Page 48 - Berita Sunway - Issue 74
P. 48

Beneficiaries
            Interviews


                                                                                                                                                                                 LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
                                                                                                                                                                                    e Sunway School Public Speaking Class programme is an example of Sunway’s CSR
                                                                                                                                                                               efforts that have benefitted SMK Bandar Sunway over the past two decades.
                                                                                                                                                                                   Located within the Bandar Sunway vicinity, it was only natural for Sunway to adopt both
                                                                                                                                                                             SMK Bandar Sunway and SK Bandar Sunway among its seven sponsored schools, in keeping with
                                                                                                                                                                            Sunway’s founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah’s philosophy of giving back to the society
                                                                                                                                                                                           through education.
                                                                                                                                                                                             In 1995, Sunway had adopted SMK Bandar Sunway when it was an
                                                                                                                                                                                          abandoned construction project. Investing RM3 million into constructing the
                     hen 16-year-old Raphael Siah joined                                                                                                                                 school building, Sunway then surrendered the school over to the Ministry of
                     Sunway’s School Public Speaking                                                                                                                                    Education upon completion.
            W Class programme in 2014, little did                                                                                                                                         In the same year, Sunway also adopted SK Bandar Sunway, refurbishing its
            he know that it would change the course of his life.                                                                                                                      facilities which included the construction of the primary school’s PIBG
            Emerging as the top public speaker of the                                                                                                                                multipurpose facility.
            programme, Siah said the biggest takeaway was not
            the RM300 cash prize but discovering his passion                                                                                                                         CREATING NEW
            for communications as a future career.                                                                                                                                 OPPORTUNITIES                     To date, Sunway has
               Prior to the programme, the SMK Bandar                                                                                                                                                               contributed more than
            Sunway  student  was shy and reserved  in person                                                                                                                          Beyond the physical upkeep of
            despite enjoying the occasional spotlight.                                                                                                                           the schools, Sunway’s CSR efforts also   RM4 million to both schools
               “Learning the fundamentals of public speaking                                                                                                                    involve empowering students through new   through construction, paint,
            helped me become more comfortable with being                                                                                                                       skills and training.
            on stage and even enjoyed it!  More importantly, I                                                                                                                      One of Sunway’s recent CSR initiatives at   and repair works.
            feel much more assured in my own skin and                                                                                                                         SMK Bandar Sunway is the Sunway SILK
            gradually let loose the deep-seated insecurities                                                                                                                 (Seeding Inspiration and Leadership via
            holding me back. I had wanted to be a doctor but                                                                                                                Knowledge) urban farming initiative, which is a collaborative effort with NGO
            after the programme, I knew I wanted to pursue                                                                                                                 Selangor Youth Community (SAY Community).
            communications instead,” said Siah.                                                                                                                                e initiative, which started in 2019, aims to instil entrepreneurship among the students, and provide
                e Sunway School Public Speaking                                                                                                                           opportunities for the youths to consider agriculture as a potential career pathway. [See Page 20 for more
            Class programme was one of Sunway’s CSR                                                                                                                      on Sunway SILK]
            programmes, organised for students of SMK                                                                                                                      “Sunway SILK has really impacted the students in a very positive way.  e students, who are from B40
            Bandar Sunway by Sunway University’s School                                                                                                                families, are taught how to grow vegetables and generate income out of it.  ey were also taught presentation
            of English.                                                                                                                                               skills in English, which gives them confidence to brush up on their English competency,” said SMK Bandar
               Siah’s journey with Sunway did not end there,                                                                                                          Sunway’s principal Haniza binti Mohd Jabar @ Ibrahim.
            as he went on to pursue his Foundation in Arts and                                                                                                         Sunway’s CSR efforts at SMK Bandar Sunway also extends to students with special needs.
            Degree in Communications at Sunway University -                                                                                                            Since 2006, Sunway has collaborated with social enterprise Generating Opportunities for Learning Disabilities
            the former completed with the aid of RM10,000                                                                                                          (GOLD) and the school to organise the Sunway Job Training Programme annually.
            tuition bursary awarded by the Rotary Club of                                                                                                             e programme provides learning disabled students with hands-on prevocational and life skills training to enable
            Bandar Sunway and Rotaract Club of Sunway                                                                                                            independent living and gainful employment. [See Page 34 for more on Sunway’s partnership with GOLD]
            University.
               In January 2020, Siah interned at Sunway                                                                                                         PRIMED FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
            Group Brand Marketing & Communications                                                                                                                 By providing financial subsistence in the form of cash vouchers and sponsored back-to-school necessities, Sunway has
            department for three months, before joining the                                                                                                   helped alleviate the financial burden of SK Bandar Sunway’s students – 84% of which are from the B40 income group.
            team full-time in September later that same year.                                                                                                        SK Bandar Sunway’s headmistress Ruslina binti Mohd Yunus said that students were more inclined to excel
               Today, the 22-year-old works as a                                                                                                            academically when their basic needs were met.
            corporate communications executive                                                                                                                 “It helps students to perform better in school. Students feel safe to be in school because necessities are provided for them.
            at Sunway, which involves liaising                                                                                                             Academic performance improved from 51.7% to 63% for passes in UPSR,” said Ruslina.
            with external agencies to curate creative                                                                                                        Describing the school’s relationship with Sunway as caring and friendly, Ruslina said the good rapport they enjoyed has
            content for both Sunway City                                                                                                                 enabled the school to progress well over the years.
            Kuala Lumpur and Sunway                                                                                                                          “Sunway’s CSR team is very committed to the school and is often concerned about the needs of the school to help us obtain
            Stories media hub, as well as                                                                                                              better achievements in all events and programmes,” she said.
            overseeing selected aspects of                                                                                                              She added that by motivating the students to achieve better academic performance, the school can achieve optimal results.
            internal  communications  to
            Sunway employees.                                                                                                                             “ ank you very much, Sunway and the CSR                   Sunway’s CSR is meaningful to SK
               “Looking back, it seems like a                                                                                                             team. You have touched the hearts of so many              Bandar Sunway as it has contributed
            series of coincidences had always led                                                                                                         people in SMK Bandar Sunway with your                     so much to improve our students’
            me back to Sunway. I see it as a                                                                                                              generosity. We believe that we can work                   welfare and helped lighten the burden
            blessing. I would not have grown                                                                                                              closely with Sunway for many more years to                of not only the school but by extension,
            into the  person I am today had it                                                                                                            come. We owe you, and as we grow, we hope                 the local community of Sunway City
            not been for Sunway,” he said.                                              16-year-old Raphael Siah joined                                   to also join you in doing good deeds.”                    Kuala Lumpur.
                                                                                       Sunway’s School Public Speaking                                    Haniza binti Mohd Jabar @ Ibrahim                         Ruslina binti Mohd Yunus
                                                                                      Class programme in 2014 (right)                                     Principal of SMK Bandar Sunway                            Headmistress of SK Bandar Sunway
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