IT was a BRATs camp of two extremes.
We went from staying at a cushy luxury resort, to riding through the jungle on the back of a truck and shovelling elephant poo.
It was exciting, relaxing, exhausting and emotional, but we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
The BRATs Raub 2015 young journalist camp was one of the most memorable BRATs camps EVER – and we’ve been running these camps since 1993!
Held at the Casabrina luxury resort in Raub, Pahang, the camp is the first of three which R.AGE will be organising this year, and boy did we start out with a bang.
The 34 participants, some of the most talented aspiring journalists from across the country, were sent on unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime field assignments.
They included a truck ride to the Sungai Dalam orang asli village, a behind-the-scenes look at the National Elephant Conservation Centre at Kuala Gandah (where they got to hug some baby and adult elephants) and, of course, a tour of the unique, eco-friendly Casabrina resort.
The journalists that facilitated the camp – R.AGE editor Ian Yee (yours truly), R.AGE journalist Lim May Lee and Star2 entertainment journalist Kenneth Chaw – were each assigned a group of participants, and the challenge for each team was to come up with the best stories, photos and videos to be published here in The Star next Tuesday.
Yee giving a workshop on journalism, and how it is important to practise it responsibly. All the workshops at BRATs Raub were held at Casabrina’s cozy reception area, which overlooks a stunning valley.
Despite the rivalry, the mood was always positive.
In fact, some of the BRATs were telling us how inspired they were by the talent around them!
Don’t be surprised if some of these BRATs become top journalists some day, changing the world story by story.
To all the participants at BRATs Raub, there’s only one thing left for us to say, and we’ll say it with great pride – welcome to the BRATs family!
You lot are now officially BRATs teen journalists =)
Day One:
Workshops, workshops, workshops
The participants of BRATs Raub 2015 getting an introduction to the BRATs programme out by the pool at the Casabrina luxury resort.
After registration, the BRATs had a whole day of journalism-related workshops.
Apart from the technical stuff (photography, videography, writing skills, etc.), they also learned how to be responsible, ethical and fair journalists.
Kevin Boey from Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd giving the BRATs an exclusive workshop on photojournalism. Veteran Star photojournalist Samuel Ong was also there throughout the camp to share his knowledge.
Day Two:
Trip to the orang asli village
The journey to the Sungai Dalam orang asli village was an adventure in itself as the BRATs got to ride through the jungle on the back of a truck
A convoy of pickup trucks took us through the jungle to the Sungai Dalam orang asli village. We also had a tour of Casabrina’s unique facilities, and interviewed its owner, Felix Tee.
Day Three:
The elephants in the room
The BRATs helped feed the elephants their brunch, which was three sticks of sugarcane each.
We didn’t just get to play and take a whole bunch of selfies with the elephants, we also got to feed them, clean their enclosures, and speak to the people who help rescue and train them.
Day Four:
BRATs for life
On the last day, we made the super hard-working Kenneth an honourary BRAT (he applied in 2007, but his camp was canceled because of the SARS outbreak), and that sparked an emotional final few hours at Casabrina.
Star2 entertainment journalist Kenneth Chaw dreamed of joining BRATs as a teenager, but the camp he applied for in 2007 was canceled because of the SARS outbreak. But since he did such a great job leading #TeamKenneth at BRATs Raub, we made him an honourary BRAT, and his team presented him this beautiful special edition BRATs T-shirt! We won’t lie, there were a few tears shed…
So much feels… Things got really emotional as Arunn Suntharalingam from #TeamMayLee gave a moving speech thanking the R.AGE and Star journalists who facilitated the camp. These kids are so sweet! :’)
The farewell was temporary, of course, because we have a little saying here at The Star: Once a BRAT, always a BRAT =)
Scroll down below the comments for all our photos from BRATs Raub, courtesy of veteran Star photojournalist and BRATs trainer SAMUEL ONG.
Tell us what you think!