1. Project Goals:

The Language Café project aims to be a one-stop centre for the students to enjoy learning English. They are exposed to an environment that could increase their motivation to learn and love English using various teaching techniques and learning materials.

2. Fund-raising efforts:

Yes, We raised funds through online fund-raising activities which is by selling postcards. We collaborated with a postcard graphic designer called @florettes who is also an influencer who sells her works online. With the collaboration we managed to raise enough funds for our project.

3. How does the project work?
   1. Project Flow Summary:
       
      1.  Received Grant from Khind Starfish Foundation
          
      2. Engaged with the SK Bongek and Sekolah Kebangsaan SK Kampong Batu but due to a few reasons we need to change our beneficiary from SK Kampong Batu to SK Salak Nama.
          
      3.  1 July – 11 July
         Collaboration with @fleorettes to make customized postcards for crowdfunding purposes.
          
      4.  15 July - 15 August
         Completing the team and planning, making the materials for the project.
          
      5.  16 - 31 August
         Printing materials and sending the materials to the facilitators as well as the students.
          
      6.  21 August
         Entering the Negeri Sembilan International Exposition 2021 (NSIEx 2021).
          
      7.  1 September - 1 October
         Implementing the project.
          
      8.  4 October
         Winning “Gold” Award as well as “Best Video Special Award” in NSIEx 2021 under the category Higher Inst. Student, Social Studies and
          
      9.  8 October
         Closing Ceremony with Prof. Dr. Yamin Yasin, Rektor UiTM Negeri Sembilan as honoured guest.
         
          

2. Difficulties:
   1. Problem with implementing the project with the first school we had in mind.
   2. Both Standard Operation Order and Movement Control Order affected our plan in  implementing the project and we could not build the “Language Cafe” room in SK Bongek and could not implement the project by gathering the students together at school and needed to conduct the project online.
   3. We also could not build the room due to the SOP and MCO rules and thus we did not spend money on foldover tables, racks and mat which were supposed to be placed in the room to be in use for the students.
       
3. Language or cultural barriers:

As the students from the rural areas are not fluent in English, we need to explain the games and questions in Malay for a better understanding.
 

4. Beneficial person:

72 primary school students from SK Bongek and SK Salak Nama
 

5. Future:

The Language Café project aims to be a one-stop center for the students to enjoy learning English. This project helped students create a comfortable environment so that the students from both schools would be motivated and enjoy learning English. Even though the room couldn’t be made, we are able to sustain the project by sharing the teaching techniques with the teachers from respective schools. In addition, students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Bongek can hone and nurture their leadership skills by helping the facilitator as a buddy trainer to lead the students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Salak Nama. And these gave them an experience of the joyful of sharing. And I believe that joy will grow this project on a bigger scale where all the schools in Rembau and outside Rembau can enjoy Language Café.

Apart from that, Sekolah Kebangsaan Salak Nama is the second school that experienced the English language activity called Grammar Learning Adventures (GLAD) after Sekolah Kebangsaan Bongek. The previous school's success, Sekolah Kebangsaan Bongek, allows this project to be carried out in the second school. And I believe this room can be done by others in future.

(a)

How does or will your project contribute to happiness? Short-term? Long-term?

The project contributes to happiness in the short and long term. In the short term, the project has contributed to happiness among school students where they know that there is room to enjoy learning English through games. Besides the happiness of learning, they also learned the happiness of sharing as well learning that sharing does not only mean sharing something we own as our belongings but also something we know such as our knowledge. 

And as the long-term contribution to happiness is the knowledge they gained throughout the project. The student can use this as their knowledge in learning English and continuously improve themselves to gain the confidence in speaking English. This type of project also opens their mind to learn in a different way so that in future they can use various ways to learn and not only the traditional way.

Has your project changed the way you think about the world? How has it changed you?

As a person who used to be very shy in speaking to others using any other language than my native language, I wished to bring different approaches that can attract others to learn English but I never thought this small gesture of mine could bring a smile to their face. 

I always thought that giving back to society needs to be done when I am older with better financial stabilities but actually I just need the heart of giving to people and the society will be happy no matter what type of help is offered.

(b)

Quotation from student:

“The programme is really fun and teaching others to play the games is one of my most memorable memories.” 

 - Nurul Anisah Zahirah Binti Mohd Fauzi