KUCHING: The Ministry of Youth and Sports Sarawak has so far approved a total of 42 Sarawak Youth Creative Industry Fund (SYCIF) applications, involving an expenditure of RM1, 332,133.65.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said out of the total applications approved, 11 were for this year.
Meanwhile, 26 applications were approved last year and five in 2019.
“I am confident that applications will continue to increase until the end of this year,” he told a press conference after chairing the 2021 Sarawak Youth Development Committee Meeting held at Waterfront Hotel here today (April 8).
The fund, he said, aimed to assist youth in the management of more creative and innovative arts and culture-based programmes such as music, film, drama, theatre and innovation.
However, he stressed that the fund was specifically for those who wanted to polish their skills and not for entrepreneurship or business-related purposes.
For the record, the state government allocated RM5 million to kick start the SYCIF in 2019, to assist youth in improving their talents related to arts and culture fields.
In November of the same year, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari, during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, announced the addition of RM4 million for the fund, bringing the total amount to RM9 million.
The SYCIF fund is open to all Sarawakian youth aged 19 to 40, be it individuals, groups or organisations.
The application form can be obtained from the ministry’s website at www.myss.sarawak.gov.my.
Also present at the press conference yesterday were Sarawak National Youth Organisation (Saberkas) secretary-general Safiee Ahmad, the ministry’s permanent secretary Nancy Jolhi and Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) chief executive officer Dr Ong Kong Swee.
