1. Two sentence summary of project goals.

The project, namely Reader’s Theatre for Kids aimed to teach English to kids below the age of 13 through ways that are enjoyable and creative-inducing. By introducing reader’s theatre, kids can adopt a more joyful way to improve their English skills and at the same time, the members of the project can develop their teaching skills by incorporating creative and innovative means to the process of teaching the English language.

2. Any other fund-raising efforts?

No, there were none.

3. Provide details about how your project actually worked.

On the unanticipated difficulty, it was definitely the pandemic which halted our initial plan of securing a session with the students from Asrama Darul Falah (ASDAF). Due to how everyone was instructed to minimize physical meetings, we were unable to proceed with the original plan because all the children at ASDAF had been sent back home. As we worked on the backup plan which was to approach kids nearest to one of our representatives, another difficulty at hand was the aspect of having no face-to-face experience for most of the members as the kids were located only in Perlis, near our group leader’s home and  in Shenzen, China with another of our team member living there. Hence, everything was to be handled virtually and it was more challenging, as the immediate experience of executing the project was absent.

Moving on, there was a minor language barrier as the kids were not as fluent in English, hence the representative had to switch to the native language, which is Thai language, to explain some terms in order for the kids to comprehend the instructions better. Similarly in China, the instructions were mostly done in Mandarin to allow an easier flow on information. This project was mainly a success, both for the kids and the project members. The project in Perlis was held as weekly sessions whereas in China our representative managed to secure a two-hour session hence we only covered the basics of reader’s theatre with the help of videos which were pre-recorded and presented to the kids involved.

According to plan, the sessions for the kids in Perlis were to be held once a week, either Saturday or Sunday. As the sessions progressed, the kids showed immense growth and development in terms of their pronunciation as well as mastering the expressions required for their roles. The three kids from Perlis were fast learners and were passionate about their respective parts, each showing their capabilities well with what was taught. As for the five other kids in China, the same thing could be said. In a span of two hours they have mastered incredible skills after going through a few practices from watching the demonstration video prepared by the members virtually.

This project was beneficial to the kids who participated. They showed intense passion to do their very best in every practice and even requested multiple runs before ending the sessions. Furthermore, they were very open to suggestions and picked up things really well. As a result, the project members benefitted well from it as well. With the positive progress, we got more encouragement than needed to keep on delivering the knowledge we had to the kids. The long-term impact of this project is definitely the seed of joy in learning English we planted in the kids. They will know that English is not necessarily to be learnt from classrooms at school. There are better, creative ways that are more engaging for everyone to enjoy the learning process. Provided the positive responses from both the kids and their parents, there will indeed be more opportunities like this and hopefully we can expand this idea to more kids.

1. How does or will this project contribute to happiness? Has it changed the way you view the world? How?

Our project made the kids enjoy using the English language. Often, the language has always been deemed as a huge obstacle that one believes it is impossible if they are not good or fluent enough at it. But with this project, we really wanted the kids to know that language too can be used and learnt joyfully. For instance with reader’s theatre, they were able to use the language happily while performing theatre. This was obvious during the sessions as they were perfectly enthusiastic to learn all the expressions and correct their pronunciations as long as they could perfect their roles accordingly. At the end of the performance, we could see how the kids progressed and they are now more confident in using the English language especially when they see each other. As for their happiness, it is definitely long-term. Even after the performance day, they are already questioning on another script they can act to and even suggested some of their face stories. When language is no longer the barrier and they just want to have fun, that is how their happiness toward this project is secured for a long time.

As for the members personally, this project and what it encompasses- from the planning up to the execution, it is indeed a rewarding journey that makes us all much more appreciative of our course of action. All of us have the sincerest intentions to bring English lessons beyond the classroom whilst incorporating many fun and creative means solely for the kids who will be receiving this. As the group leader and the representative who gets to work with the kids, I must say I am happy about my decisions to do this. After every session, there is not a day I go home without a smile on my face and such content heart. The feelings are indescribable and I am sure the rest of the members feel it too whenever they watch the recordings I sent. This project gives us what we need most during this pandemic- hope. Kids, they do not have much to think about when it comes to the realities of the world. From there we adopt that way of thinking. Just be happy in the moment. To face it all with the happiness that is still with us. This precious experience with the kids will forever be something we treasure wholeheartedly. It makes us view struggle as something that will pass on and be replaced with something much more sweeter in life.

2. Statements and quotes

“This project helped me to see the world in a different view especially during this pandemic. We all know that this is a hard time for all of us. Seeing the kids had fun while joining the program and acting their roles, it made me happy.”

Fatihah, project member.

“It was a relief to hear that everything took place rather successfully and the kids managed to cheer us up even more by mentioning to the team leader that they would like more of these activities. It made me realize that the whole preparation our team worked so hard for was certainly worth the genuine reaction from the kids.”

                                                                                            Vinetha, project member.