About us

At the helm is Melissa Leong, who previously established and led the Sabah-based youth-incubator programme, Young Leaders for Sustainability (YL4S) in 2017. Melissa also served as the Programme Director for the Borneo Eco Film Festival since 2012 and spearheaded the environmental education outreach by conducting school talks and workshops to more than 1,500 students. In November 2019, they organized the first Environmental Youth Forum in Sabah and presented 15 Youth Pledges to the State Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment. Melissa is also a writer by trade, spending her earlier years as journalist and editor. She uses her knowledge and skills to serve as a trainer for storytelling for film workshops with the SUARA community filmmakers under BEFF since 2012.

Nadine is a Research Officer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) with a passion for sharks and rays. She recently received her Master’s Degree in Fisheries Science from UMS for her research on shark and ray fisheries in northern Borneo.

In her spare time, you'll find her actively championing marine conservation issues in schools and higher learning institutions as an invited speaker and trainer. Among the organisations she has worked with include the Young South East Asians Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), Green Semporna, WWF-Malaysia, UMS and UEMS. In 2017, she and her friends co-founded Borneo Blue - an NGO focused on marine conservation.

As a Young Leader for Sustainability (YL4S) under the Borneo Eco Film Festival, Nadine helped establish
SM Lok Yuk's Young Eco Ambassadors programme in Kota Kinabalu in 2017-2019, which focuses on peer-led sustainable action.

Chung Ngo is currently pursuing her Marine Science Masters (Marine Plankton Ecology) at UMS. A seasoned volunteer, Chung Ngo spent a huge chunk of her undergraduate days volunteering for community empowered environmental conservation programmes. During her time with YL4S, she and her team worked closely with the youth of Pulau Gaya in helping them design and develop waste management solutions for their school and community. In 2019, they built and installed an ocean waste trap to collect floating debris from washing up the shore.

"We may seem tiny as well but we all can make a difference. " - Chung Ngo

Pamela has spent the last few years working with young people and cultivating their love for the English language as a CELTA-certified educator. As a writer and editor, she has served various tourism, travel, lifestyle and property-related publications and continues to freelance.

She served as an active Board Member for the Borneo Eco Film Festival and contributed to the success of the Young Leaders for Sustainability (YL4S) programme as an advisor and mentor.

Pamela's strength lies in communication, having more than 15 years of working experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, specializing in operations and marketing communications. She is also a trainer for the SUARA Community Filmmaking programme under the Borneo Eco Film Festival.

"There is power in telling your stories." - Pamela

Daniella loves the ocean - an avid scuba diver, she is currently pursuing her Masters in Marine Science, focusing on Remote Sensing and Habitat Mapping. She is also a Research Assistant in UMS.

Daniella spent most of her time as a Young Leader for Sustainability (YL4S) working with youths on Pulau Gaya on improving their waste management system. She also led the 4R Workshops - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse - at SMK Pulau Gaya.

"I enjoy my days out in the sea. Just by looking at the sea, a question always pops in my head: What else can I do for the ocean?" - Daniella