PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 13 (2): 147-158 (2005)ISS : 0128-7702

Universiti Putra Malaysia Press

Benchmarking Best Practices in Youth Associations in Malaysia: A Case Study

EZHAR TAMAM, ZANARIAH MOHD OR & ZAMREE YAACOBLaboratory of Youth Studies

Institute for Community and Peace StudiesUniversiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Keywords: Best practices, youth association, benchmarking, Malaysia

ABSTRAKBerdasarkan kepada premis ke signifikan persatuan belia dalam pembangunan kapasiti belia,satu kajian telah dijalankan bagi mengenal pasti 'praktis terbaik' dalam kerja pembangunanbelia dalam kalangan persatuan belia di Malaysia. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kajiankes dengan menganalisis satu persatuan belia yang menerima anugerah Persatuan Belia Terbaikdi negara ini bagi tahun 2004. Data di kumpul melalui temu bual secara mendalam, analisisdokumen, dan kaedah pemerhatian. Data dianalisis menggunakan kaedah statistik kualitatif.SembiIan penggerak utama-merupakan praktis terbaik yang memacu kemajuan dan impakyang dihasratkan oleh persatuan-dikenal pasti: (1) persekitaran yang menyokong kapasiti dankeperluan belia untuk pembangunan, (2) program berasas-keperluan yang mantap yang menarikminat ahli dan komuniti umum, (3) sokongan kuat daripada masyarakat, (4) jaringan mantapdan pendekatan kolaboratif dengan kerajaan dan agensi bukan kerajaan yang terlibat dalamkerja belia, (5) komitmen ahli melalui penglibatan mereka di dalam kerja belia, (6) pemimpinyang komited serta cekap dan ahli jawatankuasa yang berkongsi matlamat dan arah tuju,(7) pentadbiran yang cekap berserta kedapatan infrastruktur yang menyokong, (8) pengawasandan penilaian berterusan terhadap program dan aktiviti, dan (9) peruntukan kewangan mapan.Implikasi kajian dan cabaran masa depan turut dibincangkan.

ABSTRACT

Acknowledging the significance of youth associations in capacity-building of Malaysian youths, aresearch was conducted to identify "best practices" in youth development work among the youthassociations in Malaysia. This was a case study which analyzed a particular youth association thatreceived the Best "Youth" Association national award in 2004. The data were gathered throughin-depth interviews, document reviews and analysis, and observations. The data were analyzedusing qualitative statistical methods. Nine key enablers - defined best practices that facilitatethe desired progress and impact accomplished by the association - were identified: (1)environment that supports youth development needs and capacities, (2) sound, integrated need­based program that attracts members and the broader community, (3) strong support of thecommunity, (4) strong linkage and partnership/collaborative approach with government andnon-governmental agencies on youth work, (5) commitment of the members through theirengagement in youth work, (6) committed and competent leaders and committee members whoshare objectives and directions, (7) reliable administration coupled with availability of supportiveinfrastructure, (8) continuous monitoring and evaluation of programs and activities, and (9)sustainable funding. Implications of the findings and future challenges were discussed.

Ezhar Tamam, Zanariah Mohd Nor & Zamree Yaacob

INTRODUCTIONIn response to the evolving and changingneeds and problems ofyouths in Malaysia, thegovernment has implemented and has a policyto continue to put into practice progressiveyouth policies and programs to ensure thatyouths participate and contribute effectivelyin community and national development. Inaddition to the institutionalized training onyouth development, the youth associationsprovide a platform for the governmen t topursue the agenda of capacity-building of theyouths for community and nationaldevelopment at the grassroots level.

In an effort to streamline and mobilize theyouths and their association's potential aspartners in nation building, the governmentintroduced a National Youth Policy which waslater replaced with the Youth DevelopmentPolicy (YDP) in 1997. Although the revisedpolicy maintained the definition of youth asthose between the 15 and 40 age-group, thedevelopment and implementation ofstrategiesand activities of youth development wastargeted more towards youths between theages of 18 and 25 years. One of the six broadstrategies specified in the YDP is unleashingthe potentials of youth associations i.e. toempower the youth organization to becomean agen t of change and as provider ofcontinuing education programs. Theeffectiveness and sustainability of the youthassociations as a delivery system of youthdevelopment, education and training,however, has been a central issue in the contextof national capacity-building of the youth.

In the year 2005, there were about 8,000registered youth associations in the country.Sadly, it is reported that only about 30% areconsidered active (Utusan Malaysia Online 13January 2005) and this state of affairs isworrying to government. Therefore, theMinistry ofYouth and Sports allocated the sumof RMI0 million in the Eighth Malaysia Planto rejuvenate the inactive registered youthassociations.

In light of the pressing issue of inactivityand unsustainability among many of the youthassociations in the country, it is imperative to

learn from the experiences of a successfulassociation which has been recognized as thebest youth association, in the country. Onesuch is the Youth Association of SungaiGulang-Gulang in Kuala Selangor whichreceived a national award as Best YouthAssociation, in 2004. In addition, there havenot been many empirical studies whichexamined "best practices" in particular inyouth development among the youthassociations, except for three studies by Azimiand Turiman (1994), Azimi et al. (2002), andSaifuddin (2000) all of which focused oncertain factors that contribute to a successfulyouth association.

Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of this research was toexamine the "best practices" of youthdevelopment ofyouth associations in Malaysia.The research details the case of the YouthAssociation ofSungai Gulang-Gulang, situatedin the rural area of Kuala Selangor District,Selangor, which won the best youth associationnational award in 2004. The study specificallyattempted to identify the key enablers - bestpractices - that contributed to the success andsustainability of the Sungai Gulang-GulangYouth Association. The findings of this casestudy validated some of the facilitating factorsofsuccessful and sustainable youth associationsobserved in past studies.

REVIEW OF UTERATUREThe need to develop "best" youth developmentpractices among the youth associations isbecoming considerably more vital becauseyouth associations are expected to playagreater role in community and nationaldevelopment. Best practices may be describedas optimum ways of performing work toachieve high performance, according toRamabadron et al. (1997) and Bassi andCheney (1997). Although there is no single"best practice", as the word best is not best perse to everyone, "best" practices are those thathave been shown to produce superior results,selected by a systematic process and judged as

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exemplary, good, or successfully demons­trated, as argued byJarrar and Zairi (2000).

Geringer et al. (2002), asserted that bestpractices are those that facilitate effectivenesswithin specific organizational and societalcontexts that an organization operates. Some"best" practices may be unique to anorganization's societal and organizationalcontextual factors, while others may not be sounique as to preclude their utility andapplicability elsewhere. This conception of"best practices" underscores that there arethree categories of best practices: context-free,con text-specific, and con text-dependen t.Con text free best practices are generallyapplicable and effective across differentorganizations or situations, regardless ofsocietal and organizational contextual factors.Context-specific best practices refer topractices found to be effective in oneorganization or setting and might betransferred successfully to anotherorganization or situation with a similarcontextual background. Context-dependentbest practices imply that the societal andorganizational conditions are so importantthat the best practices cannot be effectivelyreplicated in other organizations.

Drawing on the above arguments, thepresent study focused on the context-specificbest practices that the youth association in thiscase-study adopted. The study, nevertheless,does not rule out the possibility ofapplicabilityand utility of the identified best practicesacross situations with a similar contextualbackground.

There are two ways of benchmarking bestpractices, one, is to identify a commondenominator across different organizationswhich are related to organizational success andeffectiveness. This method would yield'proven' best practice and this could becontext-free best practices - a good practicethat has been determined to be the bestapproach for many organizations. The otheris using a case study approach - the methodemployed in the present study. This methodwould yield 'good' practice: method,procedure or process that has beenimplemented and has improved the

performance of an organization (andsatisfying some element ofstakeholders' need)and substantiated by data collected from theorganization (Jarrar and Zairi 2000). The casestudy approach is useful in identifying context­specific and context-dependent best practices.

While the practice ofawarding, the annualthe best youth association in the country hasbeen going on for the past eighteen years, asystematic empirical study on the successful orexemplary youth association is lacking. Thefew related studies conducted in this area arethose by Azimi and Turiman (1994), Saifuddin(2000), and Azimi et at. (2002). In theirexploratory qualitative study of factors thatcontribute towards the sustainability of youthorganizations, Azimi and Turiman (1994)identified twelve key deter-minants: (1)supportive infrastructure, (2) proactiveleadership, (3) clear agenda of developmentfor both members and the community at large,(4) development and training program basedon problems and needs, (5) goodorganizational structure with clear division oftasks and focus, (6) sharing of trainingexperiences among members and communityat large, (7) stable financial support, (8)economic and spiritual developmen tconcerns, (9) support and active participationfrom members and the community at large,(10) continuous monitoring of programs andactivities, (11) strong linkage withdevelopment agencies, and (12) recognitionand continuous motivation. Some of thesefactors were also observed in a small surveyconducted by Saifuddin (2000).

These factors were validated in a follow­up survey of sustainability among youthassociations and as a result a model wassuggested specifying the relationships of keyfactors affecting performance of youthassociations (Azimi et al. 2002). The modelpostulated three thrust activities ofa successfulyouth association, namely programdevelopmen t, spiritual developmen t andeconomic developments. According to Azimiet al. (2002), youth resource development,financial resource management, andinfrastructure development are critical inputfactors, while leadership, governance, and

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networking are the critical support factors. Ina study of best practices in projectmanagement, Loo (2003) noted that bestpractices do not emerge from a vacuum.Rather, an organizational culture must exist,which values and nurtures best practices.

METHODOLOGYThe study was conducted using the case

study approach. In-depth interviews, reviewand analysis of documents, and observationmethods were employed in collecting data.The data were collected in the month ofJanuary 2005. All the interviews, documentanalysis, and observations were conductedentirely by the researchers. Prior to datacollection, decisions were reached on thevariables of the study, the interview protocol,interviewing technique, the documents to beanalyzed, and things to observe.

The semi-structured interviews involvingsystematic probing procedure was firstconducted on the first week ofJanuary 2005.The second interview was on the fourth weekof January. The same respondentsparticipated in the two interviews. Therespondents were the chairman, secretary,treasurer, and two committee members, all ofwhom have been involved in the organizationfor at least ten years prior to the interviews.Both interviews lasted about two hours each.The semi-structured interviews revealed veryuseful and detailed information. Theinterviews focused on the following aspects:(1) program and activities, (2) organizationalstructure, leadership and managemen tpractices, (3) membership, (4) developmentand training of committee members, (5)financial resources, (6) achievement andimpact, (7) strength of the association andunique features, and (8) constraints andchallenges. Interviews with four members ofthe association who owned and operatedeconomic projects were also conducted tolearn about their perceptions and thoughts oftheir association and how the youth associationhas helped them in their project (particularlywith regard to development and training) andthe impact of the project on the community.

The project owner-cum-operator respondentswere also interviewed twice, on the first andfourth week ofJanuary 2005. As an incentive,they were paid a small fee for participating inthe research. All interviews were tape­recorded.

Minutes of meetings, annual reports,program proposals, photos, certificates andletters of acknowledgement and recognition,and reports especially prepared forpresentation to the panel of jury during theevaluation for best youth association at thestate and national levels, were the documentsreviewed. The document analysis was foundto be critical in arriving at details about theorganization and its activities. Similarly, theobservation method was useful in gatheringfacts on the activities and achievementsaccomplished by the Association. It enrichedand verified the information obtained throughboth the in-depth interviews and documentanalysis.

The data were qualitatively analyzed basedon the objective of the study, wich was,facilitating factors and best practices of youthreSOurce development identified based on theexperience ofThe Youth Association ofSungaiGulang-Gulang. The first step in the dataanalysis was transcribing the notes takenduring the interviews followed by identifyingthe themes related to an effective andsuccessful youth association. Qualitatively, keyenablers and lessons related to best practiceswere identified.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONA discussion of the relevant organizational andprogram attributes of the Association isappropriate as it provides the context forinterpreting the present analysis of "bestpractices".

Organizational and Program Profile of the

Association

When the Association was initially formed,unity among the youths and between theyouths and the community was the agenda ofits movement, thus, economic-based projectinitiatives were not the priority. But over the

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years, the role of the Association expanded toinclude not only income generating projectsbut also a provider of continuing education­at the community level. The responsibility toorganize the Association and provide the linkto the community during its formative yearswas the village leader. He was very supportiveof the Association and served as an advisor,motivator and resource link. His endorsementwas echoed with support and cooperationfrom the villagers and this enabled the firstchairman of the Association to lead andmanage the Association smoothly andsuccessfully. After the first chairman's era, theAssociation was led by five different youthleaders and the Association continued tomaintain good relationship with the variouscommunity leaders over the years. Furtherdiscussion on the organizational structure andprograms and activities follow.

Organizational StructureAs at 2004, there were 344 male and 104 femalemembers, and their age ranged from 16 to 40years. About 52% of the members werebetween 31 to 40 years old, 24% were between21-30 years, and about 9% in the 15-20 yearsage group. Associate membership made upabout 14%, suggesting that the Association hadthe support of the elders even though they didnot hold any administrative position in theAssociation.

In terms of organizational structure, theAssociation was headed by a president, assistedby a vice president and two deputies, secretary,treasurer, and supported by a 16 memberscommittee comprising 9 males and 7 femalesand three advisors. All positions were for atwo-year term, through democratic elctions inan annual general meeting of the association.The chairman at the time of this study, the fifthchairman of the Association, was in his 30s anda secondary school teacher. Being a teacher,he is a strong proponent oflife long educationand is very much interested in youth work. Hisprofessional training helped him in managingthe Association. He spent about three to fourhours a week on the Association, mostly duringweekends.

The main committee meets once a month,on a regular basis, to plan, implement andmonitor programs and activities. Inputs fromvarious stakeholders including the advisorswere sought during these meeting. Oneimportant feature of the composition of themain committee is that it comprised a mixedbackground of volunteers - governmentservants, workers in the private sector and self­employed business people -who are interestedin youth work. This was one of the strengthsof the Association. Eight members of the maincommittee were teachers and the rest were self­employed or had worked in the private sector.The self-employed business members broughtin their experiences into the Associationparticularly in terms of implemen tingeconomic projects. One of them headed theeconomic bureau of the Association. Inaddition to their experience, working as a teamwas highly valued in the Association, asindicated by all the respondents.

The organization was structured into eightbureaus with each is headed by one of thecommittee members. The Association's set­up appears to be a flat structure and eachbureau had a well defined responsibility andtask. The bureaus were established aroundcore themes in youth development work, andconsistent with their goals and priorities. Thebureaus are also relevant in the context ofchanges and progress occurring in thecommunity. For instance, in 2002 theAssociation formed an InformationTechnology and Communication Bureauwhen the village was identified as one of thesites of the national project on RuralInformation Port undertaken by thegovernmen t to provide informationtechnology to the rural area.

The Association has a clear sharedobjective, as stipulated in the organization'sconstitution. Its main objective was to impartgood knowledge, positive attitude and topromote a healthy lifestyle among the youththrough programs and activities which wereorganized or participated by the Association.The Association was guided by their motto"Progressive, Interesting and Profitable". The

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philosophy behind this motto was eachmember should strive for emotional,intellectual, spiritual betterment, and physicaldevelopment. This motto does not onlyappear in official documents but is mentionedfrequently in speeches and talks by leaders, asindicated by the president and committeemembers.

Program and ActivitiesThe Association has been active since itsformation. Its programs and activities werewell received and participated by its membersand the community. The viability of theprogram and the visibility of the Associationwere perhaps attributed to the fact that itreceived strong support from the VillageSecurity and Development Committee. Thecontinued strong support from the VillageDevelopment Committee was ensured evenwhen there were changes in leadership in thevillage leadership.

The programs and activities were designedto be appealing to members and thecommunity, and strove towards providingequal opportunity for all to participate. TheAssociation believes that all programs andactivities must bring benefits to the members,the association and the community at large.

The Association had no problems ingetting sponsorship for implementingprograms and this indicates the support andthe trust the Association got from the public.In addition to a fixed income frommembership fees and rental from a shop houseowned by the Association, it relied onsponsorships either in kind or financialsupport from individuals, groups and agencies.To ensure accountability and transparency,utilization of fund needed the approval of themain committee in their monthly meetings.Report on their financial standing were alsopresented in the monthly committee meetingsand annual general meetings.

With regard to programs and activities, theAssociation actively pursued relevant programstowards improving all aspects of youthdevelopment. Programs implemented orparticipated in the Association are clustered

into social, academic, spiritual, and economicprograms. Some of the programs wereregularly conducted, such as tuition classes andcomputer literacy classes; while others wereperiodical or a one-time project, such as theYouth Carnival Day. The main intention of thenon-economic programs was to create anenvironment that supports the youthdevelopment needs and capacities, particularlyin the domain of identity and ability. It ishoped that through the activities e.g. "For theYouth and By the Youth", the village youthswould imbibe a sense of safety, awareness,spirituality, high self-worth, a sense ofresponsibility and would experience qualityrelationships with peers and adults, and havea sense of hope or purpose for their future.

One important feature of the Associationwas the organization and/or participation ina range ofattractive programs that are reievantto the youths and the community. In order toenhance a broad participation from the youthsand support from the community, theAssociation worked on the principle oforganizing integrated programs, whichaddressed social, psychological, spiritual,educational and economic needs of the youth.All the programs were determined andimplemented in consultation with many of thestakeholders (youth and communityrepresen tatives and the reievant agencies suchas Ministry of Youth and Sport, Ministry ofAgriculture and Agro-based Industry tomentioned a few). The consultation was donenot only during the monthly committeemeetings but also through informal surveyordiscussion with some youths to air theiropinions on any proposed program. Anotherimportant aspect that guided the Associationin designing a program was to focus on thecommunity resources, in addition to issues andneeds of the youths and the community.

The Association also adopted the idea ofservice-learning program. It is hoped that theyouths would learn social and managementskills through their participation in programimplementation. Some programs weretailored for specific age groups while otherswere catered to various age groups. The

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Association placed emphasis on wideparticipation of members and non-memberswhen designing a program. It was also notedthat monitoring of programs was doneregularly during the monthly committeemeetings. In most cases, post-mortemdiscussions were held to talk about lessonslearnt from the implemented programs.

While the non-economic programs weremostly decided based on consultation with theyouth and the community, the economicprograms were determined based onindividual interests and needs. Some of theincome-generating projects were initiated bythe youth members themselves and some wereinitiated by the Association. The Associationencouraged the members to venture intobusiness, expand existing business, or matchbusiness opportunities offered by thedevelopment agencies with relevant businessinterests of members. In both cases, theAssociation functions as a resource link.

As a provider of non-formal education, theAssociation actually conducted many informal,hands-on training and development activitiesand the youths were directly involved in theimplementation ofa program which thereafterdeveloped their social and organizing skills.One of the most salient features of the trainingand developmen t approach is the idea of'serve and learn', and this seems to be widelypracticed. The participants of the program,on the other hand, benefited from theprograms in terms of social and cognitivedevelopment.

Although there was no proper instrumentused in identifying development and trainingneeds, one important positive feature of theAssociation's program was the selection oftraining subjects based on current issues andcommunity needs which were identifiedduring meetings and through informalsurveys. Most of the programs were plannedin consultation with the Village Security andDevelopment Committee and the youths, andwhere appropriate with the relevan tdevelopment agencies.

The Association kept track of training anddevelopment opportunities offered by the

relevant government agencies for its members,particularly for the committee members andpotential committee members. Such trainingwas meant to increase their managerial andfacilitative skills in dealing with the youths. Inaddition to the institutionalized training, theAssociation also organized visit and study toursto relevant organizations and participated instudy tours organized by other organizations.The Association also providedrecommendation letters in support ofmembers who needed to attend coursesoffered by other organizations includinggovernment agencies. Due to its status as asuccessful "model" youth association, theAssociation received numerous visitors withwhom they exchanged experiences and learntfrom each other about youth work. Thevisitors were also shown some of the economicprojects managed and owned by the membersof the Association. In a sense, the visits servedas recognition to the members and thismotivated them to be successful in theirprojects.

In terms of technical training related toeconomic projects undertaken by members ofthe Association, all basic technical courses wereobtained from the relevant developmentagencies. While the Association played aminimal role here, it also helped members,who owned and operated projects, iniden tifying follow-up en trepreneurshipcourses. In addition to attending short­courses, the project owner- cum-operators alsoupgraded their technical knowledge throughself-learning and visitation.

Best PracticesHaving described the organizational andprogram profile of the Association, what arethe practices that proved promising to theAssociation in order to effectively enact its roleas a partner in community and nationaldevelopment and as a provider of continuingeducation for the youths? The present analysishas identified nine key enablers, seen as bestpractices contributing to the success of theAssociation. These are:

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1. Creation of an Environment that SupportYouth Development eeds and Capacities

The youth were provided with meaningful andreal support and opportunities needed todevelop their potential and to utilize theircapacities for self-development and theircontribution to the community through theprograms and activities. They were also givenopportunities to practice and expand on whatthey know and learn in meetings and thestructured programs they participated. Toensure that this support and opportunity factoris met, the Association adhered to the idea thatprograms are based on needs of the membersand the community.

Participative decision making is a wellaccepted mechanism that was in place to getthe necessary input in designing programs atthe Association's monthly committeemeetings. The meetings were attended by theAssociation's advisors and, when necessary,officers from government and non­government agencies. Opinion of ordinarymembers was also sought through informalsurveys or discussions. This practice wasconsidered important by the committeemembers because it enhanced receptivity ofthe members and the community.

2. Sound Integrated Programs and Activitiesthat Attract Members and CommunitySupport

Another key to the success of the Associationwas program relevance in terms of addressingneeds and having a positive impact on theyouth and the community. The managementof the Association viewed the youths in termsof their strengths and assets - and, not justtheir problems. The youths were viewed as aresource and, as such, they were activelyengaged in planning, implementing andevaluating the programs. It is pertinent thatinstead of approaching youth developmentsolely from a problem-based perspective, theAssociation supplemented its program withasset-based approach to youth development.In addition, the need-based developmentprogram principle was adopted; and, to ensuregreater support from the members and thecommunity, the Association implemented

diverse programs (instead of focusing on aparticular type of program and placing lessemphasis on the other types that were ofinterest to the Village DevelopmentCommittee and community). Accordingly, theAssociation focused on a range of programswith the intention of producing a balancedoutlook among the youths. The Associationsuccessfully integrated the concern of thecommunity into its programs, particularly theneed for better educational achievement andspiritual development among the youngpeople, to prepare them for the challenges ofa K-society, in addition to income generatingprograms.

The incumbent president's and the vice­president's background in educationinfluenced their views on education as a toolto inculcate culture of change and progress.They stressed that all programs must implicitlyor explicitly contain certain elements oftraining and development. This is explainedthrough the emphasis on the "serve and learn"approach in youth development programsadopted by the Association. In short, a highvalue on project-based or experiential learningwas placed on education within the integratedprograms.

3. Strong Support of the CommunityEm barking on program-focused andrelationship-focused initiatives towards aneffective youth-adult partnership environmentis another key enabler. The Associationconsidered youth and adult partnership as partof its objectives. It was a practice of theAssociation not to use a program strategy onlybut also community strategy to youth work.Establishing and sustaining good relationshipswith the institutions at the grassroots and thecommunity at large was an obvious practice.The mechanisms in place, particularly throughregular meetings, do not only create a senseof belonging but it also provided opportunitiesfor the youths to develop a relationship with acaring adult connected to the program andwith the community. It is noticed that theAssociation is fortunate to have a development­receptive community, and this facilitates inimplementing programs for the youth. As an

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outcome of the relationship-focused program,the Association obtained a strong andcontinuous support of the community. Theatmosphere of mutual respect among theyouth Association, the Village DevelopmentCommittee and the community at large wasclearly evident.

4. Strong Linkage Partnership Approach toYouth Work with Governmental and on­governmental Agencies

The practice of collaborative planning withrelevant government and non-governmentagencies which were responsible for youthdevelopment proved to be a beneficialapproach to youth development work. TheAssociation emphasized partnership andcollaboration with other agencies in order toprovide more opportunities and support foryoung people, as is evident from the fact thatmost of its programs with the VillageDevelopment Committee and/or governmentagencies are collaborative. More importantly,it has been responsive to the opportunitiescreated by the government for social andeconomic development. The Association wasable to achieve the desired impacts of theyouth development programs because it madepartnerships an organizational priority.

The active involvement ofreievant officersin related development agencies throughmechanisms such as regular participation inmeetings and program implementation as wellvisits to the project site enhanced the capacityof the Association to deliver effectively thedevelopment programs for the youths. Theparticipation of the officers was not limited totechnical and social know how, butoccasionally they were also invited to officiallyopen or close a program. The meaningfulparticipation of many stakeholders is amanifestation of the viability andprogressiveness of the Association. Frequentformal and informal contact and interactionwith development workers further promotegood interpersonal relations and, in turn,further develop strong commitment from theofficers of the participating developmentagencies.

The leaders of the Association have beeneffective in playing their role as a resource link.They linked the members/programs to therelated development agencies for guidanceand support. The Association not onlywelcomed any form of help from governmentor non-government agencies, it also activelypursued opportunities for collaborative work.Consequently, the members and the villagershave high regard for the Association and theyhave full faith in the sincerity of theAssociation's intentions.

5. Support and Commitment of theMembers Through Their ActiveEngagement

Youth engagement in program planning andevaluation is highly visible in the Association,as evident in the minutes of meetings. TheAssociation received strong support from itsmembers and the community because they sawthe benefits or they anticipated positiveimpacts from the programs. The programsoffer development/enrichment opportuni tiessuch as skill building and service learningactivities. The existing communication systemsuch as the regular mon thly meetingseffectively allows the involvement of itsmembers in determining and settingexpectations from participation. Themembers are viewed as a resource,contributors and leaders in their programrather than consumers or recipients ofservices. In this way, the members becomeactors rather than recipients. The Associationencouraged its members to work together todetermine, develop and give leadership to theprogram. Accordingly, it is not a surprise tofind that most of the members have a sense ofpride of their Association and itsaccomplishments.

Support and commitment of the memberscame not only because the programs arebeneficial and that they can make meaningfulcontribution, but the fact that the Associationrecognized their participation andcontribution it further enhanced theircommitment towards the Association. It hasbeen a practice that a certificate was given to

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those who had successfully completed aprogram organized by the Association. Thepractice of giving a certificate or letter ofappreciation to the members who had shownexcellent performance is highly valued. Thecertificate was found useful by most of themembers either for job seeking purposes orto apply for government aids or development!training programs.

6. Committed, Competent Leaders andCommittee Members who ShareObjectives and Directions

Any organization must have a critical mass inorder to function effectively. This is the caseof the Youth Association of Sungai Gulang­Gulang. The critical mass has the properattitude and knowledge of youth work. Thepresence ofwell received and effective leaderswho strongly advocate youth participation andnon-formal education in youth developmentis clearly a key enabler. The leaders beinggovernment servants have been exposed tomany courses and training which areapplicable in managing the Association. Asyouth leaders they had also attended severaltraining programs specifically related to youthwork. A strong team comprising membershaving mixed but complementingbackgrounds and experiences are the strengthof the Association.

The willingness of the key leaders tocommit time and energy to the Association andtheir ability to lead are widely recognized as amajor success factor. Not only the key leaderswere very much interested in youth work butit is reckoned that the committee membersthemselves exuded enthusiasm andcommitment and therefore were selected andsupported by the community. When theleadership in youth work is openly acceptedby the members and the community, theactivities will have the benefit of both moraland material support from the community andgrassroots institutions.

The spirit of volunteerism is put intopractice throughout the Association. Theywanted to serve regardless of their position inthe organization. Their involvement in the

Association and youth work is not motivatedby personal and political gains. To supportthis point, one of the present committeemembers was a past president, and thissomehow reflects the non existent of anyleadership struggle within the Association'stop leadership.

The organization and all its bureaus wereclear about their goals and mission. Allinitiatives were undertaken in accordance withthe motto "Progressive, Interesting andProfitable," and based on the philosophy thatencouraged autonomy and the developmentofself-esteem. Each bureau had clear divisionof tasks and focus, and considered both thedevelopment and needs of members and thecommunity at large in attaining sustainabledevelopment and complying with the visionofleaders at the state and national level as thegoals and mission.

7. Reliable aAdministration Coupled withAvailability of Supportive InfrastructureThe Association has a reliable administrativestructure. It has its own office or "operational"space to serve as an administrative anddocumentation centre. Situated next to theoffice of the Village Development Committeewithin the same administrative complex, theAssociation effectively shared and utilizedavailable facilitied and resources with theVillage Development Committee which readilyfacilitates the work of recording andpresentation of relevant data for the membersas well as visitors'perusal. The Association'sphysical environment is welcoming to youngpeople, their families and visitors alike. At thesame time, the physical proximity not onlyfacilitates and improves coordination ofactivities of the Association and the VillageDevelopment Committee but also eased accessto facilities for program implementation.

8. Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation ofActivities

The practice of monthly committee meetingsnot only provided a platform for participatorydecision making, but it also allowed forcontinuous monitoring and evaluation of

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Benchmarking Best Practices in Youth Associations in Malaysia: A Case Study

program implementation. Through thesystem of constant monitoring of programs,any weakness that arose from the programswere readily remedied. The practice of post­mortem discussion ofcompleted programs wasuseful as it permitted the Association toidentify lessons learned during theimplementation of programs.

9. Sustainable FundingAnother key practice is making funds readilyavailable to support program implementationon a sustainable basis. Although sponsorshipsfrom individuals, groups, and organizationwere readily available, the Association had itsown constant source of income from smallprojects to ensure that administrative activitiesand implementation of core programs werenot interrupted. Good interpersonalrelationships with key individuals includingpoliticians has enabled the Association toreadily secure sponsorships. In fact, theleaders and committee members wereproactive in seeking funds to support youthdevelopment programs.

CONCLUSION AND IMPliCATIONSNine key enablers were identified from the"best practice""analysis of a "model" youthassociation - the case of the Youth Associationof Sungai Gulang-Gulang. Considering thefact that the Association is situated in a ruralarea, the key enablers identified are readilyapplicable to other youth associations in otherrural areas. This is because the contextualsituations of many of the youth associations inrural areas are similar. Some of the iden tified-"best practices" seem generic organizationalprocesses, for instance, partnership andcollaborative planning, problem and need­based programs, good team work and strongleadership, and effective acquisition andutilization of resources. Thus, the identifiedpractices are also applicable to youthassociations in urban areas.

evertheless, the ability of youthassociations to sustain their success dependson how the identified key enablers could beretained and improved. With the present

trend in media growth and globalization,youth associations face greater challenges toattract youth participation in youthdevelopment programs. Thus, it is very crucialfor youth associations to be more innovativein its programs and activities. The programsmust not only be perceived beneficial butshould be seen as those which could highlyimpact the youths and community. Acollaborative and partnership program withthe appropriate agencies is no longer anoption but a requisite as it will increase theavailability ofsupport and opportunity factorsfor the youths to meet their needs and furtherdevelop their capacities.

In order to improve the effectiveness andefficiency of youth associations as a deliverysystem ofnon-formal education, leaders and/or workers who are involved in leading theyouths must maintain a high degree ofprofessionalism in their work and shouldadopt "best practices" in youth developmentwork. In fact, the demand for professionalismin youth work is all the more pertinent whensociety becomes more educated and criticalespecially on issues like ethnic relations andhuman rights.

Another challenge is the availability ofsecond-line leaders. Considerably, migrationof educated and skillful rural youth to theurban areas will remain a common landscapein population distribution; hence, it isimperative that youth associations must ensurethe availability ofable second-line leaders whoare willing to serve and understand thephilosophy of youth development work.

While the present study pinpoints several"best practices" for wider adoption,quantitative indexes of success (keyperformance indicators) has not been wellestablished. This gap in knowledge must bepromptly addressed. Key performanceindicators are useful in formulating theobjectives of development programs and inmonitoring and evaluating the impacts ofyouth development programs at both theindividual and community levels.

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Ezhar Tamam, Zanariah Mohd Nor & Zamree Yaacob

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(Received: 29 August 2005)

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