Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Haji Noor (centre) and Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin (second right) helping to pack the food baskets that will be distributed under the Dapur Belia 4.0 programme at Arena Belia, Kepayan on Sunday.
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Youth Council (SYC) and its 17 affiliates received grants totalling RM2.55 million from the State Government to help them carry out youth programmes as well as coordinate support activities during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor witnessed the presentation of grants to the respective bodies by State Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin at the Arena Belia in Kepayan near here.
The ceremony was held in conjunction with the Chief Minister’s visit to the Youth Centre where he saw the mobilisation of the Dapur Belia 4.0 (Youth Kitchen) programme.
The State Government has also allocated RM500,000 for the purpose under the Bantuan Sabah Prihatin (BSP) 3.0.
Co-ordinated by the Sabah Youth and Sports Ministry, the SYC Dapur Belia programme is now in its fourth series since the first MCO in 2020.
In the previous series, the SYC together with its affiliate as well as selected youth clubs throughout Sabah has distributed food baskets, energy packs for the frontliners and various other assistance to those affected by the pandemic lockdown.
Among those targetted in the Dapur Belia 4.0 this time were youths in the gig economy namely the foodpanda deliverers who received 250 food baskets and 70 helmets.
Dapur Belia 4.0 is a synergy between the government, NGOs and community to push the programme on the ground throughout Sabah to assist affected youths.
For Dapur Belia 4.0 programme, SYC has so far handed out to 65 per cent of the targetted recipients.
At the same time, more than 2,000 people have come to the Food Bank at the Arena Belia to get get food aid.
Under the recently announced Pakej Perlindungan Rakyat dan Pemulih Ekonomi (Pemulih), he said the government had extended job seeker allowance to non-contributors of the Social Security Organisation (Socso), especially fresh graduates, school leavers and workers in the informal sector.
“Having a social safety net for Sabah youths who have lost their job is crucial in supporting the industry and socio-economy aspects of this group,” he said.
As of December 2020, Sabah Socso had given out aids totalling RM16.8 million to 4,434 workers who lost their jobs, while up to April this year, a total of RM3.8 million in the form of assistance allowance had been given out to 851 Sabah youths who had lost their jobs .
The social safety net programme covered all sectors including those in the gig economy.
The Chief Minister also commended the joint initiative by the SYC, Sports and Youth Ministry and Socso to help youths who had lost their jobs during the lockdown through the MyFutureJobs portal.
The portal acts as a one-stop centre providing a reference for job seekers apart from offering job matching and active job market programmes ranging from job placement, career consultancy, in-depth counselling for those experiencing hardship and mobility assistance.
Meanwhile, Hajiji als witnessed the presentation of mock cheques from the Socso totalling RM265,180 to two employers as incentives to hold training programme for their employees.