The title for the conference held from the 14th to the 18th of December 2002 was 'Sustain Today For Tomorrow', with the theme "Conservation - Protect Our Heritage". It was very apt and befitting with Malaysia's and the rest of the world's governments' current endeavour to preserve their ecological and cultural heritage. The main objective of the conference held at the Ayer Keroh Country Resort in Malacca, and attended by 262 children and youth, was to educate young people about their environment and empower them with the knowledge that every single person has the ability to make their world a better place. Apart from that, the conference also served as a platform for young people to interact and share ideas especially through the presentations by delegates from all over Asia, including Brunei, Philippines, China and Malaysia, and participation from Singaporean delegates.

The activities during the span of four days comprised of interactive workshops conducted by Peroy Kirchner from Globetree; Sweden, John Woodbury and Clinton Cheney - veterans to the YAWA scene- from the Woodbury Boston Environmental School, Albany, Australia, and Rama Devi Prasad and Terence Lim, volunteers from the Malacca Heritage Trust, as well as games and friendship group activities conducted by the untiring organisers. The unorthodox approach taken by the individuals who conducted the workshops were indeed an eye-opening experience capable of expanding one's horizons, be it intellectually or emotionally.

Peroy's workshop taught children (and adults) to speak up and express themselves the best way they know how, and reminded us of the power of words and body language, for the simplest of words can move people, communities, and even governments. John Woodbury and Clinton let the participants experience for themselves how precious water and the earth's resources are to us. John managed to take everybody on an emotional quest to discovering how everything on earth works in symbiosis with each other. Rama and Terence brought the participants on a heritage trail around Bandar Melaka- to almost all of the historical sites- which opened everybody's eyes to the rich and diverse cultural heritage Malacca and the whole nation, possesses. The delegates also had the opportunity to convert their experiences and what they had seen onto canvas during the mural painting session. It was interesting to see how a plain piece of canvas was turned into a melting pot of every individual's ideas.

I also learnt during the conference from working with and observing 17 special needs individuals, that these individuals are all beautiful in their own ways. They live in their own world that nobody but themselves can fathom. However, their antics were amongst the main highlights of the conference (who can forget Ah Moi boy!), and they were very responsive and receptive to their surroundings, and what they were taught, shedding a totally different light than any pre-conceived ideas anybody would have had about them. The participants, escorts, organizers, and volunteers were also very tolerant and understanding with the needs of these individuals, and I commend everybody for trying their best to accommodate to the needs of these individuals. I certainly learnt a lot from them- much more than I could ever teach them.

As a volunteer for the conference, I felt privileged, for I was given the opportunity to work with children, and be reminded of how capacious and creative their minds are, as well as attend the workshops that brought back hope to myself and many others. My maiden endeavour with YAWA was probably the most enriching and invaluable of experiences.