Curtin Social Ambassadors organise ‘getaway camp’ for secondary school students

Miri – 19 April 2018 – Aimed at building leadership, public speaking and critical thinking skills among students, the recent ‘The Great Escape 2018: Summer’ at Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) saw the participation of over 100 students from seven secondary schools in Miri.

The students were from SMK Chung Hua Miri, Pei Min Middle School, SMK St. Columba, SMK Pujut, SM Sains Miri, Riam Road Secondary School and Tenby International School. Joining them were 10 children from Kompleks Kebajikan Hamidah Yakup.

The three-day camp, which is described as a ‘getaway camp’ where students can participate in activities outside their normal school routines and experience a bit of university life at Curtin Malaysia, has been organised annually by the Curtin Social Ambassadors (CSA) since 2013.

The CSA is a student-run organisation dedicated to building ties with secondary school students and the community at large and promoting tertiary education through social events such as camps, workshops and talks.

Present at the opening of the camp were Piasau State Assemblyman Dato Sebastian Ting, Curtin Malaysia’s Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Beena Giridharan, CSA Club Advisor Vivienne Sim, and Sarawak Oil Palms Berhad (SOPB) Assistant Head of Support and Service Joseph Ling. SOPB was among the camp’s sponsors.

In her opening speech, Professor Giridharan expressed hopes that the participants would benefit greatly from the camp and leave with a great sense of achievement, and heightened critical-thinking, leadership and teamwork skills.

“I hope that through the various activities, you will be inspired to be high achievers capable of conceiving innovative ideas and be agents of change in everything that you do,” she said.

Dato Ting, meanwhile, said the camp was an opportunity for the participating students to set aside their mobile devices for three days and interact with the CSA camp facilitators and other participants, and also experience life at the beautiful Curtin Malaysia campus.

During the camp, the participants engaged in various activities designed to help them build physical and mental dexterity, as well as develop their leadership, teamwork and critical thinking skills. In addition, there were dance and Konga sessions that also encouraged participation and group bonding, and a mini concert with a variety of stage performances and the Hong Yang Lion Dance Club as the opening act.

Other than Dato Ting and SOPB, the camp was supported by Idoll Fashion, Pango, Syarikat A&A Enterprise, Syarikat Lioemas, ASC Videography and Curtin Malaysia.

Group photo of VIPs, participants and organisers during the camp opening ceremony.