By Diksha Suri

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Do you see the one in the circle? It’s me, Diksha! One thing about me?

I’ve always liked volunteering.

Whether that’d be at the local temple or in non-government organisations, like Small Changes! So, when I got accepted into the Strategic Planning Team 2023, it wouldn’t be enough to say that I was ecstatic. Initially, I was one of Small Changes’ social media managers – but this year, amongst a group of talented girls, I am one of the Media Journalists!

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In June last year, I attended one of our many volunteer sessions, Project Beanstalk Reinforced 2023. I attended the 2nd visit to Rumah Sentuhan Budi, located in Petaling Jaya. It was an amazing experience for me!

The goal of the visit was to promote English proficiency amongst the girls. So, that was catered to, such as practising English sentences in different formats including writing, speaking, and listening.

It reflected on the girls’ faces how energetic they were, that they were having a blast. It was so delightful and fulfilling to witness them have so much fun.

The fun wasn’t limited to just the girls though. The rest of the Small Changes team that attended were enjoying themselves, too! We cracked jokes and giggled along with the girls.

I’d say participating in this volunteer session has made me more thoughtful. I was able to understand further the challenges faced by the lovely and resilient girls of Rumah Sentuhan Budi. I’ve realised that, truly, even the smallest of changes can make such big differences.

All in all, it was a great experience, and I would love to attend another volunteer session.

I’d 100% encourage everyone to shoot their shot at being a volunteer under Project Beanstalk, or any of our projects for that matter. You’d surely return home with newfound lessons and a positive change in perspective, and the interactions you have between the beneficiaries and the rest of the team might just be your next core memory.

📝MEMO:

The concept of volunteerism or charity work is indeed foreign amongst many Malaysians.

As the youth of Malaysia, we need to change this. If we have the privilege of volunteering, we need to grasp the opportunity and be the ones to give back to our community in any way possible. Charity work isn’t just about being able to donate material things or money. As a student myself, I am unable to donate money or material things as of now, but I can donate my time, effort, and skills to improve the surrounding community.

I hope to see more youths practise the principle of volunteerism in the near future.

Cheers!