In reference to a recent news article published on 19th Jan 2009 entitled “Umbrella Organisation Needed For Youth Clubs To Boost Volunteerism”, I would like to say – It’s about time, y’all!
Let me quote a few paragraphs from the article.
The discouraging number of youth volunteers has brought about the need for the establishment of an active, structured organisation for local youth organisations in the country to disseminate information and boost the spirit of volunteerism amongst the nation’s youth.
“We could set up a youth advisory hoard or something so that youths can come together and easily volunteer in organisations based on their interests,”
When asked why there was a discouraging number of youth volunteers, the opinions that were given were:
- Youths always expect something in return for their good deed.
Simply because when it comes to volunteering, most youths expect rewards in return. For example, most would ask if they will get certificates at the end of the volunteering work. We still lack youths who are really into volunteerism without any expectations in return.”
- Youths just don’t know about these things.
Another possible reason why volunteerism is not active in Brunei is because people here are not exposed and well-informed about the social problems in Brunei,”
Yes, yes, and YES! Brunei is such a safe country. It’s a comfortable country. Things come easy, and I think we often take our blessings for granted. Just because most of us have 5 TVs in our house, 4 cars per household, 2 mobile phone lines, and a dSLR, it doesn’t mean that all Bruneians are that well off. We can’t keep expecting the government to do everything. Our Sultan and his government has been more than generous towards us, and it’s time we do something in return. We can’t keep sucking them dry of their resources. Thus, I strongly believe that WE should also take some responsibility in helping the people in our community.
Dibah, a representative from the Humanitarian Affairs Volunteers Group, also said that the only way to increase the number of youth volunteers is through education and with the help of the media. Another, yes, yes, and YES!
Through education, students can be informed on a wider scale on the reasons and benefits of volunteerism and the media also plays an important role in disseminating information on youth volunteerism, she said.
So what should we do now? Well, I would like to echo the words that were said and published in this news article. An umbrella organisation that can bring organisations and the youth together is a perfect place to start. Let’s form a hypothetical organisation now and call it…The Tipping Point (TTP). Forgive me for my lack of creativity, yah.
The TTP would have a database of all the organisations that welcome volunteers, and the type of volunteering posts they offer. TTP could also provide certificates and/or testimonials on the volunteering activities of each volunteer. This goes back to the point raised by Dibah, whereby youths often expect rewards for their volunteering acts. I believe this is a rather resonable expectation. Yes, I agree how it is best that we should provide help with sincerity, and not expect anything in return. However, we have to be realistic that that’s not how, sadly, a majority of us work. There will always be that reciprocal relationship amongst each other. Thus, to encourage more youth to volunteer, TTP would provide incentives for their good deeds. TTP could record keep a record of all the different places the consumers have volunteered, together with the details such as job descriptions and maybe even testimonials from each employer, if requested. When the consumers need all the information, they could just request it from the organisation – and ta-da! There you have it! The secret ingredient to a bombastic CV!
As mentioned in the article, another reason as to why there’s a low number of youth volunteers is the lack of awareness. Ok. How often do we read in Borneo Bulletin, or hear on the Kristal FM about volunteering opportunities? Well, I can tell you that in a year, I hear almost nil (or maybe none at all, to be honest). I don’t remember growing up in Brunei hearing about places where we could volunteer…other than in performances for the National Day, His Majesty’s Birthday, and other similar events. Maybe there was only that one gig during my lower secondary years where I heard about a one day volunteering job at the old folks’ home in Seria. That was it. And yes, we do sometimes see and hear of students coming together to help clean up, help out, etc at Pusat Ehsan and the likes of it. And that’s really good. But surely there has to be more places where the youth could volunteer? So what’s the problem here? Well, maybe we were just never told about it.
So if we want TTP to succeed and reach the target consumers we’d need a good marketing strategy. The target consumer here is the youth, so choosing the right channels is crucial. Don’t expect the young Bruneians (as long as your 25-40 years old, you fall under this “young Bruneians” 
) to turn up for anything if you’re advertising at Rangkaian Harmoni, or Pelita Brunei. Learn their lifestyle, and market accordingly. You have to know what they’re listening to, what they’re watching, and where they’re going. For instance, using the radio to inform about the new volunteering organisation. Since we’re targeting the youth, we might advertise at Kristal FM and/or Rangkaian Pelangi (I believe these stations are quite popular amongst the young and hip, ya?), and we’d choose a time slot where we can be SURE that majority of the target consumers (i.e. youth) would be listening in, i.e. when they’re driving to and from school, after school hours, and at night. Also, if I may add, there’s no better way to reach the youth other than through their schools. So schools should also be informed about TTP, so that they could communicate the information to the students.
On top of all this, TPP need to enter the market, society, pick your platform, with a BANG! The official opening of the volunteering organisation could become an opportunity for us to educate the public. The launch should include a promotion of the different types of organisations that welcome volunteers, and also talks on the advantages of volunteering. We could have different speakers to touch on the different aspects of volunteering (e.g. somebody from human resources, kementrian hal ehwal ugama, kementrian kebudayaaan belai dan sukan). This could probably go on for 2-3 days, perhaps? Gives the public the opportunity to come whenver they can. Yes, this comes under marketing too.
After all these boxes have been ticked, TTP’s mark and impact should be maintained. They have to keep afloat in the lives of the youth, and not to be forgotten. Advertising should be conducted on a variable interval intermittent schedule. i.e. after an average lapse of time, TTP should advertise. Behaviours maintained on an intermittent schedules are known to be harder to break, and easier to sustain. Hee~
In conclusion, I support the suggestion on the need to develop an organisation that could be a platform in providing volunteering opportunities for the youth. With the right intention, a solid network and the right marketing strategies, insya Allah, the organisation can prosper and do great things for the community. The Bruneian youth, WE, need to be given the opportunity to help others who are not as “fortunate” as we are. WE need to be given the opportunity to show our gratitude for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us by helping others. WE need to be given more choices on how we can fill our time (other than just lepak or go out on dates).
The believers, men and women, are Auliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden)… (Surah At-Taubah: 71)
Each time I’m back in Brunei, I always look forward to eating a McD burger. Not those fish fillet or burgers that are suitable for vegetarians. But a real McD burger with real meat! The taste of meat, HALAL meat, between those two buns is just..awesome! If you want to shut me up or bribe me to shut up, a McD burger will surely do the job. That’s how much I love my McD burgers. As for burger tamu. For one, I hardly ever go to the tamu. Second thing is, the burgers they sell are not appetising at all. They’re all tiny and taste like any burgers that can be made at home. No wow-factor there. They’re just not as good as those McD burgers.
