Mr. Raymund N. C. Jagan was invited to MYC to give a talk on Personal Safety for Teens, Conscious Caregiving, and The Broken Windows Theory. His presentation provided valuable insights and practical advice, engaging both staff and students.
St. John Ambulance from Melaka Tengah conducted a valuable CPR safety course for the staff and students of MYC. The training focused on essential lifesaving skills, including performing CPR and responding effectively to emergencies. This course has equipped MYC members with the confidence and knowledge to act swiftly in emergencies, reinforcing the importance of preparedness and community safety.
Representative from the Muar Reporters Association took the time to visit Montfort Youth Centre (MYC). They were warmly welcomed by Mr. Donald, who guided them on a tour around the various departments. During the visit, the guests had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of MYC’s mission in providing vocational education and personal development for underprivileged youth. The visit was both insightful and engaging, as they learned about the Centre’s efforts in shaping a brighter future for youths.
At our organization, safety takes centre stage. On August 28, 2024, the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (Bomba) conducted our annual fire drill. Bomba personnel worked diligently to ensure that both students and staff were well-prepared for emergencies. They provided comprehensive briefings on safety protocols, evacuation routes, and emphasized the critical importance of responding promptly to fire alarms. But that’s not all—Bomba went the extra mile. During the drill, they organized a mock fire extinguishing practice. Staff and students actively participated, learning effective techniques for tackling fires in emergency situations. The entire experience was both informative and impressive, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Bomba team.
From March 15–17, the school grounds are transformed into a bustling campground, full with MYC boys eager to start their three-day experience. Every size tent scattered across the terrain serves as a little haven for our in house campers. The goal of this in-house camping program is to provide students a great chance to connect with their peers outside of the typical classroom setting. Long-lasting connections and memories are forged by common experiences like preparing meals together, telling stories around the campfire, and even overcoming the difficulties of pitching up a tent. Students returned to their dorms at the end of the camping trip with a deeper respect for nature, priceless memories, and useful life skills.
The staff and Board Member of MYC embarked on an enlightening educational tour to Han Academy. The purpose of this tour was to promote a collaborative attitude between the two educational institutions and to exchange best practices and information. The tour’s high point was participating in interactive sessions with Han Academy’s instructors and headmistress, Ms. Song. These conversations gave rise to insightful conversations on their pedagogical practices and methods for engaging students. The trip to Han Academy was more than simply an educational excursion; it was also a step in the direction of strengthening the network of educators committed to developing the next generation of leaders.
On March 6, 2024, Dr. Yee, a dedicated professional working in the psychiatric unit and also a valued member of our Board of Governors, generously devoted his time to deliver a talk on children with special needs to all MYC staff. Dr. Yee discussed various forms of learning disabilities that children may experience. As educators, it is essential for us to understand these challenges and explore effective ways to support these young learners. Beyond medical interventions, Dr. Yee underscored the importance of a holistic approach—one that encompasses emotional support, education, social integration, and community engagement. In his closing remarks, he encouraged all to embrace diversity and champion inclusion. By doing so, we contribute to a world where every individual’s potential can truly flourish.
In honor of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the three statues of Jesus, Mother Mary, and St. Louis de Montfort were blessed on December 8, 2023. The statues received the blessing after the Mass which was officiated by Brother Mark. It was an exquisite and profound festivity as all students and staff participated in this meaningful event.
MYC is definitely endowed with a plethora of lovely souls. Malaysian Youth String Association (MYSO) has organized Borque Mania, a musical orchestra, to generate donations for MYC. MYSO musicians and two special invitees performed classic songs on a range of musical instruments at the concert. It was a beautiful occasion, and we thank MYSO for their brilliant idea to contribute back to the community, in this case MYC. Thank you very much, MYSO!
MYC conducted a seminar on how to provide care for special needs children on July 20, 2023. The featured speakers were Azon Connect People Development licensed therapists and counsellors. The panel addressed an array of critical issues for all staff especially on Autism and learning disabilities in children. A Q&A session also took place near the conclusion of the talk for staff members to learn more about special needs children. As a whole, it was a quite insightful presentation.
A group of ten staff members from MYTC in Sabah visited MYC for a three-day exposure visit welcomed by Bro. Peter K. The trip’s goal was to provide them with exposure and education. Additionally, the instructors from both institutions also exchanged a lot of information especially on the teaching methods and resources. While they were here, they also enjoyed sightseeing and touring MYC as well.
On 8/6/2023, the Young Health Programme, a global disease mitigation program with an emphasis on young people aged 10 to 24, living in unsafe conditions and under-resourced circumstances, was organized as part of Astra Zeneca’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative in collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation. The primary goal of this presentation was to raise awareness about the most frequent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, lung illness, and mental health. This discussion, which focused on kidney disorders, is intended to increase youth awareness of the need for timely detection of NCDs and healthy living. Basic health screenings were also performed on the boys, and each boy was given a goody bag.
During the Awal Ramadan, Good Friday and Wesak public holidays, it was a carnival of activities for the boys. The boys had a great time partaking in various events like as telematches, BBQ, and karaoke. The Buddhist boys also had a prayer session during the Wesak Day celebration. This was an opportunity for boys to unwind from their hectic routines and spend time with their peers.
The M2W Club brought roughly 300 bikers to Montfort as part of their 25th anniversary celebration. The program’s goal was to provide the MYC with the necessary exposure and prominence. The programme began with MYC Director Bro. Peter K thanking the bikers for selecting MYC as part of their anniversary programme, followed by the M2W Club presenting MYC with a mock cheque. Later, the bikers were treated to a visual presentation before being taken on a tour of MYC. During the biker’s event, the boys and staff were also selling chicken rice, tomato rice, drinks and cakes to generate funds. The bikers, on the other hand, recounted their various experiences and advocated the students ride their bikes or operate their vehicles with caution while on the road. We would want to thank all of the riders that came out to support our students.
On March 9th, the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department returned to Montfort Youth Centre after four years to conduct a fire drill to ensure that everyone in the building knew how to evacuate quickly and quietly in the event of a fire. When the fire warning was sounded, everyone moved to the allocated emergency assembly location. Following that, officers from the fire department instructed everyone on the dos and don’ts of utilising a fire extinguisher. Aside from that, the officers conducted a brief training session with the boys and staff on how to successfully suppress a fire in a crisis circumstance utilising various types of fire extinguishers. As a whole, both the boys and staff learned a lot from the fire drill practise.
Blood is a valuable gift that saves lives, thus donating blood is an incredible and selfless act of giving back to society. MYC boys indicated that they, too, are compassionate and kind hearted by participating in a blood donation drive conducted by the Malaysian Hindu Sangam in MYC on February 28, 2023. While some of the boys had previously given, the bulk of youths were excited to give blood considering it was their first experience with blood donation. The boys’ blood was checked and they were examined medically before they could donate. Everyone who contributes gets a bag containing food and a beverage in exchange for their donation.
On February 8, 2023, a group of 31 students and 2 teachers from Catholic High School, Melaka visited Montfort Youth Centre (MYC) as a part of their educational excursion. They were taken on a tour of the entire compound, including the homes and workshops. Prior to the trip, MYC’s Head of Academic Program, Ms. Sreemathy, gave the students information on the courses offered and what they may do once they finished them. Along with admiring the landscapes created by the previous year’s students, the youngsters were quite fascinated to see how efficiently the MYC youth maintained their school grounds. The teachers expressed their gratefulness to Bro. Peter, Mr. Donald, member of the Board and the staff for accommodating their request.
On October 5, 2022, Brother Assistant General, Bro. James Kuriakose made his canonical visit to MYC and visited all of the departments and construction project. During the morning assembly, Bro. James delivered the youth a rousing speech about how their demeanour, commitment, and diligence will define how accomplished they become. We appreciate the kind words shared by Brother Assistant General, and we pray that the Lord safeguards him as he travels far and wide sharing his life selflessly. Here is a man who inspires us to follow his example by living up to his words.
Ms. Yuka Saito, a Japanese volunteer from Technical University Melaka (UTeM), gave a seminar on “Japanese Recycling” to all the students in the department of information technologies. All the boys were fully involved and motivated by her zeal and exciting style of delivery. She also presented numerous instances of how we might recycle materials which we no longer wanted. On the whole, the talk was entertaining and informative.
A discourse on personal safety and security as well as how to be streetwise was given to all students and employees by Dato Christopher Wan, a former chief police officer of Melaka. Datuk Christopher astounded everyone in audience with plenty of alarming facts and sparked a significant amount of knowledge and understanding.
Through their CSR initiative, BP Castrol Lubricants (Malaysia) and Continental presented a one-day session on the fundamentals of lubricants and tyres to all of the automotive students. In addition to receiving hands-on instruction in exercises for diagnosing damaged tyres, mounting and demounting, and balancing during automobile maintenance, the students were also taught the correct lubricant specifications for various types of cars. Additionally, KFC was provided for all students and staff in charge for lunch. We express our gratitude towards them for imparting their wisdom and affection to our students.
Through the assistance of Puan Siti from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Melaka Tengah, DSP Nor Azlinda Binti Hj Nordin, Pegawai Turus Kepolisan Komuniti Melaka and officials from the Police Department visited MYC to speak to the staff and students on sexual harassment cases among children. Hearing someone with extensive topic expertise was eye opening. The students engaged in a Q&A session following the presentation, and some of them earned a lot of goodies for taking part. The officers shocked everyone in attendance with startling numbers and raised awareness throughout.
All the coordinators and Students’ Affair officers benefited in a 1-day training on Basic CPR & AED Training which was to give them a better understanding on how to manage the situation during emergencies. We would like to thank Bacang Charity Team for their time and knowledge shared.
MYC is incredibly fortunate in that we are regularly supported by a large number of caring individuals and organisations. To add to the list, the CIMB Foundation recently provided 45 units of Dell computers and 5 units of Drones to the IT Department in order to modernise it much further. On April 1st, 2022, officials from the CIMB Foundation came to formally inaugurate the IT Department’s Improved Learning Training Program. The Montfortians owe a debt of gratitude to the CIMB Foundation for their continuous encouragement.
Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) Bukit Katil has always supported the efforts of MYC in educating these needy youth. The relationship between ILP and MYC was taken a step further by signing a collaboration memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 21 October 2021. We hope this will further strengthen the ties between ILP and MYC especially in educating these youth in need.
The pandemic has a taken toll on our income as we are fully dependent on public donations. Due to the ongoing pandemic, our incoming donations have dropped tremendously. Adding to these, we were also unable to organize our charity carnival event for the past two years. Thus, Montfort Youth Centre has recently started a new fundraising campaign as a mean of raising fund for our institution by selling Christmas fruit cakes and Panettone. With these funds, our organization will be able to increase of our income to help these needy youth. To find out more about how we plan to make a difference, please do not hesitate to WhatsApp/Call us at 014-980 0012. We at MYC sincerely hope for your supports and helps in this difficult time. May God Bless each one of you abundantly!
17 October 2020 marked an important new chapter for Montfort Youth Centre, with the ground-breaking ceremony of the Phase 1 buildings. The buildings consist of a multi-purpose auditorium, with management offices on the ground floor, 4 auditoriums for badminton courts, storage rooms, stages, and dining venues. There are classrooms and activity rooms in the building, as well as a student affairs office, including offices, prefect’s offices, meeting rooms, infirmary, counselling rooms, etc. Expansion to include facilities for the disabled.
The expansion represents a new era of excellence as it finally happened after nearly a decade of negotiating and planning. Due the coronavirus pandemic, a public ground-breaking ceremony was held within the MYC community, brothers and Board of Governors. The new expansion will enable MYC to accommodate more young people, provide more new courses, and will also expand the general maintenance and information technology departments. Construction of Phase 1 buildings are expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
We wish many more good things will happen in future!
On the 26th August 2020, MYC invited Pn. Shahrawati Binti Shahbudin, from Jabatan Kebajikan Malaysia (Melaka Branch), to present a constructive talk on Child Protection Policy and Acts 2001 to all MYC staff and students. It was a half-day session and Pn. Shahrawati presented it extremely well to all present. MYC students and staff prompted few practical questions to clarify their doubts. We sincerely hope to seek the continuous guidance and support from Jabatan Kebajikan Malaysia.
From 9th August 2020 till 10th August 2020, Bro. Peter K., brought the Student Affairs’ Department for a short retreat in Port Dickson. The department underwent three productive sessions conducted by Bro. Peter, which were the key challenges the SAO face in the department, developing proper communication skills and the economic future of MYC. The SAO had the opportunity to willingly share their sincere thoughts and opinions. It was indeed an eye-opening and memorable experience which will be treasured forever.
If there is one fundamental thing this recent Covid-19 pandemic has taught all of us it is the importance of cleanliness. It has been months since MYC was closed due the Movement Control Order and it is time for the Institution to open its doors again for learning. Staff have returned to work and they undertook some minor cleaning but still there are a lot left to clean and sanitize. A “Gotong-Royong” was held on 25 June 2020 where all the staff together with some boys decided to clean the MYC compound before officially calling the 2nd year boys back. The staff and boys worked together to trim the over-grown grass, sweep and properly dispose waste in MYC compound. Sanitization was also done throughout the compound and buildings. By late afternoon, the place was clean as a new pin. Brother was happy and sincerely thanked all the staff and boys on their impressive work. It was a job well done.
Parishioners from St. Theresa Church, Masai, Johor paid a casual visit to Montfort Youth Centre during the Hari Raya Haji public holidays. They were first introduced to MYC through a brief video and later, they were brought for a tour around MYC. The visitors were curious and had a lot of questions for the boys and staff on the routine operation of MYC. After that, they were served with a simple tea break before saying their final goodbyes. Overall, it was undoubtedly a wonderful day for the group of church members and also MYC.
Reproductive Health Association Malaysia (RHAM) under MySihat, organized a half day fun filled social programme for all the boys of MYC. There were a bunch of productive activities prepared for them to participate while having fun doing it. The prime objective of this programme is to foster a healthy mind besides empowering themselves with relevant mental health skills. The boys also each received a good bag, a participation certificate and some delicious lunch provided by the organizers. MYC is thankful to RHAM for their wonderful initiative.
Montfort Youth Centre (MYC), has always been accepting individuals or organizations that wish to visit MYC with open hands. Recently, MYC welcomed a group of 30 students and 5 teachers from SMK Tun Mamat, where the students just finished their PT3 examination. The organizing teacher, Ms. Chee said she chose MYC as one of their educational visits as MYC is known as a leading skills institute which caters underprivileged youths. They were first introduced to MYC through a video clip and later, Mr. Razak, one of MYC coordinators brought them around the premise and briefed them about each department. The visitors later presented a souvenir as a token of appreciation to MYC and they also bought some tit-bits for the boys. MYC always feel privileged to host visitors as such.
From the 24th – 27th of July, our Provincial Superior, Bro. John Albert was in Montfort Youth Centre for his Canonical visitation. The purpose of this visitation is to get together and spend time with Bro. Peter, staff and MYC students. He spent some time with MYC boys to see what they are busy at besides giving them the much-needed encouragement. Joining Bro. John was Fr. Eduord, Fr. Pascal, and Bro. Sambou Gervais from Burkina Faso and Senegal respectively who paid a friendly visit to MYC. They were taken around MYC, introduced to all the staff and given an insight into the vision and mission of MYC. A mass was held prior to the priests’ and brother’s departure and MYC feel privileged to host not only our Province Superior but also the priests and brother who came all the way from the African continent. MYC is very grateful for their kind gestures and words of wisdom given to the boys.
All the teachers and student’s affair officers (SA) were involved in a 2-day training on “Bloom’s Taxonomy” which promotes higher forms of thinking in education, such as analysing and evaluating concepts, processes, procedures, and principles, rather than just remembering facts. All the teachers and SA had a better insight on how to handle students besides finding new techniques to make learning easier and fun. We would like to thank the trainer, Mr. Edmund Tay for taking his time to share this invaluable knowledge.
A total of 26 students and 5 teachers from Montfort Junior School came to visit Montfort Youth Centre (MYC) on 20th June 2018 as part of their learning trip. They were brought for a tour around MYC compound such as the roll call area, general maintenance workshop, motor mechanic workshop and etc. The young ones were very much intrigued to see how well the MYC youth maintain their school compound besides admiring the landscapes done by the previous year students. Before they left, they presented some handicrafts made by MJS students and also some cash donation for our MYC youth.
ENE Melaka Sd. Bhd came to MYC to bring joy and cheer to our students. All the students of MYC received goody bags and red packets from Magnum and they were delighted. MYC is grateful to Magnum for their continuous help and contribution. Thank you Magnum.
A group of superbike riders paid a surprise visit to MYC and spent some time with the students. They shared many experiences and advised the students to ride or drive their vehicles carefully when on the road. We thank all the bikers who came and showed great concern and effort to help our students.
Board member of MYC, Mr. Mark Pillai spent an afternoon giving a talk on Entrepreneurship to Year 2 students. This was his second session with the students. It was an eye opener for the students listening and interacting with him. We thank Mr. Mark Pillai for his kindness in sharing with the students.
Key personnel of MYC, MBT & MYTC attended a 3-day Montfortian Education Charter (MEC). Bro. Dominic Yeo Koh sg. Supervisor of Schools, Singapore, was the speaker and Bro. John Albert sg. Provincial Superior of Province of Malaysia-Singapore was also present at the seminar. At the end of the seminar all three institutions brought home their Vision for the MEC to be implemented in their respective institutions. The team will further study the Charter so as to pass on the Vision to the staff, youths and community on the 300 years legacy of Montfortian Education.
Rev. Bro. KM Joseph sg., Assistant General of the congregation of Brothers of St. Gabriel, Rome, visited MYC for three days. Bro. Joseph spoke to the students during his stay and met up with key staff to exchange views on the Montfortian Education. It was an expression from the heart of the Monfortian Education to reach out to the poor and underprivileged not just to enable them to be trained in skills but also to instil values in Character Formation.
Bro. Prem and Bro. Vasanth from the Montfort School, India visited MYC from 3rd-7th May, 2017. The Heads of Department of MYC met with the Brothers to share and exchange their experiences. Bro. Director had earlier taken them around to introduce them to the staff as they visit the workshops. The Brothers also spoke and mingled around with the students.