From Jungle To Boardroom: Raleigh Expedition Shapes Malaysia’s Young Talent
By Linda Khoo
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- As her peers prepared for university life in 2008, Yap Lu Ying shouldered a backpack and walked into the jungle towards a place with no roads, no mobile signal, and no guarantee of comfort.
At just 19, the city girl joined the Raleigh Borneo expedition and spent her gap year deep in Kampung Buayan in Sabah. She had to hike for two hours just to reach the village, the same journey villagers and schoolchildren made every day to get to school or into town.
During her 10-week Borneo expedition, she completed three phases: adventure, community, and environmental work. She said the experience opened her mind in ways no classroom ever could.
“As a city girl, I didn’t expect there to be a place where resources were so different from what I had experienced. The kampung only had a kindergarten and a lower primary school. There was no mobile connection or electricity. Something I took for granted was simply not available there,” she told Bernama.
The 36-year-old, now president of Raleigh Kuala Lumpur, said those early lessons continue to shape how she leads a new generation today.
“Raleigh changed how I think. It taught me solution thinking and resilience, skills that I carry into entrepreneurship and leadership today. Now it is time to pass it forward,” she said.
Raleigh, she added, is not just about trekking or volunteering but about learning to lead, listen, adapt, and empathise.
Yap, who is also founder of PlayXplore Group, a digital venture studio based in Thailand that focuses on ad tech, tourism, and cycling platforms for the next generation of mobile-first travellers, said Raleigh’s value lies not only in physical endurance, but also in exposing young people early to the realities of working life.
“It is about managing projects and fundraising, and learning how to communicate with people from different cultures and backgrounds. It also trains problem solving skills, especially when resources are limited,” she said.
In 2012, Yap returned to Raleigh, this time for a 10-week expedition in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. To make the journey possible, she spent three years raising funds, as overseas expeditions cost significantly more than joining locally in Borneo.
Determined to grow, she took on leadership roles, voiced her ideas, and pushed beyond her comfort zone. Her progress was recognised when she was named Best Female Venturer at the end of the expedition.
“It has pushed me to try new things without worrying about failure. As long as you try, you will always gain something,” said the head of THE LEMON SHOT Xplore, Thailand’s leading content-led, creator-driven, and AI-powered cross-border marketing solutions partner.
Yap described Raleigh as a life reset.
“Seeing how they lived made me rethink everything. I stopped chasing corporate ladders and focused on life experiences. Happiness is more important than money,” she said.
Yap’s journey reflects a wider pattern seen among Raleigh alumni across generations.
For younger participants such as Arwena Padme Parameswaran, who joined the Borneo expedition this year, Raleigh offered a rare break from an always online world.
“I found peace in the jungle. It felt like being reborn,” she said, adding that the programme taught her patience and how to work with others, rather than carry everything alone.
To give more young people a taste of this experience, Raleigh Kuala Lumpur will organise an Introduction Weekend from Dec 6 to 7 in Hulu Langat, Selangor, for youths aged 17 to 24.
Participants will take part in team-based hiking challenges, basic first-aid training, leadership simulations, campcraft and outdoor survival skills. They will also experience a pre-expedition setting and hear stories from Raleigh alumni.
“For those who join, it is not just a weekend in the outdoors, but a first step into a larger world,” Yap said.
-- BERNAMA
