Bringing Joy to Less Fortunate Students: Toys for Friends (TFF)

Toys for Friends (TFF) is a Community Service programme organized by the Language Academy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSH), UTM. This programme, aimed at cultivating love and giving among students, was conducted in two parts, with the first part taking place on April 7, 2023, at Idrissi International School and the second part on April 13, 2023, at SK Sg. Boh, Pontian. The programme connected students from Idrissi International School with students from SK Sg. Boh through the exchange of toys and letters. Both parts of the programme were led by committee members and chief facilitators, Miss Atiqah and Miss Siti Khadijah, with solid support from Johor State Education Department officials, particularly Ms. Suhaila Ramli and Mr. Azhar Mohd Salleh @ Khalid, the assistant directors of the Student Talent Development Unit. Prior to the programme, two training sessions were conducted to train facilitators for TFF activities. Both trainings were conducted on April 4, 2023, with the first training conducted for facilitators (LA staff) for TFF at Idrissi International School and the second training for facilitators (UTM students) for TFF at SK Sg. Boh. All facilitators enthusiastically participated in the training sessions in the hope of instilling a sense of love and generosity in the students. The first part of the programme, held on April 7, 2023, at Idrissi International School, involved 25 Year 1 and 2 students. The programme started with an ice-breaking activity. Students were tasked with finding facilitators based on a picture of a fruit or vegetable. After that, the students had to write a letter about themselves and the toys that would be given to their pen pals at SK.Sg. Boh. Students had to also decorate the envelope using coloured pencils and colourful stickers according to their creativity. They were then required to verbally express what they expected when their pen pals received the toys before sealing the envelope. After the letter-writing activity, students were gathered to participate in the ‘Gratitude Circle’ activity, where they were asked to share what they had learned and what they were grateful for in life. The programme ended with a group photo session and a closing ceremony where certificates were given by Mr. Mustafa Shemmari, the Head of Academics of Idrissi International School. Gratitude Circle Session The second part of the programme, held on April 13, 2023, at SK Sg. Boh, involved 30 Standard 2 and 3 students. The programme started with some indoor language games such as “Queen, King, and the Gorilla”, “Broken Radio”, “Sinking Island”, and some sing-along jazz chants. These activities were aimed at breaking the ice between the students and facilitators and, at the same time, helping them acquire vocabulary. The students were then divided into two groups where they read “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein followed by further discussion about the concept of gratitude. They then read letters and unboxed the toys given by their Idrissi friends. The students were asked to write back to their new friends, with help from the facilitators. The programme ended with a closing ceremony, where the headmaster, Mr. Khairulakmar, delivered a heartfelt speech and all participating students were presented with certificates, ‘duit raya’, and gift hampers. Overall, the Toys for Friends program successfully provided a fun and meaningful experience for all participants, fostering positive relationships and creating a culture of giving. The enthusiastic involvement of committee members, facilitators, headmasters of both participating schools, and officials from the Johor State Education Department has contributed to the success of the program. Program updates can be seen on the Language Academy’s social media pages: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/languageacademyutm/?hl=en Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/languageacademyutm/?_rdc=1&_rdr Prepared by: Nur Hazwani Mohd Muhridza, Nur Hidayah Mohd Sharif, & Azura Sirri

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