Every heart has a home, and here at Small Changes MY,
Seeds of Deeds is at the centre of that said home.
Watch "Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out!" aftermovie.
Amongst the Small Changes community (both committees and volunteers alike), we treat every single project with the same amount of love, respect, and responsibility. But Seeds of Deeds is one of those projects that reminds us all of the exact reason why this NGO is still well-kept and running even after many, many, years later.
This term, it was decided that there will be two separate camps for Seeds of Deeds, and the one that you, our dear readers, will be exploring in this article would be Girls Day Out.
For the first time since its inception, Seeds of Deeds held its first ever all-girls camp, just like its name would suggest. The target beneficiaries for this project would be 16-year-olds from underserved communities of various backgrounds. Girls Day Out may be three simple words, but the story behind crafting such a camp that reflected upon the theme was filled with tenacious planning and meticulous execution.





For Project Director Aleesha Shahzi, it was her first time leading a monumental program. Oh, it is scary when it’s your ‘first’. First exam, first dentist appointment, first date, first job. But Aleesha pulled through her first leadership endeavour great and gave credits to her team members, affirming that “I could not have done it better without the rest of my team”.
Not to forget, the modules have to be fit for 16-year-old schoolgirls, – something that has never been done within Small Changes before. The brainstorming process would have been quite different, in comparison with the other projects. The first thought that rolled through for Aleesha was: “How do I leave an impact on young girls aged 16?” She related this subject matter back to her own personal life: Aleesha had been brought up in a male-dominated family. She was the only daughter, and therefore was raised among boys and only got to learn a lot of ‘girly-related’ issues when she grew much older.
With that, the core theme for the camp was introduced, which was Women Empowerment. Joining forces with Yasmin Mortaza, our Module & Impact Measurement Officer, the two women went on to address taboo topics and misconceptions in the modules outlined for Girls Day Out, with the intent to create a safe space for young girls to express themselves without the weight of judgement.
Once the module framework was drafted out, it was time to recruit for volunteers who would be facilitating the camp itself. Small Changes would not have been made possible without the volunteers themselves because they are the running energy that would be conducting the modules to the beneficiaries. Just like the beneficiaries, our volunteers come from diverse origins – from students to working adults and from the Northern states to Sabah and Sarawak.
“It’s always a new experience working with people from different walks of life,” Yasmin articulated. Unlike the previous camps she’s used to, Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out had a different pool of facilitators which offered a more diverse range of ideas and encouraged peer-to-peer learning. Further supporting Yasmin’s statement, Aleesha stated that she was lucky to get this set of volunteers as “all 24 of them worked together to develop and deliver modules with the passion to make a difference in the lives of others”.




Next came the module development in March and April. Throughout the entire two months prior to the camp, the module ideas, consultations, logistics were all conducted over the internet. It was convenient for the volunteers who are also busy with their actual lives, but it was also a challenge for the team since the modules in theory and execution can be two vastly different things. One of the biggest challenges according to Yasmin, was if the facilitators can bring this module to life.
“Thankfully, module planning went smoothly, and the facilitators did well to prep for their sessions.” Yasmin voiced. Slight changes and adjustments were done in the earlier days of May, and the camp went live successfully at the end of the month. Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out took place for three days and two nights, from the 26th of May to 28th of May at Asiacamp, Semenyih.
A total of 65 young women from SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh, SMK Bukit Jelutong and SMK Shah Alam became Small Changes’ beneficiaries over the weekend. 13 different modules were conducted across the span of three days which ranged from topics of Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Personal Development, Leadership & Women Empowerment, and English Proficiency.





The beneficiaries were engaging and a wonderful lot to oversee over the weekend. It was amazing to see how the girls’ gained confidence within a couple of days. With just little motivation from their respective group’s facilitators, the girls who did not even want to open their mouths on the first day ended up wanting to voice out their opinions voluntarily on the final day. Everyone was raising their hands when given the opportunity to talk, and they articulated their thoughts cohesively in English.
Other than modules which touched on English language proficiency, there were also modules that were equally interesting and significant. Namely, ‘Mind Over Media’ to create awareness on issues surrounding internet usage and ways to stay safe online, ‘Prisoner of Society’ to introduce the concept of stereotype and prejudice existing today such as racism, gender bias and discrimination, and ‘Go with the Flow’ to instil understanding on the importance of good hygiene habits and normalise the conversation on menstruation.
A self-defence workshop was also conducted during the camp by SheFights Malaysia, and it was super exciting to see all of the girls in action. After a simple prize-giving and closing ceremony, on the evening of the 28th of May, Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out drew its curtains. It was clearly reflected upon the volunteer’s faces that they had a lot of different emotions going on, and when asked, some of them did share with us how they felt about the camp.
Calvis, – one of our youngest volunteers – shared with us that it was “an unexpected but fun experience”. He also said that volunteering with Small Changes felt like “doing a fun art project that you’ll have to submit to your teacher for grading”. Being a part of Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out has also redefined volunteering for Calvis.
Tisya, another first-timer volunteer of ours also shared how Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out has changed her outlook on volunteering. The issue about lending a hand and volunteering for a good cause has always been time. Would one have time for something like this, in all the hecticness of our actual lives? Tisya advises that “If you want to volunteer, just do it. If you ‘plan’ and wait for the ‘best’ time, you are never going to do it. Grab every single opportunity you have, then trust the flow and the process”.
Thanks to that leap of faith, Tisya expressed that she’s collected a beautiful set of memories from this camp. Fatihah shared with us that the highlight of this camp for her was when she volunteered to become the dorm leader for the beneficiaries. Since the end of Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out, Fatihah has been telling her other friends to try volunteering with Small Changes. She explains that the reasoning behind this was because Small Changes “focuses in educating and bringing awareness to their beneficiaries”.


“I find it admirable as the committee and volunteers themselves are some young people which are in the route of learning too.”
– Fatihah, Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out Volunteer
In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter with when, where, or how you do it. Volunteering is a deed that brings wonder to many, even myself, the author typing this out for you to read. In a world where darkness and evil are so common, it would not hurt to be that ray of light shining through by just extending your hand out.
What’s a comforting conclusion that we can make from Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out is that volunteerism is still going steady among youths. Yasmin (Module & Impact Measurement Officer) commented that it’s nice to see the shift of volunteers moving beyond those in tertiary education –young adults still want to and can volunteer– which is where Small Changes plays a role.
“I also hope that the beneficiaries can continue to pay it forward and maybe someday, give back to their community too.”
– Yasmin, Seeds of Deeds: Girls Day Out Module & Impact Measurement
