As Kuala Lumpur continues to urbanise, natural spaces such as rivers, lakes, parks, and forests are facing increasing pressure from development, pollution, and environmental degradation. Recognising the need to cultivate environmental awareness and stewardship among young people, The Planet Prodigy (TPP), a youth-led environmental initiative driven by UM students, developed the Kuala Lumpur Urban Green-Blue Spaces (UGBS) Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) Handbook. The project was supported by Yinson through the Yinson4Youth (Y4Y) 2026 grant, with support from the Universiti Malaya Sustainable Development Centre (UMSDC).
Kuala Lumpur Urban Green-Blue Spaces (UGBS) Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) Handbook
Designed primarily for youths, the handbook serves as a practical guide to help young people explore, understand, and care for urban green-blue spaces.
Guided by the “head, hands, and heart” approach, it combines knowledge, hands-on experiences, and emotional connection to nature to encourage meaningful environmental action. The handbook also highlights how simple initiatives such as waste reduction, clean-up activities, citizen science participation, and environmental advocacy can contribute towards building a healthier and more sustainable Kuala Lumpur.
In conjunction with World Environment Day 2026, TPP, together with Yinson and UMSDC, marked the soft launch of the UGBS Handbook through a community engagement programme at Sungai Pantai within UM. The event brought together 45 volunteers comprising Yinson employees as well as UM students and staff, reflecting a shared commitment towards environmental sustainability and youth empowerment.
During the launch, participants also engaged in two experiential learning modules. Module 1: Sense of Place invited participants to select their favourite urban green-blue space (UGBS), map their chosen natural site, and share personal reflections on how the place made them feel. This activity encouraged emotional connection and deeper appreciation of local natural environments. Module 2: Place-based Citizen Science introduced participants to the role of citizen scientists, where they conducted an ecoblitz using the iNaturalist platform to record and document biodiversity around the Tasik Varsiti area. This hands-on experience strengthened participants’ understanding of urban biodiversity while contributing valuable observations to citizen science efforts.
As part of the programme, participants also collected approximately 39kg of waste and took part in plogging activities around the river, lake, and surrounding campus areas. Beyond the clean-up effort, the event demonstrated the importance of collective action in protecting urban green-blue spaces while showcasing how partnerships between youth organisations, universities, and industry can inspire greater environmental awareness and stewardship among future generations.
