Thistle Port Dickson – part of Thistle Hotels & Resorts in Malaysia – a UK based hotel group owned by GuocoLand (Malaysia) Berhad, has finally chosen 10 enthusiastic and creative kids for the first ever Kids in Charge! Advisory Board.

See Also: Kids in Charge by Thistle Port Dickson

Early June this year, Thistle Port Dickson embarked on a unique and perhaps trend-setting project to give children a direct voice in guiding the resort’s offerings for kids. The project was to set up a provisional advisory board called Kids in Charge! which will comprise of kids aged between 7-12 year olds sitting on a board that meets to deliberate and suggest fun activities just for kids that can be implemented at Thistle Resorts & Hotels.

Kids interested in participating had to download the entry form (or got their parents to do so) from Thistle’s website, answer three questions, and obtain the consent of their parents/guardians to participate by way of their signature on the form.

A panel of six judges had the unenviable task of sifting through hundreds of applications to shortlist 16 finalists. A rigorous round of interviews was subsequently held with the finalists before ten winners were selected to make up the first Kids in Charge! Advisory Board.

“It was indeed a tough task for the judges. The creativity, maturity, charm and wit displayed by these kids in their applications and during the interviews were astounding, to say the least and far greater than what we had originally anticipated,” said John Murphy, General Manager of Thistle Port Dickson Resort, who was also part of the judging panel.

The ten finalists who made the grade are:

• Adam Mrani, 12
• Aisyah Batrisyia, 12
• Anitej Palur, 8
• Chong Yung Xian, 8
• Christopher Nantha, 12
• Ella Morris, 8
• Fong Jin, 11
• Ng Zhang En, 9
• Nur Jannah Lee, 8
• Tan Kah Hong, 12

Members of the Kids in Charge! Advisory Board were introduced today in a special induction ceremony held at Thistle Port Dickson Resort. Each of the winners will receive four 3D/2N stays for a family of four at the Thistle Port Dickson Resort during which the respective board meetings will convene. Each board member also received a special Kids in Charge! Advisory Board kit comprising an Apple iPad Mini, business folder and pad, a custom-made Thistle blazer and T-shirt and a tie, amongst other items. The kids were later given a tour of the hotel and following the induction ceremony, convened for their first board meeting, which served as an ice-breaking session for members to get to know each other.  

Over the remaining three board meetings which will take place monthly until December 2013, each member will have to present original and innovative ideas towards enhancing kids’ experiences at the hotel, and creatively discuss the implementation of these ideas.  The board will be working closely with the Thistle Port Dickson Resort management and the panel of judges to study the creativity and feasibility of the ideas proposed.

Ideas that are deemed creative and feasible will be implemented at the hotel. Following the four board meetings, one Board Member with the most creative idea and overall best performance will walk away with the ultimate prize – a 6D/5N stay at Thistle London for a family of four with return flights courtesy of Sri Lankan Airlines.