YBF to become future Buddhist leaders.
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