Category Archives: Training

Training

Macaranga Mentorship on Just Energy Transition

28 May 2026: THE US-Israeli war on Iran has increased Malaysia’s energy vulnerabilities, as with the rest of the world. This increases the so-called Energy Trilemma challenges that Malaysia faces as it transitions away from fossil fuels to renewables: enery security, equitable access to energy, and environmental sustainability.

Ensuring security and access (particularly affordability) is now urgent as spiked and spiking oil and gas prices hit citizens and economic sectors. They require responsiveness and action by the government and agencies as well as businesses and the public.

The two areas also impact each other: citizens see and feel affordability issues. But behind the scenes, ensuring security also impacts affordability, particularly since Malaysia is heavily dependent on imports whether for ‘old energy’ (eg. coal) or renewables (eg. China-sourced solar panels).

The Macaranga Mentorship on Just Energy Transition 2026 seeks to highlight these 2 areas of affordability and security in local media through the mentorship and production of 4 stories. Two will focus on affordability impacts on the public, and two will investigate cross-border issues of security. The project will have a strongly visual approach, whether photos or video.

The project seeks also to build capacity among journalists in:

  • Reporting on just energy transition
  • Local and cross-border reporting, and
  • Using visuals to bring home the story

Check back here for updates and look out for their stories in the coming months!

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Training

Macaranga Environmental Reporting Mentorship

Nine issues tackled in journalism supported by Macaranga's Environmental Reporting Mentorship

21 August 2025: From ikan bilis fisheries to light pollution and waste management, the Macaranga Environmental Reporting Mentorship 2025 saw the production of features by 5 journalists and 5 news pieces by university students.

This project was supported by a grant from the Youth Environment Living Labs (YELL) administered by Justice for Wildlife Malaysia.

Our objective was to promote environmental messaging that is based on facts, guided by science, driven by data, is balanced and aligned to global environmental aspirations. It also promotes the role of the media and youth as key civil society actors and drivers of change.

Journalists learned reporting skills and gained knowledge about environmental issues in Malaysia (SL Wong)
  1. Capacity building of journalists

We held a workshop for 12 reporters from different newsrooms to build their skills and up their knowledge on environmental issues. We then gave out 4 grants for 4 journalists to produce stories, and mentored them for 4 months.

Check out their indepth investigations:

Screenshot: Covers of stories produced unders the Macaranga Environmental Reporting Mentorship 2025
Screenshot: Covers of stories produced unders the Macaranga Environmental Reporting Mentorship 2025

2. Capacity building of university students

In collaboration with Universiti Malaya and Taylors University, we put students through a workshop and mentorship to produce news stories and related social media content. The students came from  journalism and science disciplines.

Five groups received grants and were mentored to work on their chosen topics on respectively food and electronic waste, overconsumption, and biodiversity loss. Check out their stories on the YELL website (July 2025).

Group tackling waste checking in with mentors.
Group tackling waste checking in with mentors.
Nadzirah Rosley at 1Utama Recycling Center. (Credit: Zhang Tong & Puteri Nor Alisha)
Nadzirah Rosley at 1Utama Recycling Center. (Credit: Zhang Tong & Puteri Nor Alisha)
A resting Oriental Blue Dasher (Brachydiplax chalybea). (Credit: KW Chew)
The group on biodiversity feature an Oriental Blue Dasher in their piece. (Credit: KW Chew)

A forum was also held and a student in the audience, Dharyaasri Karthigesan, was applauded when she said that young people liked to have fun but also cared about the environment. However, youths needed adults to create spaces for them; at the same time, adults needed to take young people seriously.

With thanks to all the newsrooms and journalists as well as university students who participated! Much gratitude to our subject matter experts, as well as fellow trainers, mentors, and collaborators including Aidila Razak, Kuek Ser Kuang Keng, Dexter Chan, Lau Chak Onn, Muhamad Iqbal Fatkhi, Ian Yee, and Hilal Azmi.

At the forum, industry-university collaborations would encourage more students to be interested in environmental journalism (Dai Yixuan/Universiti Malaya)
At a forum featuring academics and working journalists, a conclusion was that industry-university collaborations would encourage more students to be interested in environmental journalism (Dai Yixuan/Universiti Malaya)

Call for Applications ~ For Journalists: Reporting on the Environment

UPDATE: CLOSED – APPLICANTS HAVE BEEN SELECTED. CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR DETAILS OF THE WORKSHOP.

Are you itching to report on the Malaysian environment? Do you need help shaping your story idea and bringing it to fruition? Are you eager to apply data and mapping in your stories?

If you are nodding, then we have designed the perfect workshop for you!

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