GIG1005 SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
REFLECTIVE WRITING
SITI SARAH BINTI AZHAR (MIC170044) DATE:7 MAY 2018
At first, I didn’t know what Social Engagement was. My initial thought was we had to learn about communication, and it is that and so much more. During the first meeting, Dr. Puah gave us a clear idea of what we would be doing through the previous batch experiences and I began to be excited because I have always wanted to be involved in helping the community since im not that active in college activities. After a few meetings, we’ve decided to help the Orang Asli Children at Desa Temuan. But first, we needed to assign who will be in each bureau for the program to run as smoothly as possible. I chose to be in the External Relations Bureau because I believe that I have the capabilities and skills to talk to people as I have done such a task numerously in high school. I also believed that Alice, the head of our bureau to be an excellent leader and will get the job done. Even though there were times where I doubted my abilities, I believed that my teammates, Putt, Syamira, Wafi and Una would have my back. They are all extraordinary and unique individuals that I look up to greatly. I went to the village a few weeks prior to the event to promote our program and I was glad that the children welcomed us with open arms and really was engaged with our small activity that was meant to be a teaser for our actual program on the 29th of April.
On the day itself, I was glad to see that the trip to the village was smooth and short. I was assigned to be one of the facilitators for the Explore Race which is handling one of the team participating in that activity. I was not expecting to bond so well with the children there, they called us “cikgu” as a sign of respect and I felt honored that they look up to us that way which made me want to do my part the best that I can. We were also collaborating with the UM Law Students during the program, and one of the students volunteered to help take care of my group. He knows the children well as they have been coming to the village every week, I cannot thank him enough that he was able to control them as it is definitely not a one man job. The whole point of us being there was to inspire the children to further their studies as most of them stop at high school. I was surprised that during the challenges, the kids especially the girls were very good in memorizing and math. I believed that they have all the potential to succeed they only need an opportunity and to really work hard. One of the children I was taking care of, she told me that she has 8 siblings and all of her sisters stopped at high school and I felt sad that she didn’t have someone to look up to as a role model. She mentioned that she also wanted to stop at high school. I told her that she needs to be her own role model and work hard to reach her dream to be a doctor.
I hope the children there won’t forget us, as I definitely would find it difficult to forget them. It felt very rewarding to be able to contribute, even if it’s a little the impact could be huge. We often don’t realize how fortunate we are to be able to receive the education we are getting now. I now realize how lucky I am to have this opportunity to learn as much as I can. This course also has taught me about how important it is to communicate with your teammates and your leader. I have bonded more with my course mates throughout the process and I hope that I can do it again soon.
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