YABhg Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor attends Showcase of Children’s Talents at Maybank Story Telling Contest
Twenty young Malaysians today demonstrated the 1Malaysia spirit at the Maybank Story Telling Contest, entitled “Stories for our Future”. The children aged 7 to 12 years old were finalists in the contest which aims to promote the true values of 1Malaysia among the young generation.
The children showed their dexterity and delivered their stories with aplomb to a packed audience consisting of YABhg Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the Prime Minster of Malaysia who was the Guest-of-Honour. Also present were Nora Manaf, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Group Human Capital, Maybank and Choong Wai Hong, Executive Vice President, Community Financial Services, Maybank as well as family members and friends of the participants.
At the event, Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah also read a specially written “Story for the Children of 1Malaysia” produced by Maybank for all children.
The storytelling contest is based on the children’s story book entitled “Stories for Our Future” produced by Maybank. This book is a compilation of four stories featured in a series of advertisements run by Maybank in support of the 1Malaysia initiative. From the book, Maybank initiated a story telling competition in conjunction with The Star Kid’s Fair to promote the true values of 1Malaysia – Hope, Tolerance, Understanding and, above all, Unity.
“The story book is more than just a collection of tales. It is a Maybank initiative created specially for the children of Malaysia. It is also the story of our 1Malaysia. While these stories have been written specially for children, we believe there is a moral for those of all ages too as they remind us that our greatest strength is in each other,” said Nora Manaf.
Ten finalists each from the lower primary group aged 7-9 and upper primary group aged 10-12 competed for prize money ranging from RM10,000 for the Grand Prize, RM7,000 for the second prize and RM5,000 for the third placing in each category. In addition, there were seven consolation prizes of RM300 each in both categories. All prize money will be in the form of a Maybank Yippie account to promote the savings habit of among the young. Children who entered the contest also received a copy of the book.
The finalists were selected from a total of 159 participants at preliminary rounds of the contest held nationwide beginning October 2010 in Petaling Jaya, Johor Bharu, Penang, and Kuantan. They were judged on language proficiency, delivery, interpretation, costume and props. Children who could not come to any of these preliminary rounds were allowed to submit videos of their story telling online for shortlisting.
“The story telling competition is also a showcase of our children’s diverse talents particularly their mastery of Bahasa Malaysia and English in presenting their stories. In addition, it captures their dexterity in public speaking as well as acting skills in the interpretation of the themes. It shows that if our young are given opportunities, support and proper nurture, they will be a powerful force in building a stronger, united Malaysia,” added Nora.
Nora also said that the competition is in line with Maybank’s broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to promote nation building particularly among the young. “The contest supports one of the pillars of the Bank’s CSR programme, that is, the development of education, as it aims to nurture talent and reward excellence among the young. The competition also promotes the 1Malaysia spirit, inspiring the young to be future leaders of our country.”