Amirul, TEAM

The Team programme gave environmentalist Amirul the chance to get his hands dirty, gaining experience and networks that saw him land his first green job.

Amirul, 23, was a biodiversity student during the pandemic and completed most of his degree classes and projects online. When he graduated, his theoretical knowledge and digital skills were strong, but he had no experience of real-life teamwork, group projects or environmental fieldwork – and he could not find a job.

Amirul signed up to the Team programme to build his practical skills and experience, and increase his chances. The programme saw him set up and lead a community project to bolster flood defences by planting mangroves, and then throw himself into a work experience placement with a forestry conservation centre.

Amirul’s newfound skills, experience and networks set him up for success, and he soon landed a job with an environmental organisation, while also continuing to pursue his own conservation initiatives. Amirul’s achievements saw him named The King’s Trust 2024 regional sustainability award winner for Asia.

‘During the pandemic, the movement control order [lockdown] had prevented me from exploring the outside world and my own potential,’ Amirul explains. ‘With the Team programme, I was able to unearth my hidden potential.’ 

Learning to lead

Team, delivered in Malaysia by our partner Selangor Youth Community (SAY), is an intensive nine-week personal development programme. Hands-on activities focus on building core skills and confidence. By the end of the first fortnight, Amirul had overcome his initial shyness and become more comfortable putting forward his ideas.

The next stage of the programme was the two-week community project, where participants get to practise their emerging communication, teamwork and leadership skills by designing and delivering a real-life project. Building on his passion for nature, Amirul convinced his group to focus on an environmental initiative that would also benefit the local community.

‘While we were discussing what to do for our community project, I braved myself to suggest the idea of doing mangrove tree planting to prevent flood disaster,’ he recalls.

Mangrove swamps, with their intricate root systems, provide sustainable, natural flood defences in coastal areas, especially during storms.  As well as protecting coastal communities and landscapes, they also play a key role in marine ecosystems and in carbon capture and storage.

Amirul’s expertise and passion were crucial to the project’s success. As well as putting forward the idea and leading the team, he oversaw their efforts to raise awareness through social media, and to reach out to organisations with expertise in planting mangroves, who could provide the technical input they needed.

Building on success

After successfully delivering the mangrove project – his first real-life environmental venture – Amirul progressed to the next part of the programme, a work experience placement with a forestry conservation organisation, before the final weeks spent refining his job search and interview skills.

Alongside teamwork and communication skills, and his practical fieldwork experience, Amirul highlights his learning around setting and achieving goals as being particularly valuable. ‘My life after the Team programme is more organised and structured,’ he explains. ‘I’m capable of planning my next steps for two to 10 years in the future without any doubt or fear that I will fail, because I am confident with the knowledge and experience I gained in the programme.’

But the programme didn’t only help Amirul hone his skills, it also enabled him to make vital connections in the environmental sector, helping him to secure his first job in his chosen field.

‘The green industry in Malaysia is a small and closed industry,’ Amirul explains. ‘The work placement gave me a golden opportunity to create networking.’

Alongside his job, Amirul has also continued to progress his own environmental initiatives, focusing on conserving coastal peatland.