Empowering Communities Through Education via Taylor's Mental Health & Wellbeing Impact Lab

The Grand Hall of Taylor's University was abuzz with energy and a shared commitment to mental health on October 7, 2023, as the Master of Counselling and Master of Clinical Psychology programmes participated in the Community Mental Wellness Fair. This event was co-organized by the Life Inspired Network Society (LINetS), Taylor's University Centre for Counselling Services (CCS), and Taylor's Mental Health and Wellbeing Impact Lab.

The event commenced with a grand Opening Ceremony by Y.B. Michelle Ng Mei Sze, the honorable representative from Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Subang Jaya. Her presence underscored the importance of mental health awareness and support in the community. Three enlightening workshops were offered to the attendees.

In Workshop 1 "Discovering Your True Self: Awareness & Acceptance," participants delved into the realms of self-awareness and self-acceptance. Workshop 2 "Strengthening Connections: Building Communities and Meaningful Relationships," focused on the significance of forging genuine relationships and building a supportive community. In Workshop 3 "How Can I Prevent Suicide among People I Know?", participants gained essential insights into suicide prevention, a crucial aspect of mental health support.

During the event, both the Master of Counselling and Master of Clinical Psychology programmes made significant contributions to the event's success. Their booths at HEART Psychological Services (HPS) served as the centers for mental health support and awareness. HEART refers to Healing, Educating, Assessing, Relating, and Thriving. Master of Counselling students provided career and psychological assessments and shared their knowledge of mental health with the participants, empowering them with valuable insights into their emotional well-being.

Simultaneously, the Master of Clinical Psychology programmes conducted a highly informative Mental Health Workshop. The workshop itself created a safe and inclusive space for individuals to learn, connect, and seek support for their well-being. In turn, the workshop helped participants understand their mental health challenges and offered insights for growth.

As the Community Mental Wellness Fair at Taylor's University ended, the Master of Counselling and Master of Clinical Psychology programmes remain dedicated to continuously supporting the positive impact on mental health within the community. Their commitment underscores the invaluable work being undertaken to raise awareness and provide essential services to those in need.

Budget Forum on Unleashing Malaysia's Tourism Industry Potential: Strategies for Sustainable Growth

On 25th of October 2023, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE), Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor’s University organized the Budget Forum 2024 with the theme of “Unleashing Malaysia's Tourism Industry Potential: Strategies for Sustainable Growth”. For this year’s budget forum series, four distinguished Panelists from different sectors within the tourism industry in Malaysia were invited.

The Panelists were Mr. CS Lim, Vice President of Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), Mr. Edwin Ng, CEO of Adelston Media, Ms. Eileen Cheong, Business Development Manager of Tourism Selangor Promosi Sdn Bhd, and Mr. Jaggarao Simancha, Vice President (Advocacy) of Malaysia Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS). The engaging dialogue sharing session was moderated by Dr. Shantini Thuraiselvam, Lecturer from Taylor's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events.

Some key takeaways from the forum were despite the huge amount of budget allocation for 2024, for international context, the amount is not really a significant amount due to the deficit of the Ringgit currency against some of the major currencies such as US Dollar, Euro and even Singapore Dollar. Nevertheless, the most important thing is how the allocation of the budget will be utilized, especially for the tourism industry and promoting Malaysia as a tourism destination for both leisure and business events.

Besides that, to have a niche or targeted areas of tourism is a good idea with a consideration of what is the unique selling point or Malaysia’s strength to differentiate and compete with other countries that have the same niche tourism, how to maintain the demand, and how to project the sustainability practices in all business sectors within the tourism industry. Another view from the Panelist was there should be more focus on how to improve road and infrastructures condition especially in connecting different tourist attractions to boost the inbound and domestic tourism.

On the other hand, with the ease of application for Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H), it will help Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and encourage international tourism spending which is positive. Another interesting topic was the increasing of Sales and Service Tax (SST) from 6% to 8% which gives an impact to the consumers when the prices for most of the products and services will be increased also. In addition, one of the challenge faced by the industry is losing the local talents. Hence, this is where most of the industry players nowadays are trying to balance between physical manpower and digitalization.

Finally, based on the feedback received from the attendees, the majority agreed that a Budget Forum should be hosted annually to discuss the impacts and actual situation of the tourism industry because it is relevant and useful. Other than that, one participant also said that “Budget Forums can teach problem-solving skills by presenting real or hypothetical budget challenges and encouraging participants to develop solutions”.

Exploring Opportunities for Hotel Management Students' Professional Growth in Resorts World Genting

10 students of Diploma in Hotel Management (DH) under the Taylor’s Culinary Institute were honored to take part in an inspirational World Conference named “Olave Baden-Powell Society (OB-PS) Conference”. OB-PS started in 1984, with more than 1600 members span across 60 countries today, it is a global network of World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scouts (WAGGGS) supporters formed to provide financial support to WAGGGS. Nevertheless, WAGGGS are the largest voluntary movement dedicated to empowering girls and young women in the world.

The OB-PS conference is held annually around the world, in which members who share a common interest gathered to fund WAGGGS in sustaining its various initiatives, projects, programmes, and services. This year, the conference was held in Genting Highland for 3 days from 12th to 14th October, and it was the first OB-PS conference held in Malaysia with the presence of Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah as the Royal Benefactor and Organizing Chairman of the conference; and Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah was also present in the conference. In addition, the Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and the Prime Minister’s wife, YB Dato' Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Binti Wan Ismail were also invited.

On 12th October, the Diploma in Hotel Management students were welcomed by the Resorts World Genting Human Resources team and were brought to a site visit at the Grand Ballroom @ Genting International Convention Centre (GICC), which has hosted several world’s most prestigious events over the years. Spanning 4 halls and 26,000 sq ft, the Grand Ballroom is flanked with additional 3 halls, 1 VIP room, reception areas and grand foyers. The students were then briefed and trained by Mr. S Kuhathasan Sivathasan, Director of Food and Beverage on the VVIP service for the following day.

During the VVIP service day, the students helped in transforming the ballroom into a grand buffet lunch venue for the VVIP with red carpets. Each student was assigned to 2 tables during the lunch session, which they learned to be more attentive and improve on their multitasking skills. In the evening, the students also helped in mocktails and beverages service. It was an all-round the clock service for DH students on the day, from morning tea-break to evening mocktails service that required a definite amount of focus and strength to do it.

During the last day, the students were taken on a Familiarization Tour (FAM) to First World Hotel’s Laundry Department to check out on the multi-million set-up and technology involved in processing an average of 60 tons of laundry a day. The FAM also included the visit to a 2-football fields size Central Production Kitchen that housed the ‘Lobster Hotel’ for Burger & Lobster and ‘Aged Care Center’ for Wolfgang's Steakhouse.

In addition, the students were also brought on a tour to visit the different rooms available in the Crockfords Hotel, which is one of the most luxurious hotels mentioned in Forbes Travel Magazine. Students were all impressed by the modern and sleek interior design of the hotel rooms. It was a new and memorable educational experience for the students.