GIG1005 - Social Engagement

Introduction

Embarking on Social Engagement course and collaborating on a community project with my course mates is a thrilling and entirely new experience for me. I truly appreciate this unique opportunity during my first year of university life to explore the complex dynamics of society, build meaningful connections with the community and make a positive impact on the society.

New Journey Begins Here

On 16 March 2023, we had our first lesson physically with our lecturer, Dr. Azah on the course structure. Attending physical meeting after a prolonged period of online classes due to the pandemic fills me with excitement. Under the guidance of our lecturer, Dr. Azah, we embarked on the implementation of our project. In order to ensure the smooth execution of our project, it is essential to establish a committee team comprised of dedicated individuals. The democratic process was employed, allowing us to nominate and vote for individuals whom we believed would be ideal for the committee positions. After the election process, Kenneth emerged as our director, and Justin as our vice director.

Briefing by Dr. Azah on the project criteria

I volunteered to join the mentor group in this project as it offers the opportunity to expand my social network by building meaningful relationships with mentees and fellow mentors. Engaging in mentoring can boost my confidence in social interactions and improve my communication skills. I am quite an introvert and my shyness often holds me back from speaking up. This opportunity allows me to challenge myself and develop greater social confidence through meaningful interactions with the participants. It's a significant step towards embarking on a journey of personal growth and self-improvement.

Meetings and Discussions

We had our first online discussion to plan our event through google meet. We began with an ice-breaking session, getting to know our fellow classmates better. Subsequently, we delved into discussions regarding our target audience for our project. Following our discussion, we had reached a consensus to focus our target audience on UM students from other faculties.

First online project meeting

We held our second online discussion to decide the name, slogan and the modules to be implemented. During the brainstorming session, we actively engaged in idea generation and collectively proposed three potential names for our project: Techtopus - "Connecting the Dots in Tech," Tech Circus - "The Greatest Show in Tech," and Hacking the Future - "Breaking Barriers, Building Tomorrow." To determine the most fitting name, we were given a chance to vote for our preferred option. Following the voting process, we selected the inspirational name: "Hacking the Future - Breaking Barriers, Building Tomorrow" as our slogan and name of our project. After finalising the slogan and name, we engaged in discussions regarding the modules under the guidance of the module development team. The module development team had contributed exceptional suggestions that showcased their creativity. I am thrilled and honored to collaborate with such a talented group of individuals. We came out with 4 modules which are “Programming for Newbies”, “Making a Wise Choice”, “Cyber Warriors’ Odyssey”, and “Artificial Intelligence Chat GPT: The Next Golden Decade”.

Second Online Project Meeting

Voting for name and slogan of the event

Guiding the Way: Embracing the Role of Mentors

I was one of the main mentors of "Making a Wise Choice."(Module 2). Being a mentor for this project, I will be entrusted with the task of guiding and offering valuable support to the participants throughout the events. Together with my fellow mentors, Carmen, Hakimi, and Ikmal, we create a WhatsApp group for discussion and collaboration. In addition to my role in Module 2, I also took part in Checkpoint 3 for the Cyber Warriors' Odyssey module. During our discussions, we focused on choosing an appropriate checkpoint name, establishing a point system, and outlining suitable penalties for the games and planning the ways of implementation and time management.