TO MANY people, Malacca is about great food and historical buildings. However, it only took four days for participants of The Star BRATs Malacca 2009 workshop to realise that there was more to the historical city than meets the eye.

The experience was shared by 39 teenagers aged 16 to 19 from across the country, who gathered at Straits Meridian Hotel, Malacca, from March 14 to 17 to participate in The Star’s young journalist programme.

BRATs Malacca 2009 workshop participants interviewing Chan Cheak Tham, 82, who's been making wooden buckets for 70 years near Malacca's famed Jonker Street.

Even natives of Malacca felt that way . “As someone from Malacca, I was surprised to see sides of the city that I had never seen before,” says Sarenraj Rajendran, 19. Throughout the course of the four-day workshop which kicked off the 16th year of the programme, the BRATs discovered new journalism skills – from writing to photography to video making.

As always, the participants would also get a chance to put their newly learnt skills to test. This time round, the BRATs were unleashed onto the streets of Malacca. One the first day of the practical training, heritage enthusiasts Josephine Chua and Colin Goh were on hand to talk to participants and show them some of the historical and heritage sites.

During the trip, participants were expected to keep their eyes and ears peeled for potential stories they could work out and produce, either through written articles, photo essays or videos. “The experience was very eye opening,” says Choong Andrea, 17, from Subang. “You had to dig for your own stories which was something I was not expecting.”

One of the highlights of the BRATs experience is that participants are exposed to cultures, locations and people they would not usually meet. This workshop was no exception as the BRATs had chance to find out how a Baba and Nyonya wedding is done from a wedding planner, Cedric Tan . Tan also gave them a glimpse into the life of a Baba and Nyonya family and their home. They also got to check out a few of the dying trades in Malacca including old wooden buckets, pottery and joss paper.

It wasn’t all just fun and games, however, as the BRATs also got a taste of the pressures of deadlines that journalist deal with on a daily basis. However, many felt that the pressures worked to their benefit as they learnt to work together as a team and forged closer bonds with one another. “I have got new communication skills making me a more sociable person. I have always wanted to be a journalist and thanks to BRATs, I still want to be a journalist,” said Mariah Atifah binti Jamil, 16, a student of SMK Convent Klang. “I also now realise that a journalist is not only confined to writing but can use other types of media to disseminate news and information.”

The participants of The BRATs Malacca 2009 workshop editing their videos for their assignments.

On the last day, the BRATs were treated to a self-defense session. Protection of youths is a cause that StarYouth is committed to, and this workshop was organised as an extension of that commitment.

Senior BRATs Loke Yin Hoei, an instructor with Yoshinkan Aikido Malaysia, conducted the workshop where the BRATs were given a hands-on-exp erience to try out different self defense techniques based on everyday scenarios they may encounter.

Senior BRATs Loke Yin Hoei from Yoshinkan Aikido shows participants of the BRATs Malacca 2009 workshop Melissa Koh, Chong Ee Lyne, Foo Jen Yin, Laura Lau and Cho Zhi Qing some self-defense skills.

The four days whizzed past fast for the participants, and soon they had to bid each other farewell just as they are forging close ti es with their peers. But, like with most other participants at previous workshops, the Malacca 2009 BRATs left with new friends, new skills and for some, a new way of perceiving the world.