Doing good deeds

Team work: Volunteers discussing the programme.

OVER a hundred Malaysian youth are all set to gain insight into how NGOs operate and shine new light on volunteerism amongst youth through the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) Digital Volunteer programme.

The programme, which is powered by Science of Life Studies (Sols) 24/7 Malaysia, held its first training session recently at its headquarters in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.

Attending the session were students from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Tenaga Nasional Malaysia (UNITEN), Asia Pacific Unversity (APU), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Sentosa Kuala Lumpur, SEGi University and UCSI University.

The two-part training clued the participants in on the benefits of volunteering, what it means to be a digital volunteer, and social media management. It also introduced the students to ngohub.asia (a one-stop platform for NGOs in Malaysia) and ended with discussions and presentations by the students.

Sols 24/7 Malaysia Digital Volunteer Programme head Chun Wah Hoo said there was a misconception that volunteering was time-consuming and that it had to involve on-the-ground work.

“Many young people feel that volunteering requires time, effort and skills, but this project breaks all those barriers because it is convenient and they can do it from home.

It is just an advancement of the social media engagement skills already possesed by our youths,” said Chun.

“It is a good way for students to use their digital knowledge and turn into digital ambassadors for the social sector in Malaysia,” he added.

Two students will be assigned to one NGO that has registered with ngohub.asia.

The students will have to have to spend 20 hours over the span of three months to assist the selected NGO to create an online presence and digitalise their profiles through social media content and management.

Sols 24/7 Malaysia Digital Volunteer Programme Manager, Echa Saadun said 80 to 90% of fresh graduates who had volunteering experience highlighted on their resumes, were more likely to be selected by potential employers.

“Volunteering is actually a step towards employability, and this is something that is highlighted at universities in the West,” she explained.

“The skills they gain from a volunteering experience gives them a head start before they step into the working world.

“The digital volunteers will be making a positive impact to enhance the online presence of the NGOs that are commited to bring change to the social sector in Malaysia,” she concluded.

The students will commence their digital volunteer attachments in January 2015.