After winning Most Impactful Community Project at ACUM 2024 and reaching the Maldives, HEBAT now expands its youth advocacy work to schools and communities in Sabah.
26 September 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Sept — HEBAT (Henti, Elak, Basmi Asap Tembakau), Universiti Malaya’s tobacco-control advocacy initiative, continues to grow from a campus-driven community project into a wider movement for a tobacco- and vape-free generation. Built on youth advocacy, peer education and community empowerment, the initiative has continued to expand through its ongoing train-the-trainers (TOT) model, creating a ripple effect among university students, school communities, youth leaders and partners across Malaysia.
HEBAT’s journey began as a Universiti Malaya-led effort to empower young people with the knowledge and confidence to advocate against tobacco use. Since its launch under a university Grand Challenge in 2015 (Tobacco Control Advocacy Programme led by Associate Professor Dr Nur Amani Natasha binti Ahmad Tajuddin), the programme has trained university students as tobacco-control advocates, reached adolescents through school-based education, and strengthened collaborations with health, education, university and community partners. That sustained impact earned HEBAT the Anugerah Cemerlang Universiti Malaya (ACUM) 2024 award for Most Impactful Community Project, a recognition of nearly a decade of work in youth empowerment, public health advocacy and behaviour-change education.
The project has also carried Malaysia’s tobacco-control advocacy beyond national borders. In January 2025, HEBAT reached the Republic of Maldives through a knowledge-transfer programme for school counsellors and students, supporting efforts to empower young people for tobacco- and nicotine-free schools. The Maldives programme marked an important international milestone for HEBAT, showing how a Malaysian university-based model could be adapted for educators, counsellors and students in another country.
The latest movement of HEBAT’s community empowerment work was seen on Saturday, 26 September 2026, during the TOT HEBAT session held at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. The session brought together new trainers who will continue carrying HEBAT’s tobacco-free message into wider circles. Among those contributing as part of the trainer team were UM medical students Anis Sofiah and Anis Solehah, reflecting the project’s strong emphasis on youth leadership and peer-led health advocacy.
Now led by Dr Karleen Chong, HEBAT is building on that history of collaboration, creativity and community impact. Its approach is simple but powerful: train committed young advocates, equip them with evidence-based tobacco-control knowledge and communication skills, and enable them to bring the message to schools and communities. Through this model, each trained trainer becomes a catalyst for wider awareness and action.
- Won the ACUM 2024 award for Most Impactful Community Project
- Trained university students and youth advocates through an expanding TOT approach
- Reached adolescents and school communities through tobacco-control and anti-vaping education
- Expanded internationally to the Republic of Maldives through school counsellor and student training
- Strengthened partnerships with ministries, universities, NGOs, schools and community organisations
- Extended its reach beyond Peninsular Malaysia, across the South China Sea to Sabah, the Land Below the Wind
That widening circle of impact has now crossed the South China Sea to Sabah, fondly known as the Land Below the Wind. On 20 September 2026, HEBAT Sabah, in collaboration with Majlis Belia Sabah, successfully completed a two-day programme, marking another important milestone in the project’s nationwide expansion. The programme showed how the HEBAT model continues to travel through trained individuals, passing knowledge, skills and advocacy from one group to another.
The momentum continued on Saturday, 26 September 2026, during the TOT HEBAT session held at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. The session brought together new trainers who will help carry HEBAT’s tobacco-free message into schools and wider communities. Among those contributing as part of the trainer team were UM medical students Anis Sofiah and Anis Solehah, reflecting the project’s commitment to youth leadership, peer-to-peer education and student-led advocacy.
HEBAT Sabah is set to return in October, signalling continued commitment to sustaining the momentum and deepening its work with local youth and community partners. From its beginnings at Universiti Malaya to national recognition at ACUM 2024, from international engagement in the Maldives to school-focused TOT expansion across Malaysia, HEBAT continues to create ripples of awareness, leadership and action toward healthier, tobacco-free communities. Follow HEBAT_UM on Instagram for updates on upcoming programmes and community activities.
Prepared by Associate Professor Dr Farizah Mohd Hairi, Dr Siti Idayu Hasan & Associate Professor Dr Nur Amani Natasha binti Ahmad Tajuddin.
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