ID :
27692
Fri, 10/31/2008 - 10:31
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/27692
The shortlink copeid
STUDENTS WILL BECOME BETTER PEOPLE IF THEY ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITY
From Shuhaida Mohd Said
PHUKET, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- Students who have the opportunity to engage with the community directly in the course of their studies and extra curricular activities will become better people morally, intellectually and spiritually and become more self-actualising people, a social activist said.
Rashidah Abdullah who is also a researcher, consultant and founder director
of the Asia Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (Arrow), said if the
students continue with social development or community work on a paid voluntary
basis after university, the work will be internalised to continue to shape their
lives.
"But it needs to be said that the main motivation of engagement with the
community has to be to help, not to reap the benefits.
"You see a need, you care about it and you want to help. Later on, you see
that this assistance has made a difference in people's lives and this motivates
you further to do more," she said in a talk at the Regional Convention on
Students Development here Thursday.
She said community engagement would also help moral education and build
character as well as test and challenge what the students believe in, care about
and think is the right thing to do.
"The thinking skills are also sharpened greatly and specific knowledge is
gained by being challenged, by seeing and wanting to understand reality.
"Great learning can take place around human realities which develop the
capacities for understanding, thinking, comparing, analyzing and questioning,"
she said.
Rashidah said the engagement would also increase their understanding of
people and community needs, and the feeling connected to communities can lead to
greater human capacity for empathy and caring.
She also said lecturers need to link more with the community for the
same reasons and benefits.
"There are four broad ways of linking, namely within the courses or
curriculum, extra curriculum activities, semester breaks or holiday
opportunities and voluntary service," she said.
The three-day convention which began Wednesday, was organised by Universiti
Utara Malaysia, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, National Civics Bureau
Malaysia and Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
-- BERNAMA
PHUKET, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- Students who have the opportunity to engage with the community directly in the course of their studies and extra curricular activities will become better people morally, intellectually and spiritually and become more self-actualising people, a social activist said.
Rashidah Abdullah who is also a researcher, consultant and founder director
of the Asia Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (Arrow), said if the
students continue with social development or community work on a paid voluntary
basis after university, the work will be internalised to continue to shape their
lives.
"But it needs to be said that the main motivation of engagement with the
community has to be to help, not to reap the benefits.
"You see a need, you care about it and you want to help. Later on, you see
that this assistance has made a difference in people's lives and this motivates
you further to do more," she said in a talk at the Regional Convention on
Students Development here Thursday.
She said community engagement would also help moral education and build
character as well as test and challenge what the students believe in, care about
and think is the right thing to do.
"The thinking skills are also sharpened greatly and specific knowledge is
gained by being challenged, by seeing and wanting to understand reality.
"Great learning can take place around human realities which develop the
capacities for understanding, thinking, comparing, analyzing and questioning,"
she said.
Rashidah said the engagement would also increase their understanding of
people and community needs, and the feeling connected to communities can lead to
greater human capacity for empathy and caring.
She also said lecturers need to link more with the community for the
same reasons and benefits.
"There are four broad ways of linking, namely within the courses or
curriculum, extra curriculum activities, semester breaks or holiday
opportunities and voluntary service," she said.
The three-day convention which began Wednesday, was organised by Universiti
Utara Malaysia, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, National Civics Bureau
Malaysia and Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
-- BERNAMA
