Nur Afiqa Amani

Nur Afiqa Amani Muhd Safwan Sajani has a soft heart when it comes to the issue of mental health, launching “It’s Okay” in 2023 as a response to the lack of mental health awareness amongst Malaysians. The award-winning project is targeted towards young people who struggle with anxiety and depression.

Through this project, she has led her team in conducting several activities such as socio-emotional learning workshops, origami therapy, dance parties, and nature walks. The project utilises visual concepts like emojis to help students express their feelings and introduces activities that involves physical movements and creativity which enable students to channel their emotions. A plus point of her approach is its inclusivity – with its adaptable techniques, Afiqa has been able to provide comfortable alternatives to special needs peers afflicted by the same emotional turmoil.

Given the role that art plays in her approach, Afiqa was able bring this topics to light as a panel speaker representing Malaysia in the virtual China-Southeast Asian Symposium “Towards Ecological Civilization: Education For Sustainable Development” hosted by UNESCO and SEAMEO. There, she touched on the importance of preserving living heritage and folklore through performing arts, and the role of vocational education in providing an alternative education to students.

Later down the road, in 2023, Afiqa was selected to be a guest speaker at the in-person Youth Summit in Manila, Philippines, organised by SEAMEO INNOTECH, where she was fully sponsored by the organiser to talk about her project. She was also afforded a conversation with the Minister of Education at a national conference in Selangor. Through these appearances, “It’s Okay” was able to gain visibility and become one of the recipients of the 2024 Amal Fund for scale-up purposes to benefit a wider community.

To make difference in people’s life by first touching their hearts and let them know that there are others who want to assist them in any way that is possible