RYTHM Foundation’s six-month-long Maharani School Programme (MSP) held in five national schools has successfully ignited self-confidence in over 200 adolescent girls who participated in the programme.
RYTHM Foundation, in a statement today, said a report produced to gauge the outcome of the programme held between July and December last year had indicated that MSP empowered numerous participants to conquer their fears, overcome insecurities and cultivate vital academic and personal growth skills.
RYTHM Foundation head Santhi Periasamy said the sessions and academic coaching classes helped the students discover their inner strength, improve their self-esteem and develop a strong study ethic.
"The milestones from the monitoring and evaluation of the MSP included 90 per cent of the participants projecting a positive image and self-confidence," she said adding that all of them acquired the invaluable skill of goal setting, equipping them with a powerful tool for personal growth and achievement.
The MSP's inaugural ‘Self Discovery’ stage, involving 14 to 16-year-old girls from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Gombak Setia, SMK Bandar Rinching, SMK Batu Unjur, SMK Tengku Idris Shah and SMK Tengku Ampuan Jemaah were focused on teens with low-income households to address educational disparities in underserved communities.
According to the report, MSP, a QI Group's social impact initiative endorsed by the Education Ministry had collaborated with PINTAR Foundation, an educational non-profit organisation in early 2022 to introduce the MSP programme in these schools.
"The programme was conducted by five facilitators trained by RYTHM, who clocked 1,600 hours – the equivalent of 60 school days – with the students, providing holistic training module of eight sessions covering identity recognition, gender, ethnicity and culture, reproductive health, body image, relationships, children’s rights and goal-setting," it said.
Meanwhile, the report found that the students displayed increased engagement and energy as the programme progressed and most became more open and willing to share their challenges at school and home.
According to the report outlined, during the first phase, the girls discovered their inner strength and enhanced their self-esteem through regular sessions and academic coaching classes and the programme allowed the participants to form their personalities, encouraged them to work hard and develop a sense of responsibility.
"While interest and participation in the after-school programme were initially low, most learned to express themselves better by the programme’s end. An essential aspect of this is the trainers who built trust with each student and impacted their lives to a great extent,” according to the report.
Since its inception in 2010 in Sungai Siput, Perak, it said the MSP has impacted the lives of over 8,000 girls and young women.
By focusing on life skills development and academic coaching, the report indicated that the programme has proven to be an inspiring example of targeted interventions creating tangible positive outcomes.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency