BACHELORS OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE
Chevally Lo Zhao Shyen
COMMUNITY INITIATIVE SERVICE
Community Service Initiative module (CSI) aims to expose us to the real community living in the real life situation. We 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.
Week 1 - Week 2 : Introduction to the project & Visiting the Site
On the first week of this module, we were introduced to a few projects to be done. As for my group, we have chosen Kebun-kebun Bangsar (KKB) as our beneficiary to develop an urban framing/community garden guideline. To have a better understanding on what a community garden is, we went on a visit to KKB, which is around 20 minutes drive away.
Week 3 : Interview
Before the second visit to the site, we have listed out a series of questions to be asked during the interview with one of the founders of KKB. The purpose of this interview is to understand why KKB was started, which departments to go through to start a community garden, the challenges faced, and also obtain recommendations on the types of plants suitable to be planted on site when starting a community garden.
Week 4 - 7 : Planning the Guidelines, Submission of Proposal & Feedback from Lecturers
After the interview, we have fully utilized the information obtained to propose the guidelines in a form of slides. As our target group is a community of all ages, we have simplified our guidelines into 10 simple steps to encourage the society. We presented our findings and draft of our guidelines to our lecturer for further improvements, such as, to localize our information for better engagement with the local community.
Week 8 - 9 : Planning and Preparation of RExKL Event
As part of the collaboration with the RExKL Event, we were to have a booth to promote and encourage the community to start a community garden, and also sell the fruits and vegetables harvested from KKB. Before the event, we were segregated into a few groups in charge of different tasks, such as, booth design team, props teams, treasurers, graphics team to design the posters, and a group to scout for the prices of the fruits and vegetables to be sold during the event.
Week 10 : RExKl Event
On the day of the event, we woke up early to transport the plants to be sold from KKB to the venue of the event, while some went to the venue early to set up the booth and posters. Some were assigned to distribute the pamphlets in Petaling Street.
Reflection
Through this module, I have developed relevant communication skills for collaborative work with the community, which will contribution to the society. Also, I have developed an awareness on the lack of access to fresh and healthy food. This has given me a strong sense of social responsibility to encourage the society to start a community garden with simple guidelines. From the RExKL Event, I was able to work effectively as a team player in my group​, including planning and execution of the event, leading to a successful sale and introduction of a community garden to the society. Most importantly, I realized how important it was to be initiative when it comes to community work, as we would never know how powerful and impactful we can be to the society, no matter who we are.
