In conjunction with the Masterclass, that is being organized by ITU and Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), as a pre-event during 19th Asia Media Summit (AMS) 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Youth empowerment: Celebrating Girls in ICT Day Malaysia 2024 is organised by Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and  International Telecommunication Union with support from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) of Australia.

The event  will be held on 2 September 2024. Sessions of this event aims to inspire girls and young women to pursue careers in STEM, ICT, and broadcasting. The focus of sessions on leadership and exposure to successful youth in these fields complements the masterclass’s emphasis on inclusivity and the ethical use of technology in broadcasting. The target participants for the Youth empowerment: Celebrating Girls in ICT Day Malaysia 2024 are students, young women and young men aged 15-24 years in Malaysia.

Target audience:

The event will bring together participants from Asia and the Pacific working in national broadcasting, ICT industry, academia, telecom sector, teachers, school students, and university students in Malaysia.

MC:

• Ms Rury Demsey, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Opening remarks:

• Mr Kishore Babu Yerraballa, ITU Area Representative for Southeast Asia and other Member States in Asia and the Pacific
• Ms Philomena Gnanapragasam, Secretariat Director/CEO, AIBD

Special remarks:

• Ms Nurul Izzah Anwar Ibrahim, Chairperson of the Social and Economics Research Initiative (SERI) and Vice President of KEADILAN

Keynote address:

• E. Ms Teo Nie Ching, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Communications Malaysia

Group photo session

International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated worldwide every year on the fourth Thursday of April with the objectives of encourage girls and young women to pursue STEM education, inspiring girls and young women to work in STEM careers and engaging the community and promoting collaboration through partnerships. It aims to address the core challenge of low women presence in the field of STEM education including information and communication technologies. The gap is even more pronounced at the leadership position.

Girls in ICT Day provides an opportunity for girls and young women to see and be exposed to the benefit of ICT in enabling their career aspirations. To date, over 377,000 girls and young women have taken part in more than 11,400 celebrations of International Girls in ICT Day in 171 countries worldwide. In 2024, the theme for GICT is “Leadership” with the focus on inspiring girls and young women by exposing them to women in leadership position and facilitating that break down the hinderances

In 2023, women constituted only 14% of tech leaders globally, highlighting the need to better support girls and young women to take on leadership roles in the next decade. During this special session, panellists will discuss innovative strategies that can be implemented to promote leadership qualities in girls and young women within STEM, ICT, and broadcasting fields. 

Moderator: 

• Ms Charlotte Chong, Student, Brickfields Asia College (BAC)
• Mr Jason Mapemba, President of the International Relations Society, Asia Pacific University (APU)

Panellists:

• Meisin Lee, Treasurer, Women in AI Malaysia
• Ms Olivia Constance Nicholas, News Anchor, RTM
• Ms Kuhaneetha Bai Kalaicelven, Faculty of Arts & Social, Sciences/President, International Relations Society, Universiti Malaya (IRSOC UM)

Note: Session includes interaction with participants

Q&A session if time permits

Group photo session

This interactive session is designed to engage students in a fun and educational quiz focused on “Girls in ICT.” Participants will test their knowledge about the contributions, challenges, and opportunities for girls and young women in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This session aims to raise awareness, inspire, and encourage students to explore careers in ICT.

Facilitator:

• Ms Rury Demsey, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

This session fostered an inter-generational dialogue on leadership in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by bringing together girls and women leaders and experts in the ICT and broadcasting sector. The moderators facilitated discussions by posing the questions to both girls and women in ICT, allowing for a dynamic exchange of perspectives, contributions, and experiences to other girls and women in ICT and broadcasting as speakers involved. Audience participation through questions is encouraged, enhancing the depth and richness of the dialogue.

This dialogue also provided a platform for insights, reflections, and strategies on leadership in ICT, aiming to inspire and empower both current and future generations of girls and women in the ICT and broadcasting sectors.

Moderators:

• Ms Rosa Monica Cangco, Benchmark Broadcast Systems Singapore
• Mr Nasrullah Dharejo, Student, University of Malaya

Panellists:

• Mr Nik Naharudin Bin Mohd Nasir, Director, Digital Talent & Entrepreneurship, Malaysia Digital Economy Cooperation (MDEC)
• ⁠Ms Julie Marks, Governance, Peace and Security Communication Specialist, UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
• Ms Mary Elizabeth Cheng, BICSI Malaysia Country Chair and the Women in Security Chair for ASIS Malaysia Chapter
• Mr Alex Lee, Senior Learning Solution Architect, Huawei Malaysia

Q&A session if time permits

Group photo session

Malaysia is to enact a bill to empower the Government to remove criminal online content. This is due to the rampant cases of cyberbullying on social media in particular among the younger generations. The suicide case of a social media influencer in Malaysia is one of the examples of cyberbullying whereby the attacker is employing electronic communication to bully or harass the victim on the Internet, particularly on the social media sites. As immediate measures to curb this arising and worrisome problems, the government is introducing new regulatory framework for social media and internet messaging services, effective August 1 of this year. This moderated session provides an avenue for youths like University and secondary school students to share their thoughts on the harmful of cyberbullying on social media platforms and how would the Bill be relevant?

Moderator:

• Ms Amber Tan May Xuan, International Advertising, Communication and Technology College (IACT College)

Speakers:

• Kirtharna A/P Kumaran, Student, SMK Sekyen 1, Kinrana, Puchong, Selangor
• Harvinder Singh A/L Sanmugam, SMK La Salle;
• Nurhidayah Binti Abdullah, SMK Assunta;
• Phavarasan A/L Bhuvaneswaran, SMK La Salle.

Q&A session if time permit

Group photo session

• Ms Isha Ambani, Board of Director Reliance Jio Infocomm

• Ms Rury Demsey, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific