Taylor’s AKPK Club’s Founding Committee Signs Off With a Bang | By Tiffany Chan
Taylor’s AKPK is a club that aims to educate undergraduates to become financially smart youths. It is affiliated with the Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK), an agency set up by Bank Negara Malaysia.
Oh, the club was also founded during the pandemic.
You may be wondering, “What? But how difficult is it to start a club during the pandemic?” The answer is: very. Hence, the AKPK EXCO/BOD Recognition Ceremony was held on 4 September to honour the founding committee’s hard work for making the club what it is today. Hosted by Jonathan Jeremiah, President of Taylor’s University Student Council, the ceremony was attended by about 80 participants, of which several were from external institutions.
The event began with speeches from Mr Janaronson Nagarajah, Director of the Student Development, Centre for Future Learning in Taylor’s University and Encik Azaddin Ngah Tasir, CEO of AKPK.
After a short opening gimmick, the recognition ceremony officially began. Firstly, Ashvina, the President of Taylor’s AKPK for the 20/21 term, gave a speech. For her, founding the Taylor’s AKPK club was the best part of her life. You could see this was true from the way her face lit up when she spoke about her AKPK experiences. Ashvina recounted the highlights of AKPK’s one-year journey, thanking her mentors, parents, friends and teammates for guiding her through the many challenges she faced.
Then it was time for the most highly-anticipated part: the EXCO/BOD accreditation ceremony. Imagine an awards ceremony, but minus the stage, the handshakes and the large, air-conditioned halls. Still, there were smiles and photos and inspiring music playing in the background as certificates were ‘awarded’ to the recipients. (Even I, who had previously never known the Taylor’s AKPK committee members personally, felt proud of their achievements. Founding committee, you guys are awesome!)
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| Taylor's AKPK Club President 20/21 Ashvina Annamitra awarded with her certificate of recognition. |
Lastly, we heard from the new president of Taylor’s AKPK, Lim Nee, who gave an overview of the club’s plans for the coming year. These include talks about credit cards, entrepreneurship and how to be financially independent as a woman. Taylor’s AKPK will also have a full-day workshop on 18 September to teach upper secondary students basic financial literacy skills, so stay tuned for that!
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| Host, Jonathan Jeremiah (top right) and Taylor's AKPK Club President 21/22, Lim Nee (bottom right). |
After the closing ceremony, audience members were invited to a networking session, where they could promote their organisations’ upcoming projects. Because Taylor’s AKPK believes in supporting one another, they’ve decided to give others a platform to share their projects and hopefully reach a wider audience. It was wonderful to see so many exciting programs from different clubs and institutions. This proves that we’re only limited by our imagination, not the pandemic.
“Financial literacy has become more than a life skill; it’s a survival skill.”
Money matters. That’s what AKPK believes, and it is one of the reasons why it was founded. Encik Azaddin said that the pandemic has made it ever so urgent for individuals to have financial literacy. All of us are, in one way or another, affected by the many financial crises that have struck during the lockdowns. Thus, AKPK sought to incorporate money management into the students’ syllabus, so that everyone would be equipped with basic financial skills.
Last year, the organisation did just that.
“Roaring Twenties” was an online course that was integrated into the Life Skills module for Taylor’s undergraduate students, and more than 200 students completed this free course during their independent learning week.
In addition to AKPK efforts, Taylor’s AKPK has launched many initiatives to equip youths with financial skills. These projects include eight Money Talk sessions, where speakers were invited to share their experiences on financial literacy. Topics like cryptocurrency, investments and budgeting were discussed during these sessions.
Furthermore, Taylor’s AKPK has their very own podcast series, Making Cents, where they discuss things like financial myths and spending money during the lockdowns. You can watch both Money Talk and Making Cents videos on their YouTube channel.
Taylor’s AKPK has also partnered with Financial Literacy for Youths Malaysia (FLY) and collaborated with the Malaysian Financial Planning Council as well as the Taylor’s School of Accounting & Finance. What a year for the club!
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| Smiles all around at the closing ceremony. |
We at Etc. Magazine send our warmest congratulations to Taylor’s AKPK club for their many achievements in this past year alone. May the club continue to educate youths about money management and birth a generation that can navigate the woes of financial stresses.
Follow Taylor’s AKPK on social media
YouTube: Taylor’s AKPK Club
Instagram: @taylors.akpk
Linktree: @TaylorsAKPK
The AKPK official complimentary e-learning site
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