Module "Community Service Initiative" lead by Ms. Ann See Peng.
Module Outline
Project 1Community Service Initiative Project
Objectives: 1. Develop relevant communication skills for collaborative work with community/society.and/or to work in a career that will make contributions to society. 2. Develop a holistic awareness of the variety of problems (e.g. the environment, poverty, social discrimination) that call for action; critically analyze how such problems should be approached and how to solve them scientifically. 3. Apply information management skills and strengthen their lifelong academic learning. 4. Develop in themselves a strong sense of social responsibility and be able to portray leadership qualities and being able to work effectively as a team. Tasks: In a group of 8, students are to work together as a team for architectural, culture, and environmental enhancing activities in the communities of different socio-economic status and social groups. The series of community services are offered as student empowerment projects, students are given the freedom to choose and to execute the project in the best possible manner, within the budget and time constraint given. |
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Progress:
Our group started off by having discussion on what, who, and when can we help by doing community work by applying our architecture knowledge. We visited EPIC Homes for advise and to seek opportunity of community works. We had a list of possible community works:
1. Making of Public washroom for Orang Asli.
2. Garden beautification and building plantation shelves by collaborating with LEO club of SMK Damansara Jaya in SMK DJ.
3. Storage shelves making, cage conditioning, and dog bathing by collaborating with FRIENDS charity and SAVE A STRAY Malaysia community.
4. School spaces enhancement / playground building / furniture repairing for PIMA school for underprivileged children worldwide.
After contacting respective organisations and conducted site visits, we decided to conduct our community service initiative on School space enhancement for PIMA school for the reason of PIMA school requires more needs, encounters more issues and provides more community engagement compared to other possible community works we listed down.
PIMA school had many issues encountered and had little aid from the government. It only has 2 working teachers and had many refugee students. They physical condition of the school is low, they had leaking roofs, many broken furniture, very little spaces and very little resource. However, we decided on enhancing the reading corner of PIMA school which is rundown, vandalized, dull, and less-maintained. Our objective is to brighten up the space, provide comfort and visual comfort in space, achieve visual between students and reading elements such as books and shelves. These will help attract students to utilise the space more frequently and allow them to practice reading as a hobby.
Our group started off by having discussion on what, who, and when can we help by doing community work by applying our architecture knowledge. We visited EPIC Homes for advise and to seek opportunity of community works. We had a list of possible community works:
1. Making of Public washroom for Orang Asli.
2. Garden beautification and building plantation shelves by collaborating with LEO club of SMK Damansara Jaya in SMK DJ.
3. Storage shelves making, cage conditioning, and dog bathing by collaborating with FRIENDS charity and SAVE A STRAY Malaysia community.
4. School spaces enhancement / playground building / furniture repairing for PIMA school for underprivileged children worldwide.
After contacting respective organisations and conducted site visits, we decided to conduct our community service initiative on School space enhancement for PIMA school for the reason of PIMA school requires more needs, encounters more issues and provides more community engagement compared to other possible community works we listed down.
PIMA school had many issues encountered and had little aid from the government. It only has 2 working teachers and had many refugee students. They physical condition of the school is low, they had leaking roofs, many broken furniture, very little spaces and very little resource. However, we decided on enhancing the reading corner of PIMA school which is rundown, vandalized, dull, and less-maintained. Our objective is to brighten up the space, provide comfort and visual comfort in space, achieve visual between students and reading elements such as books and shelves. These will help attract students to utilise the space more frequently and allow them to practice reading as a hobby.
We made deckings and seatings together by layering pallets which are custom made using unwanted doors which costs us nothing. By layering them together, we also create a sense of play element in the space to attract the students and allow them to be creative as well as make memories. We also covered the door pallets with artificial grass to provide more colour of green in reading corner and visual comfort in space. We initially planned to cover the vandalised walls with blackboards but we stopped when we learned PIMA had a different project on mural art in the space. Faulty benches were removed to place our seatings.
We also made shelves using pvc pipes, mdf boards. Extra mdf boards were made into boxed storage. Our team also asked around different communities for donation of unwanted books to include into the space. Artificial plantations are placed on the shelves too to increase space friendliness and comfort. LED white light are included too and connected into the design of the shelves to brighten the space and reduce space wastage.
To ensure children safety, door pallets are sanded and rounded to remove sharp corners, while artificial turf creates soft surfaces. Cement are filled into bottom of pipe structures to increase stability. At the same time, shelves and boxed storage are placed next to each other as extra support to increase stability. Artificial plantations are blue-tacked onto the shelves to prevent falling from shelves. Lighting wiring and connections are hidden in the pipes as well as behind door pallets to prevent accidents with the wiring in the space.
We also made shelves using pvc pipes, mdf boards. Extra mdf boards were made into boxed storage. Our team also asked around different communities for donation of unwanted books to include into the space. Artificial plantations are placed on the shelves too to increase space friendliness and comfort. LED white light are included too and connected into the design of the shelves to brighten the space and reduce space wastage.
To ensure children safety, door pallets are sanded and rounded to remove sharp corners, while artificial turf creates soft surfaces. Cement are filled into bottom of pipe structures to increase stability. At the same time, shelves and boxed storage are placed next to each other as extra support to increase stability. Artificial plantations are blue-tacked onto the shelves to prevent falling from shelves. Lighting wiring and connections are hidden in the pipes as well as behind door pallets to prevent accidents with the wiring in the space.
Besides that, we intended to include the students of PIMA and engage with them during our visits. The students helped us with unloading of our products into the space. We also conducted activities which students introduce themselves and allows us to understand them better, while we introduce ourselves at the end so that they can understand our motives to help. We also brought stationery and conducted drawing sessions for students to create artworks following the theme of their ambitions. After that, we string their artworks together and made it into decorations to install in their reading corner.
The entire project is well concluded, and it really taught me a lot. I had learnt the background and hardship of the students and their family, and I had learnt the innocence of the students. I had learnt the underprivileged of them, and compared to us who had the privilege to study and grow up in a comfortable and prepared environment that they really needed our help and aid to improve their life quality.
Even though the students are underprivileged, they are still live a happy life. They appreciate little things in their lives and still do their bests in their studies. Many of their ambitions are to become a teacher, mainly inspired by their teachers who educate them their studies, taught them life lessons and nurtured them with love and care.
The team and I are happy with the outcome and believed it will really improvise and enhance the school condition as well as aid the students in growing and their studies.
Even though the students are underprivileged, they are still live a happy life. They appreciate little things in their lives and still do their bests in their studies. Many of their ambitions are to become a teacher, mainly inspired by their teachers who educate them their studies, taught them life lessons and nurtured them with love and care.
The team and I are happy with the outcome and believed it will really improvise and enhance the school condition as well as aid the students in growing and their studies.
Final Outcome
The final outcomes of the project are a brand new reading corner (functional with deckings, seatings, shelves & storage), documentation video, and an A0 size presentation board.