Today we learnt of the death of Michael Jackson, and while we were and continue to be awed by his slick dance moves it was more often his brilliant and powerful lyrics that has left a greater mark on each of us.
Here's 'Man in the Mirror', for all you who at one point or another was touched by this song.
The final regional convention for 2009 (Northern) was held in La Salle Centre from 12-14 June 2009. Here are some pictures.
The Northern Regional Lasallian Convention concludes our round of regional conventions for 2009 - Southern, Klang Valley, Sabah, Sarawak, and Northern.
A BIG TERIMA KASIH too all organizing team members, chairpersons, facilitators, schools, delegates, and many more who helped out in the regional conventions!!!
The Sarawak version of the regional conventions has just been concluded! Kudos to the Sarawak FT team for all the hard work in making it a success!
Below is a sharing by Nicky Tay
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The Sarawak Regional Lasallian Convention is the moment every Lasallian have been waiting for. So this year, the convention was held on the 2nd of June to the 6th of June. I’m very proud and honored to be selected as part of Heritage Crew, who is tasked to present a heritage play about our founder, De La Salle. Therefore, for me, the Lasallian Convention started one day earlier (with no regrets!).
Actually, the convention started a lot earlier for the organizing team and Heritage Crew. This is because we to have learnt about La Salle and when each practice passes, I learnt a little of everything about my fellow friends in the Heritage Crew. So, we were practicing to our very best to give the perfect heritage play to the participants!
It was the first day of the convention. The crew woke up as early as 7 o’clock to practice their play while the organizing team was busy preparing for registration and other convention matters. Soon enough, the clock was showing 1p.m. So everybody registered at the counter and what surprises me are that, there are so many participants that I do not know; I felt awkward.
Anyway, things changed as we go along the convention. As days go by, bonds and friendships were developed. Together we, had fun and the most amazing moments together. Despite all the fun, I really appreciate this convention because the sessions had taught me a lot. I really learnt a lot about La Salle, leadership skills, and the importance of community and team work.
In conclusion, this convention brought much joy to every one of us. At first, I was nervous with the unfamiliar faces, but then at the end of the day, we became a BIG FAMILY. I appreciate this convention because it has taught us about being a Lasallian and made us realize that the Lasallian community is actually a BIG FAMILY which covers the whole globe.
While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.
He came closer still and called out,"Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied"Throwing starfish into the ocean."
The old man smiled, and said,"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile?You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."
Well, that wasn't exactly what we were doing in Selayang but as compared to the typical age group that we normally deal with, these participants were really young, being between 10-12 years old.
It was an opportunity for us to get a different perspective of youth development. And as we set out to Selayang on Wednesday morning, we were both excited yet nervous as none of us had the experience of dealing with children from that particular demographic.
Marveen sums up our experience- The Lasallian FT was once again in action, this time conducting a session for a group of kids in a programme organised by Yayasan Kajian Pembangunan Masyarakat. These kids come from an urban poor background, consisting of Indian and Malay kids. They all lived in flats in Selayang and were present for a 3 day camp, conducted by a group of young and very enthusiastic group of teenagers. We (Jon, Pui Yi and myself) were requested to do a simple session on Wednesday, the second day of the camp, on Values; somewhat similar to our Regional sessions (or so we thought).
As we headed of to Selayang that morning, we did not anticipate the challenge that was awaiting us over there. I must say, it was a very challenging task, but worth all the fun. Pui Yi conducted the first session on introducing values using a few bedtime stories. The task was to get the kids to tell the story and find its values, and that proved to be the challenge. They understood the story but found it difficult to speak it out as most of them were not so fluent in BM, gratefully the OT's managed to get them to understand it in Tamil, and in the process we learned a few words, Jon and Pui Yi that is.
As we progressed through the day we got to know these kids even more and it was a totally different experience alltogether, working with kids. Jon took off his session with an Obstacle course and followed with the balloon and pen game. His role was to wake them up from their assumed-value-centered mind or state, and to say that in reality, they do break their values without knowing so. It went well as the kids had much fun during the activities. The final session was facilitated by me. The session was based on incorporating values towards Teambuilding. In groups, the activity was to build a bridge from paper and tape that could withstand the weight of at most 5 tin cans of soft drinks. The teams did well, quite ingeniusly I must say. This was then followed with the Entanglement game and the Raffia Loop around a Circle game. The whole time it was utter chaos, there were groups with awesome ideas, to kids in tears and playful slaps. Words cant describe the experience we had that day, though i said chaos, it was a fun filled one. And Pui Yi now has a profound respect for primary teachers, and I think Jon and I can second that.
I do have to say this, though the task was some what challenging and attention span was a fragment throughout the process, these kids got the message, having values equals to being and doing good. It was well worth the time we've spent there and to be a part of this movement, spreading change well beyond the Lasallian community and fulfilling the audacious path of Hope. It is these simple and tiny changes that can one day make a huge difference, you see Change will only come if we yearn and act for it.
All in all, a great experience and well worth the time spent.
-Marveen- Thanks Marveen for the detailed sharing. Photos to follow soon. =)
We're in the midst of organizing FT Weekend 2 which tentatively will be held on 22-23 August 2009. A few topics were suggested and we need your help in deciding on one.
Please RANK YOUR PREFERENCE from 1 - 5 for the following choices:
Choice A: First Aid Workshop Learn some basic first aid skills, which may come in handy someday. You'll never know!
Choice B:Taking Care of Yourself - Health Consciousness Get to know and understand your body, and how you can live a healthy lifestyle. (Note: No, we're not gonna make you run round SMI's field ten times... or we may!)
Choice C: Consumerism and Materialism Consciously or subconsciously, each of us is affected by consumerism and crass materialism, whether in school or at work. We'll seek to explore more on its causes, effects, and how can we deal with it.
Choice D: Reflection To learn more about reflection skills, and its practicality in our everyday lives - skills, impact, and how will it help us.
Choice E: Go Green! Explore environmental issues and how Lasallians can play a part in saving the world (literally).
Do take a few minutes to make a choice and leave a comment on your preference. It won't take long!
And try to do it by 5 June, so that we may compile the results and get to work.
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