Overview
The A.R.C. Challenge Malaysia Grant provided seed-funding for collaborations between stakeholders in the UK and Malaysia, which respond to a common challenge in the field of climate change through shared solutions that empower young people to take positive action which can cascade awareness and create greater resilience amongst others in their generation, as well as influence policy making.
The British Council Malaysia offered three seed funding grants of up to £10,000 each to kick-start innovative, joint UK-Malaysia responses to a shared climate change challenge involving young people aged 18–35. We encourage cross-sectoral — ideally, arts and creative industries, education and science sectors — collaboration in the grant applications.
Grant recipients were announced during the A.R.C. Challenge Malaysia Forum on 4 February 2021. Awardees then had the opportunity to pitch their projects during the A.R.C. Challenge Malaysia Pitching Session on 25 March 2021 to an audience of diverse stakeholders including potential funders, policy makers, research, academic and youth organisations, in the hopes that their project will spark further interest that may lead to scaling-up and sustainability.
Grant Projects & Recipients
RIPPLE – Responsible Innovation Plastics Project for Life and Environment
RIPPLE aims to identify meaningful design opportunities to escalate the value of plastic waste through product innovation, behavioural shifts and novel manufacture.
Students from Falmouth University, aged 19 to 30, worked in collaborative teams to innovate new products and communication opportunities, leveraging on existing waste processing and material strategies utilised by Biji-Biji Initiative. The student engagement activities were guided by the Design Council’s
Double Diamond methodology (Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver) to unpack and address the project challenge.
Biji-Biji Initiative also provided access to digital media and resources on working with waste material to create upcycled business propositions.
The project involved forty-eight students from the Graphic Design and Sustainable Product Design courses and four community leaders.
Activities
- A range of new product innovations
- Eight knowledge and skills sharing sessions
- Two skills transfer workshops
Weaving Hopes for the Future
Weaving Hopes for the Future is rooted in four principles: education, activism, empowerment and creative art. The project took a mentorship approach with six indigenous youth, three indigenous master weavers, with the guidance of two powerful indigenous community leaders. The intergenerational collaboration has culminated in the commissioning of a weaving art installation, short documentaries and creative digital outputs for multiple events in Glasgow during
COP26.
Activities
- Physical and Digital Climate Workshop
- Art Installation
- Storytelling Sessions
- Exhibitions and Screening
MITCHELL LIBRARY
Under Get Ready Glasgow by Glasgow City Council
2–4 November 2021
CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS
Under People’s Summit by COP26 Coalition
Intermedia Gallery
8–14 November 2021
Cinema Room
Documentary Screening
8th November 2021 4:15–5:45pm (UK)
VISION – Virtual Impact Storytelling in Our Network
VISION aims to facilitate the sharing of methodologies between Scotland and Malaysia in storytelling, visioning and digital recording, as powerful means of communicating change.
The project involved twenty-one young people from Scotland and Malaysia, including academics, environmental and community activists, social entrepreneurs as well as non-governmental bodies. The participants were guided to create and tell their story, and then work with others to plan for its realisation.
The project comprised eight two-hour virtual sessions over a six-month period, involving experts from Scotland and Malaysia.
VIRTUAL IMPACT FESTIVAL
8 November 2021 9–11am (UK)
9 November 2021 9–11am (UK)
10 November 2021 9–11am (UK)
11 November 2021 9–11am (UK)
12 November 2021 9–11am (UK)
