寻迹士乃 Loi Ah, Cim Ziak Hi was created to help young people understand Senai through its local stories, culture and community memories. Instead of only learning about heritage through books or online information, we wanted participants to experience the places themselves through a cultural learning route, interactive activities, the app and conversations with local community members.

The project was supported by several external parties. YB Teo Nie Ching contributed RM2,000 and YB Wong Bor Yang contributed RM1,000 to support the project. KPP Antalis also supported us with a discount for the paper materials, while we still paid approximately RM1,000 after the discount. Taspack also helped with the printing for the project. KRT Kampung Baru Senai supported our activities and helped with the community coordination.

The project was carried out through three guided route sessions with students from Foon Yew High School, SJK(C) Senai and Raffles University, with a total of 63 direct participants. Each group followed the cultural learning route around Kampung Baru Senai and visited different locations while learning about the stories and culture connected to each place. Participants also took part in activities using the Trace Pack and app, so they could interact with the route instead of only listening to explanations. We also prepared 50 copies of the Cultural Learning Map for the public, so people could explore the route on their own.

One of our main challenges was collecting and organising information from different sources. We had to communicate with community members, arrange interviews, collect old stories and photos, and decide how to present the information in a way that students could understand. Coordination was also sometimes challenging because we had to manage the route, participants, materials and activities at the same time. During the first round, our route planning was quite rushed and some parts felt a little too fast. After the first session, we could see what needed to be changed and adjusted the later sessions. Our budget was manageable, but we still had to keep track of the printing and material costs.

Another challenge was language, as our participants came from different backgrounds, including Chinese, Malay and Indian students. Some of them were not familiar with Chinese, especially when we used deeper or more traditional Chinese terms to explain the cultural stories. During the sessions, we explained some things in simpler words and translated them when needed. We also used the app to help with translation. This made it easier for participants from different backgrounds to follow the route and understand the stories.

One thing that worked well was the combination of the physical route, interactive activities and digital elements. Participants could walk around the actual locations, complete activities and learn through the stories connected to each place. We also got to see their reactions directly, which helped us understand which parts of the route they found interesting. However, the first round showed us that our route planning and time management could have been better. Some parts were quite rushed, so if we continue the project, we would give ourselves more preparation time and plan the timing between each stop more carefully.

Through the project, we reached 63 students from three educational institutions: Foon Yew High School, SJK(C) Senai and Raffles University. We also produced 50 copies of the Cultural Learning Map for public self-guided exploration. This gave members of the public another way to discover the cultural stories and places in Senai. At the same time, local community members who shared their stories and memories also became an important part of the project, as their experiences were documented and introduced to younger participants.

We hope 寻迹士乃 Loi Ah, Cim Ziak Hi can continue after this project. The route and learning materials can be used when working with more schools, universities and community groups in the future. We can also continue developing the app by adding more stories, locations and interactive features. We hope that by making Senai's stories easier and more interesting to discover, more people will be willing to learn about the area and its culture. At the same time, we want to keep the focus on the local stories and memories that are already part of Senai, so they can continue to be shared with the next generation.

The project brought happiness to the participants in simple ways. During the Yuute, students were able to walk around Senai with their friends, take part in the activities, discover new places and listen to stories about the area. Instead of being in a classroom, they could learn by actually being at the places they were learning about. Seeing them enjoy the activities, ask questions and interact with the people around them was one of the most meaningful parts of the project for us.

We also hope that the project can have a longer-lasting effect after the activities ended. Some of the places we visited may look ordinary to people who pass by them every day, but they have their own stories and memories. After learning about them, participants may look at these places differently when they pass by them again. More importantly, the stories shared by local community members were given a chance to be heard and recorded, so they can continue to be shared with younger people in the future.

For us, the project also changed the way we look at the place around us. At the beginning, we did not realise how many stories were connected to the places we passed by every day. As we did more research and spoke to people in the community, we started to understand Senai from a different perspective. We learned that a place is not only made up of its buildings and streets, but also the memories and experiences of the people who live there. This made the project more meaningful to us because we were not only creating an activity for students, but also learning about our own local community along the way.

“This project made me realise that there is more to Senai than what we see on the surface. The most meaningful part was hearing stories from people who have lived here for many years, which made me see these places in a different way and appreciate how much local history lives in people’s memories.”
— Joon Yu Xuan

“Through this project, I realised that technology is not just a tool, but can also be a way to help people discover and understand the stories and culture of a place. Seeing the app become part of the students’ journey made me realise that digital tools can make local stories easier to explore and more interesting for younger people.”
— LoH Min Yu

“This project showed me how simple activities can bring people closer to a place and its stories. During the activities, I helped to guide and support the students as they explored Senai, and seeing their reactions and curiosity made the experience very meaningful to me.”
— Tai Ke Ning

“Through this project, I learned how important it is to document the experience, not just the final outcome. By taking photos and videos during the project and putting them together into the final video, I was able to capture the moments, interactions and memories that happened along the way.”
— Darell Tan Yong Kang

“Being involved in the planning of this project made me realise how much thought goes into creating an experience for others. It was meaningful to see how our ideas, research and planning came together to create a project that helps people discover the stories and culture of Senai.”
— Chong Sheng Yen