A trip to Aquaria

Salam and Hello to everyone.

The Mentari Project is planning to have a trip to Aquaria for the kids and inviting everyone to come and join in.  We plan to have the trip on the 14th of November 2009 (Saturday) since all of the kid's exams will be finished and before their school holidays starts. Usually the kids will be going of to their respective Kampungs during their holidays. 

For those who are unfamiliar to Aquaria, it is a world class next-generation commercial aquarium situated in KLCC Convention Center (as said in the brochure). It houses many aquatic and land-bound creatures, it is highly interactive and educational, and also conducts feeding sessions where the kids will get to see them feed the sharks and other animals.  

Basic details:

The tickets will be paid for by us and all we need are volunteers to guide and keep the kids safe during the trip. Tentatively, we will bring about 30 kids to the trip therefore would need at least 8-10 volunteers (the more the merrier). The food will be taken care of by Dayana from CIMB and we will sort the transportation for the kids. We will use the buddy system and have 2 volunteers for a each group of 4-6 kids. We will also prepare a question paper for each kid to solve based on what they will see and learn in Aquaria.

We will like have the final tally of the number of participants by the middle of next week. Anyone who are free and would like to join us just confirm through email mentariproject@gmail.com or call me at 017-6362047 (Yasir). Hope to hear from all of you soon. 

Warm regards, 

Yasir 

JUST Children update

Our apologies for the lack of updates this past year. This entry will have to suffice as a summary of the Mentari Voluntary Tution Project this past 11 months.

2009 has been a challenging year for JUST Children, the new entity for the Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project. JUST stands for Join Us to Serve and Teach Children, a non-profit organisation that is bound by the Company Act. However the kids of Mentari have chosen to retain the original name of the project. As the main aim behind the Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project was to provide learning opportunities for under-privileged kids so that they develop self-confidence and self-esteem, keeping the original name seemed only fitting.

Our aim is to generate enough funds from regular donations to rent a flat or a shop lot as permanent premises for an after-school self-access learning centre with books, educational materials , games and laptops and pay a teacher aide or tutor to attend to the students. We are still sharing facilities with a kindergarten as the owner of a shoplot we were eyeing backed out. We are currently looking for a flat in Block 8 that we can rent.

In the beginning of this year, we had an influx of students that exceeded our capacity to handle. We had a small number of loyal facilitators (esp Yasir, Afif, Zahidi, Imran, Yasmin, Aedi, Fadhia, Murni and friends) and opened two classes that ran simultaneously every Saturday to cope with the increased number of students. In June, the kids participated in Fiesta Femina by presenting a recital cum sketch of a poem by Usman Awang on unity from a child's point of view. We also had visitors from Turkey and USA who chatted with the children. Hopefully these visitors and sharing of experiences with Dr Iman who studied in UK and worked with children in Africa and Afif who travelled to Spain helped to open windows to the world for the children and inspire them to work hard at their studies.

Due to extra classes on Saturdays at their schools , exams and the festive break, the number of students eventually dwindled. We now have about 20 students coming on Saturdays with classes for a small group of Form 1 students starting at 12.30pm - 2pm and classes for Yr 4,5 and 6 starting from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. We are currently tutoring the Form 1 kids in specific weak spots as their final exams are still on. The Mentari class is the only tuition class they can afford to go to.

On the evening of 22 Oct, we talked to a group of bright young people from CIMB about the Mentari Project. We would like to thank Tarmimi for organising the talk and and TCBs who came and those who spread the word about the kids of Mentari. Since then, the past two Saturday classes have been stimulating ones for the kids with new facilitators (Erlina, Safwan, Kam Loong, Kuo Wei, Ah Seng, Nicholas , sorry if I've missed some names!)) coming in to spend time with them. It's great to see new faces and the energy and enthusiasm they brought with them and a relief for the kids as well. I'm sure they were getting tired of us! We hope to upload the pix onto our Facebook before the end of the week.

Thanks to the generosity of our donor, we used the funds to buy educational games and books for the kids and had them work in small groups with the facilitators. By rotating the different games/ cards, the kids were able to provide a variety of learning experiences. Without enough facilitators, we have to resort to 'chalk and talk' or classroom style teaching. At the same time. we've had to attract kids back to the Mentari Project especially as holidays are around the corner. The carrot we're using is a trip to Aquaria on the 15 or 22 Nov. Kids have to attend classes and qualify for the trip by completing a project or participating in a group activity like a 'Spelling Bee' or tell a story. We hope to have a 5 kids to 1 Faci ratio for the trip so if any one would like to volunteer, please register on Mentari Project's Facebook Group or email us.

The other activities we are planning before the end of the year are:
1. A Language Camp ( in collaboration with the Atmah Group)
2. An Appreciation Day ( our 'Speech Day')
3. A Leadership Camp
4. 'Donate Old Laptops' Campaign
5. A new website with time tabling features for our facis to register and book their slots

We ask for a basic fee of RM10 per child with a cap of RM 20 per family with more than two kids in our classes. In this way, it's not charity, more of a commitment fee for both sides. It keeps us honest - this small fee that represents a bond of trust between us, the volunteers and the children we hope we have inspired in some small way to work hard towards a better and brighter future.

Thanks to all our facis who have kept the light burning even though at times it felt like the wind was going to blow it out amid their hectic schedules, unexpected challenges , exams, assignments and travels. Thanks to our patron YB Nik Nazmi for his ideas, networking and writings. Thanks to our generous donor who have given us the opportunity to provide stimulating learning materials and experiences for our kids. May Allah swt Bless our efforts and all those who have helped to sustain this project.

mawarni
2 November 2009

Mini Projects

We asked the after UPSR year 6 kids to create a mini project. It was left entirely up to them on what type of project they wanted to create. Here are some of the things that they did. 

A group created a model volcano and also created a model cave. The volcano even erupted in red lava ( created by a combination of household items). They even had the time to create some paintings and a model of the twin towers of KLCC made out of straws. 

Another group made a presentation on the malay wedding tradition of " Hantaran". They researched the tradition of the "Hantaran" and presented to the class of its origins, the practise and the meaning behind it. 

 

It was a well written and informative presentation by both groups.  Congratulations and well done to Syarina, Aini, Syafinaz, Rashidah, Athirah, and Fareisha.  

 

The Multiplication League

Here is an interesting way to have fun with multiplication. It is a simple game played in groups. The best number of group to have is 4. All that is needed is a blackboard/whiteboard, chalks/marker and a stopwatch. The contest is simple, one group will compete with another group on who can list down a multiplication of a number the fastest. Each student of a group must participate whereby they will take turns listing down the multiplication of the number on the board. For example, if the multiplication number is 6,  student A will write down 6 x 1 = 6 on the board, and the student B will write 6 x 2 = 12 and the next will write 6 x 3 = 18 and so on until  6 x 12 = 72. 

Whichever group finishes faster than the other will be rewarded with 3 points while the loser will gain 1 point. Continue on with the next groups and give them a different number each time. After all the groups has finished competing with each other, tally up the points to find out which group wins. A league table is also necessary so the kids can see which positions they are in after each round. 

We found that the kids likes to compete with one another and this way they gain something when they remember their multiplication table. It also helps to give them a minute or so after telling them the number for them to strategize and remember their multiplication table before beginning each round. The game teaches them teamwork, communication, competitive spirit, and of course multiplication in a fun way.

It is recommended to start the lesson with the kids creating their own personal multiplication table. Make sure that they do not bring the multiplication table with them to the board. 

Have fun.

Update on Mentari

we were hoping to see the same children again after a brief hiatus at the end of the year. However, registration day on 17 Jan and subsequent Saturdays saw new children coming in to be a part of the Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project. We now have three classes - 10  Form 1 and Fm 2 students, 30 Yr 6 and 30 Yr 4-5 children. These are the numbers who normally attend. The registered number of students have reached 112. The numbers fluctuate due to school's  extra-curricular activities and Saturday classes. in order to cope with the greater numbers, we have split the the children into three groups and two locations.

Fm 1  - 12 noon to 2.00pm ( Ground Floor, Block 8,  Community Hall)

Yr 6 - 2.30pm to 5.00 pm  (Ground Floor, Block 8 Community Hall)

Yr 4 & 5 - 2.30pm to 5pm (10th Flr, Kindergarten, Block 8)

We try the best we can to cope with the greater numbers by limiting classes to mainly English and BM with Math for variety. As the number of facilitators are still small - normally 2 per class, we are quite limited in the activities that we can offer the kids. We have started a routine of written exercises, math and language written activities and a game or a song to round off the session. We maintain a translation mode to get children used to speaking in both languages. 

The main problem for the  kids especially those in Yr 4 nd 5 is still limited vocab and an inability to understand spoken English. we started off with basic greetings, introductions and to have the kids answer English questions in BM and BM q's in English. We also brought in books, magazines and other reading materials plus fun activity sheets to keep them occupied  -especially the those who finish  early. There are quite a number of bright kids too.

Trying to balance the fun element and the solid knowledge or skills that parents and kids expect to get out of the classes is the constant challenge plus the small number of facilitators. Thanks to our loyal facilitators from last year, the classes are continuing. But it's difficult to maintain the classes without more facilitators. We are limited in what we can offer the kids. At the same time we also need to provide the facilitators specific lists of activities that they can do with the kids.

We would like to build the Mentari Kids' learning experiences   around the following:

1- Know Yourself

2.  Know Your Family

3. Know Your Community

4. Know Your Country

5. Know Your World

Any volunteer can come in with stories, materials and activities related to any of the above. 

We welcome any volunteer to come in for at least 2 hours for any of the sessions if not for the whole session. Feel free to email or call.  The kids and their parents have hope in this project and in us.  We really need help to sustain it.

Post-Language Camp Report

Just a brief report about our Language Camp - our maiden joint effort between the Mentari Volunteer Tuition Project and the Atmah Foundation on 6th December 2008 at the 3C Complex. we were part sponsored by YB Nik Nazmi (food for all kids) and MPSJ (folders, hampers, facilities and room). Things went smoothly the first half of the day which centred around team dynamics activities ( Team name, Cheer and Motto) and a Trivia quiz - video Math Q from Afif - mind-boggling for facis but kids lapped it up, English the Tim way, Malaysiana Yasir style and Optical Illusions courtesy of Ema and Yasir that intrigued the kids and facis alike.

Things were going well and we had both old and new facis who came to lend a hand and it was good to see the new faci dynamics between the Atmah facis and our Mentari kids and vice versa. The Atmah kids had to handle Malay when interacting with our Mentari facis and our Mentari kids had to use English more when working with or Atmah facis. The kids were beginning to see each other beyond the labels of race and colour when something happened to test our resolve. In order to deal with this incident effectively, all the facis decided that it was more important that this incident be a learning point that all of them will then use as part of their moral compass. We cut short the camp and postponed the Scavenger Hunt ( an Atmah activity - artful and stimulating) to another day, kept all hampers and folders donated by MPSJ and individual presents for another day. 

The next language camp will be held as soon as we can find a suitable date for both Mentari and Atmah plus 3C. We hope to include awards and certificates for our Mentari kids at the same time as part of the Camp's closing activities. We will be having a faci retreat on the 3rd of Jan at the BAKA resort in Morib. More details will be given later and it's self financing ( we go Dutch) and open to all volunteers - past, present and future.

To all facis , old and new who donated their time and energy to the camp (especially Imran who came back just in time) and Mentari all this while,  thank you will; always be an understatement. 

To our newly adopted siblings at Atmah, it was great working with you and this is just a glitch in a relationship that will continue as we work together for a better future for our kids and country.

To our patron, the patient and always supportive  Cikgu YB - thank you for starting this journey and for working with us to make it sustainable and meaningful for all.

Salam Aidil Adha everyone and Seasons' Greetings . We pray for peace , serenity and clarity in these last days of 2008 and safety for those on the road and living on/near the hill slopes of Klang Valley. Our prayers go out to all those unfortunate souls..

mh

Going The Distance

Hi everyone,

The Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project is almost a year old. In human years, the MVTP would be a toddler, just learning to walk and stumbling along excitedly, clutching at objects and people for balance. This weekend was one of finding balance between an extraordinary tuition class, a bbq party and a conference for volunteers. The common thread binding all three activities was the Mentari Kids. 

The Saturday morning session with the children was the first after the UPSR results were announced. We were  torn between wanting to ask their results straight away or listening to their project presentations. In the end we played games, listened to the project presentations by two different groups and finally asked about their results. 

The project presentation by Aini, assisted by Shafinaz and Syarina was arresting (model volcano and cave), artistic (paintings, poems , pantun and pretty detailed family trees) and articulately delivered in style by the spokesperson - Aini. While she may not have obtained the results she hoped for, her confidence and poise showed great potential and the documentation her team mates came up with were neat  and attractive. The second group  -Rashidah, Farisha and Athira, turned up with 5 'hantaran' that they made themselves and a presentation of the custom of giving and receiving gifts in Malay weddings. These girls have come a long way from the quiet, shy, withdrawn kids in the beginning of the year.

The BBQ party was a get together hosted by the founder and patron of the MVTP - YB Nik or fondly known as Cikgu YB by the kids. Mentari facis' and old friends feasted on delicately marinated chicken and lamb and Imaan's incredibly addictive potato salad. Our contribution to the mainly Gen Z crowd was dessert of mini-cornettoes and magnums. The Mentari facis formed a group, preferring to each others' company, bonded by months of Saturdays and Sundays spent together - Afif, Hazira, Ema, Yasir, Yasmin and I. To our stalwarts who could not make it  : Jaja, Fadiah, Farhana, Imran, Amalina, Aedi, Shafiq, Tarmizi, Murni (see what pathetic dessert replaced her divine banoffee), Huda, Lili, Wai Shen, Leong, Alex, Peter, Fadh, Mrs Lina  and all those who helped the Mentari Project while it was in diapers and learning to crawl especially Super Safa , WE MISS YOU! Thanks so much and Yasir is planning more get togethers for old and new Facis.

The icing on the cake this weekend was speaking at the ATMAH Conference to a dedicated group of volunteers and hopeful volunteers about the Mentari Kids as part of a joint volunteer drive. As the sounds of the Frog theme echoed through the small auditorium, accompanying the faces of the Mentari Kids on the presentation video ( crafted by Hazira), we shared with strangers, the Saturdays and Sundays of this past year, the Petrosains visit, the Open day, the night classes for UPSR , Buka Puasa and raya Do's- snapshots of all our efforts in helping the Mentari Kids look through other windows, see different viewpoints and grow as we have grown with them.

This coming year we hope to not only walk more steadily, perhaps even run briskly. The many flaws and shortcomings, may not be ironed out but hopefully reduced as we learn from our newly acquired siblings at ATMAH who have been doing this for the past seven years.

So let's go the distance, expand our horizons and work to help MVTP grow up responsibly and make new friends who will walk together on this journey of intangible rewards.