Copyright 2023 by Iskandar Malaysia
 
 

Social
As an economic corridor, Iskandar Malaysia focuses on holistic and comprehensive growth agenda, understanding the importance of balancing economic prosperity, quality living and a resilient environment.
 
Vision

Vision
 
A prosperous and harmonious community underpinned by social inclusion and equitable wealth sharing.
 
 
Mission

Focus
 
 

Programmes by IRDA

Awareness Before Change Programmes
IRDA has early on and continued to conduct awareness and educational programmes with the communities highlighting the importance of participating in the economic and social agenda. Over the years, the programmes have increased the communities awareness and understanding of the benefits from the development which are related directly to the new economic activities in the region. The programmes have increased communities participations to access opportunities and improved their socio-economic standing.

Village Enhancement and Empowerment Programme
Getting local communities to be involved economically is one of the key agendas in Iskandar Malaysia social development framework. In the effort to improve the economic integration between cities and villages, IRDA has invested in various projects to enhance the viability of the businesses operating in these areas. IRDA introduced Village Enhancement and Empowerment Programme (VEEP) to sustain the dynamism of the villages and the communities with regards to growth in development nodes in Iskandar Malaysia. VEEP covers 23 villages and its project proponents comprise Kawan Iskandar Malaysia (KIM) and Iskandar Malaysia Pusat Orang Desa (IMPOD). KIM focuses on empowering the village communities through operationalising of social enterprises, and IMPOD supports in empowering youths in rural areas.

Urban Farming
The establishment of Iskandar Malaysia Urban Farming (IMURFARM) project is to enable the lower income group earners to participate in small to medium scale food production, mainly vegetable production for own consumption and sale. In the long run, the project will contribute to the reduction of food expenses component from the aggregate cost of living (food is one of the three largest compositions of cost of living). Indirectly, the project optimises the use of designated open spaces in the urban area and improved the local community cohesion. Over the years, the project has evolved in diversification in crop output and cultivation techniques. The communities that work on the farm have experienced sales growth up to 60% on average when compared to previous years.

IM Makmur
The core component of IM Makmur lies in the skilling and up-skilling process through training for members of the society who are facing hardship such as the physically challenged, single mothers and low-income earners. They have enrolled in trainings such as motor mechanic, entrepreneurship, beauty care, food preparation & handling, and maternity care. Their income level of the participants before participating in the programme and after was compared, and it was reported that the participant’s income level has increased by about 40%.

Smart Healthy City and Community Programme
The Smart Healthy City and Community programme in Iskandar Malaysia generally comprises two elements; educating and reaching out to the people and communities in Iskandar Malaysia to embrace a healthy lifestyle through public events, and to encourage the conducive eco-system in enhancing the quality of life through awarding of Iskandar Malaysia Smart Healthy City Township (IMSHC) Status. The programmes have garnered the participation of over 20,000 people annually and growing, and 4 townships have been awarded with the  IMSHC status. The initiative to propagate social connectedness in achieving a cohesive society regardless of culture, ethnicity, education level and social status will always be the mainstay agenda in Iskandar Malaysia.

Youth Development Programmes
Youth aged between 16 to 40 years old in Iskandar Malaysia, is almost half of 48% of the population.

A strategic and holistic youth development framework for Iskandar Malaysia which comprising harnessing their potential of the youth has been developed to stress Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA)’s commitment towards placing youth at the epicentre of its development goal to transform Iskandar Malaysia to be a strong and sustainable metropolis of international standing.

IRDA has also been active since 2009 in crafting and executing many youth developments programmes to complement the national and state youth agenda in collaboration with various agencies and stakeholders which covers aspects such as infrastructure development, capacity building, mindset change, employment and entrepreneurship, and others.

Platform for the youth comunity to gather, exchange ideas and organize recreational activities in line with the interest and demands by today youth generations:

Youth Development Programmes
 

Pusat Orang Desa Iskandar Malaysia (IMPOD)
 

Iskandar Malaysia Youth Empowerment Fund (IMPOWER)
 

Johor Student Leaders Council (JSLC)
 

Youth Biz (T2B)
 

Iskandar Malaysia Social Hero Award (IMSHA)
Community leaders who champion the agenda of social connectedness are given the centre stage in advocating good deeds in Iskandar Malaysia. Iskandar Malaysia acknowledges not only the leaders but also the personalities through an annual event to spot, recognize and celebrate those who are making a difference through social services. Dubbed as Iskandar Malaysia Social Hero Awards, the project is 100% run and managed by a not-for-profit entity and utilizes the social media platform for the members of the public to submit the nomination. The first event was in 2014 and the total number of nominations was 173. Cumulatively the number has reached 800 in 2019 which means it has incrementally inspired more people to take up charitable work. It was also reported that this initiative has encouraged individuals, organizations, companies to innovate in addressing new social challenges.

The award categories are disaster relief, animal and wildlife, public safety, education advancement, environment preservation/protection, health services, human empowerment, poverty and hunger relief, corporate social responsibility, social innovator, and arts, culture and heritage. A social impact rating was developed for the nominees, which are based on the social impact, frequency, visibility, sustainability, inclusiveness, ethics, and source of fund. 2019 was a special year for IMSHA since United Nation has joined the foray to benchmark IMSHA against global standards and at the same time promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 

Iskandar Malaysia Arts and Culture Programmes
Iskandar Malaysia has introduced various initiatives under the artist and cultural professional mobility agenda such as Iskandar Malaysia Beyond Boundaries Programme (IMB2P).  It has bridged the gap which hinders several artists and cultural professionals to engage with the wider spectrum of international partners. IMB2P has spurred participating artists’, practitioners’, and students’ mobility further through grant disbursement. The accumulated number of projects that received the grant has reached 43 and they are from the exploration & network, outbound, and inbound categories.

Efforts to improve the Public Arts as a medium to improve the sense of belonging among the local community, while improving the streetscape and liveability factor in the city is also ongoing.  Public Art Guidelines has been developed, and a pilot residency programme for local young artists to design the public art structure for Sungai Segget landscape was conducted.  The installation of these artworks that incorporates local character, historical and heritage elements will be a testament of Iskandar Malaysia’s acknowledgement of the importance of arts and culture as part of our holistic development plans.
Copyright 2023 by Iskandar Malaysia
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