Friday 28 January 2011

More Photographs from FT 1!

Courtesy of Soon Heng and Rinesh.

Learning about technical aspects of photography from Br Matt.


'If you don't have a tripod, borrow someone's shoulder!' (someone like Debra)


Deviating from the task at hand - from taking pictures to posing for pictures! (except for Pui Yi and Marveen - note the ever-ready cameras in hand)


Sealing the ballot box with magic tape.


Br Vincent lighting the flame of the Malaysian Lasallian Formation Team.


Swearing-in ceremony.
"We, the members of the Malaysian Lasallian Youth Commission pledge to give our...". To find out more, do come for FT Weekend 1 next year. =)


Choulyew, Choulyee and Choulyin spreading some family love to Dinah, Terry and Siew Wei.


Yes, Lasallians like to pose.


La Salle Petaling Jaya alumni meeting missing one kaki (Mr. Liow Kok Loong)!


One big happy (and hardworking!) family.

Saturday 22 January 2011

New Malaysian Lasallian Youth Commissioners!


Congratulations to Aaron Chan, Siew Wei, Choulyin, and Vincent Ooi for being elected into the MLYC for 2011-2013!

The FT looks forward to working with the new commissioners.

Also a big thank you to Isaac, Pui Yi, and Tsu Chong for a job well done in 2009-2011! Kudos!


Wednesday 19 January 2011

...and Now, Moving Forward with an account of the FT Weekend 1, 2011 and a new MLYC !


Here's what happened through the lenses of Mark Low:

Formation Team Weekend 1(FT Weekend 1) had just came and gone. It was a totally new and different experience for many of us. This FT Weekend 1’s theme was 'The Art and Science of Photography'. Photographs can express many things because it gives an individual a perception in just about anything and having good photography skills could come in handy anytime in the future. In addition to that, this FT Weekend 1 was also the 4th appointment of the Malaysian Lasallian Youth Commissioners.

Like every other gathering, no matter whether it is a FT Weekend or not, we enjoy the company of our friends as some of us have not seen each other in awhile. FT Weekend 1 did teach us about the trick and trade of photography, however, I felt the most important part was having a gathering with all our friends there to enjoy, have fun and unwind for the weekend.

Brother Matt conducted the sessions as he has a rich background and experience in photography that he could share with us. We found it very helpful as before this, we never knew how to operate such sophisticated cameras. After that, we had games before moving into the more serious part of the FT Weekend, that is the elections of the Malaysian Lasallian Youth Commission and the amendments of the Constitution.

It was an enjoying weekend for many of us, a break from the reality of our daily lives, away from all the unnecessary stress. We really learnt how to use the camera to capture a perfect picture so that we could keep memories and not forget them. FT Weekend 1 was certainly one of the weekends that we will remember for a long time.


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The sessions on photography ended with an outdoor assignment - to choose a theme and to capture photos that reflect the theme. Here are Jeremy and Pui Yi's photographs from the outdoor adventure. They're still not sure if these are good photos or not. Care to guess the theme?











..and a few more people share about activities in the previous year...

It has been been four years since i started getting involved in the Lasallian youth movement in Malaysia. Being involved in the whole process, beginning as a delegate for both the regional and the national convention, followed by the self development phase as a formation team member, and then the volunteering work as an organising team member for the various regionals and even nationals has taught me a great deal which i wish to share with others.

I finally got that opportunity when i was invited to be a facilitator for the regional convention. It came as a surprise to me because i never pictured myself as a facilitator, probably because i was having a lot of fun being an OT and never thought of myself being experienced enough to facilitate a session for the regional conventions.

Me, being my optimistic self, took up the challenge and till today i am glad i did so. The moment i took up the responsibility of being a facilitator, i realised that this is going to be a new phase in my lasallian journey of self discovery and i was right.

The whole facilitaion process starting from the moment of the facilitation workshop till the actual session was filled with challenges. It was all very new to me. During the whole process i realised that being a facilitator is not easy. All this while i had this picture in my head that facilitating a session was a walk in the park and that sending the message across to the delegate was easy, but i finally saw the big picture.

The whole process of facilitating is to put ourselves in the shoes of the delegates, as well as experimenting with new methods of passing on a message in order to make the convention memorable. Throughout the workshops i learnt new methods and witness old ones.

It was a real eye opener for me. I dare to say that after the facilitation experience i have become a more serious person in terms of my mindset and the way i look at things. I'm lucky to experience for myself the other side of lasallian work, the serious side. In short, the whole facilitation experience has been a memorable one and i hope that in the future i will be given more such opportunities.

- Soon Heng -



Wai Hin felt that the Conference on Education Malaysia "was one good, cekap experience for me and I'm glad that I am part of this event. I was put in charge of the AVA system. It was a good experience as I really learnt a lot from this event. To be honest, this was my first time going for a conference. The preparation and the whole process was totally different from organizing camps and events. I was lucky that I was put in charge of AVA as I could witness the conference. I was able to listen and the topic of the conference related to me as a student! The topics were interesting and the issues that were raise on during the discussions were insightful. I was excited about it. Yeah, I am very glad that I was part of the team. Thank you."


Rinesh shares that...

Knowing our rights would allow everyone to live equally. Often we hear about students' rights, workers' rights, human rights etc, but did you know children have their rights too?

YEAP THEY DO.

I bet you all didnt know about this when you were growing up? Perhaps it was what some parents do best - to not educate children about the 42 Articles in The Convention on the Rights of the Child as drafted out by UNICEF, so that we would grow up as healthy, obedient Malaysians. =)

After several meetings and a workshop within the past few months, i was astonished to know that children have rights too! And currently, a group of dynamic and enthusiastic Lasallians headed by our dear commissioners and programmes coordinator are working on workshops to educate not only Lasallians and the public, but also kids on the existence of these articles.

PS: did you know Corporal Punishment (Caning, Pinching, Jentik-ing, etc) is against children's rights as it is considered ABUSE?


A few more reports on LDOPP...

Colour-blind

Reuben Then from St Joseph's School, Sarawak shares:

With the theme above, the Lasallian Day of Prayers for Peace (LDOPP) was held at the St Joseph’s Secondary School, Kuching on the 14th and 15th October 2010. More than 1000 students and teachers, from both morning and afternoon session, took part in this annual activity.

The organizing committee of this activity was lead by me, assisted by others to ensure the activity ran smoothly. Guiding us were Madam Stella Caroline and Madam Ruby Erie, the SJS Lasallian Society Teacher Advisors.

This year’s theme focused on racism that’s happening around the world and in Malaysia. Students and teachers were told of the negative effects of racism to everyone and how we can stop racism during a speech at the school’s weekly assembly. It was stressed that we should follow Saint John Baptist de La Salle – we should be colour-blind and do not discriminate others.

A simple and short video clip was shown and this impacted most of the students and teachers strongly on the effects of racism. A mini-exhibition was also set up, showing pictures and articles of racism that’s happening around the world, both past and present.



Some photos from St Francis' Institution showing their LDOPP programme that consisted of video presentations, discussions and universal prayers for peace: