Au Jun Wei from Feed Selangor

Set out to mobilize and empower youths towards civic organizing and community building in fostering a more socially conscious generation.

My journey started after founding the first volunteering club - People’s Club in my high school that bridged students of all ages to serve and impact our community through fundraisers and volunteering. How can I help? How can I make a change? These are the questions I have always asked myself, especially in the face of social and economic disparities.

During the pandemic, the ripple effects of lockdown had resulted in a recession and heightened unemployment rate; consequently the loss of income for many within our community. During the BenderaPutih movement, the voices of those in need were heard by many good samaritans, companies, and NGOs, who reached out to help. However, with the information scattered all over the internet, some were frankly inaccessible. Hence, the idea of Feed Selangor was born.

Feed Selangor seeks to make food and mental health aid more accessible to those in need, by serving as an information hub, with a centralised food bank and mental health services. Feed Selangor also features a donation and volunteering page that bridges those willing to help to food banks in need of donations and volunteers.

The adverse impacts of policies can never be fully acknowledged through statistics and numbers alone. My experience reaching out to Malaysians impoverished by the MCO and listening to their stories has exposed me to the appalling circumstances our marginalised communities have been enduring; which has further motivated my efforts and reinforced my passion to study economics and its synergistic intersection with public policy, in building a more socially and economically just Malaysia and helping the marginalised to alleviate poverty.

My work in political advocacy for sustainability prior to Feed Selangor and having had congresswomen on a Rise4Rivers’ podcast; our discussions on Malaysia's environmental policy-making process have further my interest in public policy and its ability to solve problems efficiently and effectively.

My empowerment extends across the underprivileged, healthcare workers, the environment, and more in my community. I intend to pursue an education in economics to further enhance my ability to empower our community.