Day in the life of a SOD volunteer

Wondering what it’s like volunteering for Seeds of Deeds? Let’s hear it from our past volunteer, Siti Sufiah! She is currently a Small Changes Media Journalist, but prior to joining Small Changes, she volunteered for Seeds of Deeds 2021. Let’s find out what her day as a Seeds of Deeds volunteer looked like!

Pre-camp

The pandemic had a lot of impact in Malaysia, and the same could be said for Seeds of Deeds 2021. The camp was held online through zoom, therefore my story below is my experience volunteering virtually.

As volunteers who will be the facilitators, we were required to help build the modules that will be used during the camp. We were given the chance to pick any module that we were interested in. There were so many to choose from as all of the modules focused on different aspects. There were 3 main core; Individual Enhancement & Confidence in English, Professional Development and Inside Out. Looking at the list, I resonated the most with the module “Becoming Shakespeare: Reading”  (under the Individual Enhancement and Confidence in English) because I love reading. For each module, there were 2 module developers and I am extremely grateful to my partner as she was very helpful and understanding. It was a very fun process, coming up with ideas on how it may help our beneficiaries. 

We were guided by our impact measurement and module director who were amazing and helped us each step of the way to ensure we were on the right path. To be honest, I was anxious as this was the first camp I joined after a long time of wandering off due to covid. Surprisingly, I enjoyed every moment with everybody. A day before the camp, we had an ice breaking session and training for all of the facilitators. 

Day 1

It’s the first day of camp! I was quite nervous as this was my first time meeting my beneficiaries, and I was just hoping that I would be an excellent guide for them. On the first day, the module carried out was about Individual Enhancement & Confidence in English. I was quite proud of myself since that was my module! Everyone seemed excited and energetic, and there were some who seemed a little shy, but it all went well for the first day. 

Day 2

It’s the second day! We started off the day with some light dancing to get everyone in the mood of learning. The second module was about Professional Development where we taught our benefactors on how to act and be professional in different settings. We were joined by other speakers coming from different backgrounds to share their experiences of studying or working. The highlight for me throughout this module was the mock interview, where all of the beneficiaries were treated as if they were in an actual interview. It was very exciting seeing all of the beneficiaries trying their best and getting out of their comfort zone to answer the questions. 

Day 3

It’s the last day of the camp. Just like the second day, we started off the day with zumba. The last day’s core was about “Inside Out”, focusing on the inner feelings and sentimentality. While I was teaching the module, there was one chapter that allowed the beneficiaries to be vulnerable, and I myself also felt vulnerable as I learned that we should never underestimate what other people are going through because we never truly understand their struggle. It was a heartwarming session but the clock was ticking, every minute passing meant every moment of my volunteering work was coming to an end. After lunch, we continued with the last module which was the “Reminisce” Module. This module was a compilation of videos showing our moments with each of our beneficiaries. After the screening of the video, we bid our farewell to each other. And that marked the end of Seeds of Deeds 2021. 

I have learned so much from volunteering for 3 days and these are the things I am most grateful for:

  1. For knowing committee members who are extremely committed throughout the camp, and never faltered in guiding us, no matter how big or small the matter is
  2. For meeting other amazing facilitators that gives crazy-good vibes
  3. For seeing how all beneficiaries grew throughout the camp, seeing them engaging with the committees and facis and with one another, and seeing them enjoying and learning all the modules
  4. For my beneficiaries, they are the best I could ask for, compassionate and pure soul (and very cute also)
  5. For my module partner, she helps me a lot in building the module. I am very grateful for her assistance <3
  6. For my facis partner, thank you for being so kind and thoughtful throughout the camp. Without you, I cannot do it alone hehehe

Joining Seeds of Deeds 2021 is one of the best decisions I have made that year. It helped me to grow and gave me the chance to meet various people. I am really glad that I volunteered to be a facilitator for Seeds of Deeds camp!

Thank you Sufi for sharing your experience as a Seeds of Deeds 2021 volunteer! It sounds like so much fun despite the camp being fully online. For this year, Seeds of Deeds 2022 will be carried out physically, yeah! But, that’s not the only difference for this year’s camp. To know more about this year’s camp, let’s see what the people in charge of this year’s Seeds of Deeds have to say  on how this year’s camp would differ and what YOU as volunteers would be working on. Click this link to find out more!

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