From the 2025 JCI South Key Press Conference: Activating Youth, Accelerating Johor
Do You Want to Generate Currency or Create Value?
On 22 June 2025, I was invited to speak at the JCI South Key Press Conference. The theme that day was powerful: Activating Youth, Accelerating Johor. Held at Haverse Gallery in Kulai, it wasn’t just an event. It was a gathering of minds-civic leaders, youth innovators, business directors, and changemakers-brought together by a shared belief that Johor’s future isn’t just about infrastructure or investment. It’s about people. It’s about the kind of values we want our next generation to carry as they inherit the world we’re building now.
With so much focus today on AI, digital transformation, and ESG reporting, it’s easy to forget the one ingredient that can’t be coded: character. And so, in a room full of energy and ambition, I asked a quieter question: In a world chasing speed, profit, and relevance-what truly defines wealth?
When My Son Said, “Papa, You’re Rich”
A few weeks ago, my son looked at me and said, “Papa, you’re rich.”
It made me pause. There was something sincere in how he said it-almost as if he was asking a question at the same time. I asked him what he meant. And then I explained:
I’m rich in health. I can wake up each day without pain, without medication. That’s a gift I don’t take for granted.
I’m rich in relationships. I have friends I can call at 2 a.m., people who know the real me and choose to stay.
I’m rich in family. I have the privilege of raising children who challenge me to grow every day.
I’m rich in purpose. I don’t wake up confused. I know why I work, why I lead, and why I serve.
And financially? I have food on the table. I have a roof over my head. I have enough.
The more I reflected on it, the clearer it became: Wealth isn’t a figure. It’s a feeling. It’s not stored in a bank. It’s carried in your breath, your integrity, your relationships, and your vision. So I told him, gently: If your definition of rich starts and ends with money, you will spend your whole life chasing and never feel full.
The Future Isn’t About Skill Alone. It’s About Soul.
At Stellar Education Group, the question of the future isn’t hypothetical. It’s lived. We run schools. We work with teachers. We shape students. And in the past two years, I’ve seen how the rise of AI has sparked both excitement and anxiety.
Everywhere we look-ChatGPT, Grok, Claude-there’s a new tool. A new update. A new pressure to keep up. But what no update can replace is the substance of being human. That’s why we’ve had to clarify our vision not just for education, but for how we prepare young people for what’s coming.
We developed a model around three phases of readiness:
Growth Ready – This is where students take ownership. They learn not because they’re told to, but because they want to. They stop studying for their parents. They begin studying for themselves.
Impact Ready – This is where success shifts from self to others. The brightest student means little if they never lift someone slower. True value is measured in how we make others better.
Future Ready – This isn’t about career prediction. It’s about capacity multiplication. When a student teaches others, their own growth accelerates. They don’t lose knowledge. They deepen it.
In a world obsessed with speed and skills, this approach brings us back to what education was meant to be: a journey from self-awareness to social contribution.
The Hidden Cost of External Validation
One of the deepest gaps I see today is between inner identity and outward perception. Our generation wasn’t raised on followers and filters. But today’s youth are immersed in it. Validation comes in metrics: likes, views, shares, awards. And the problem isn’t the platform. The problem is the addiction.
When we chase constant affirmation, we lose the grounding of intrinsic worth. We forget how to sit in silence. We forget how to value effort that isn’t seen. And we start mistaking applause for purpose.
Biology supports this. Dopamine rewards short-term spikes: that new like, that promotion, that viral comment. But it fades fast. Oxytocin, however-the hormone linked to trust, connection, and giving-lasts longer. That’s the paradox. We’re wired to thrive through relationships, not recognition. But our systems reward the opposite.
The longest study on human happiness, conducted by Harvard over 80+ years, concluded that strong, healthy relationships-not wealth, not fame-are the best predictors of long-term well-being. That’s what we want for our youth. Not just success. Sustainability.
Wealth That Doesn’t Fit in a Bank Account
This is why, in 2019, we articulated a vision at Stellar: Raising a generation of STARS for a sustainable future. We knew it had to be more than environmental. It had to be emotional. Ethical. Enduring.
So we created the STARS framework:
- S – Self-Awareness: The foundation of all growth. Know who you are, not who others say you are.
- T – Teachability: If you can’t learn, you can’t lead.
- A – Attitude: Facts matter. But attitude directs your future.
- R – Relationships: Especially in an AI-driven world, humanity is your edge.
- S – Significance: Success is achievement. Significance is impact.
Alongside this, we developed another tool for leadership in education and business: the 3 P&Ls.
- Profit & Loss – The financial reality. Every organization needs sustainability.
- Passion & Love – The cultural soul. Without passion, the profit dies quietly.
- Purpose & Life – The legacy. What lives on when we’re gone?
I’ve used this not just in schools, but in corporate coaching. Because every enterprise, whether conscious or not, runs on these three forms of currency.
From Sports Day to Significance
Let me give you a practical example. At Stellar, Sports Day has always been a highlight. But this year, we changed it. Historically, the day rewarded competition. The fastest. The strongest. The most athletic.
But when you serve students from early years to secondary, that system unintentionally excludes the youngest. So we redesigned the event. We made participation meaningful for all. Teamwork mattered more than trophies. Encouragement became the goal.
Because education isn’t just about performance. It’s about belonging. Leadership isn’t about position. It’s about inclusion. And value isn’t just what you achieve-it’s what you invite others into.
The Johor We Want Starts With the Youth We Shape
Let’s zoom out.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report says 50% of all workers globally will need reskilling by 2027. But the top emerging skills aren’t just technical. They’re emotional intelligence, resilience, and values-based leadership.
And here in Malaysia, a 2024 DOSM survey showed that 46% of youth fear their future job security. Yet those engaged in community efforts-like JCI projects-report stronger clarity, confidence, and emotional well-being.
That’s why the work of JCI South Key matters. Through platforms like the Greenpreneur Festival, JOM ESG Seminar, and The Last Straw Johor, they’re not just planning events. They’re growing people. And they’re proving that youth aren’t just participants-they are multipliers.
Three Questions to Leave With
During the panel, I ended with a challenge. But it wasn’t flashy. It was personal.
- Have you earned a certification-not for your résumé, but for your character?
- What are your top three values-and would your team say the same?
- Are you building something that will outlive you? Or just outcompete others?
We don’t need more titles. We need more testimonies.
The Reverse That Redefines It All
So here’s the truth I carry from that day:
The opposite of wealth isn’t poverty. It’s purposelessness.
And the most dangerous thing we can teach our youth is to chase applause instead of impact.
Real wealth doesn’t always show up in financial statements. Sometimes, it shows up in your team culture. Sometimes, it’s in the quiet trust of a child. Sometimes, it’s in a Sports Day where every child feels seen.
Value first. Wealth follows.
That’s not a tagline. That’s a future we can build-together.
