KLANG, 18th June 2023 – Community Outreach Carnival with the Mawar Cempaka Flat Community, Bandar Baru Klang, under the initiative of Service Learning Malaysia – University for Society (SULAM), was successfully organized by the College of Computing, Informatics, and Media (KPPIM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, with a focus on raising digital awareness.
The community outreach carnival, attended by more than 150 residents of Mawar Cempaka Flat, Bandar Baru Klang, was the first session of the two-day programme. It was officiated by Prof. Ts Dr Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Mohd Isa, Dean of Academic and International, KPPIM, UiTM Shah Alam which also involved 97 students from the School of Computing Sciences KPPIM who served as the programme facilitators.
According to Prof. Ts Dr Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Mohd Isa, upon seeing the dedication of students and academic staff along with the Mawar Cempaka Flat community, he has high hopes for the success of this carnival, which aims to promote digital awareness in this rapidly advancing technological era.
“A carnival such as today, which involves the participation of all generations of the Mawar Cempaka Flat community, reflects how our community greatly appreciates initiatives that empower people to be more digitally literate,” said Mr. Sallehudin Ismail, the Chairman of the Joint Management Body.
The carnival, which began at 8:30 a.m., was filled with various activities. This includes knowledge sharing exhibitions on scam types, modus operandi and prevention as well as benefits and harms of technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet-of -Things (IoT). Dr Azhar Abd Aziz delivered a talk entitled “The Importance of Ethical Use of Technology” where he emphasized the need to monitor the use of gadgets that are often used by children in both leisure and learning, given that there are negative elements.
Catering to the taste of the millennial generation, a Mobile Legends competition was also held, with participants consisting of children and youth who are fans of video games.
The pleasant weather added to the excitement, as the futsal event took place at the Mawar Cempaka Flat futsal court, and the exploration race saw the participation of children and teenagers from Mawar Cempaka Flat. Participants were thrilled to have fun with their peers.
Dr Azhar Abd Aziz, who served as the programme advisor, expressed appreciation towards the students, academic staff, and residents of Flat Mawar Cempaka for contributing to the success of the carnival.
The event was also graced by the presence of Mr. Sallehudin Ismail, the Chairman of the Joint Management Body, Mr. Isa Jusoh, the Chairman of the Neighbors Association Area, Ustaz Muhammad Zaini Ahmad, the Chairman of Surau Bandar Baru Klang, Mr. Khairol Anuar Jamaluddin, the Assistant Environmental Health Officer of Nation Building Healthy Community (KOSPEN) and Mr. Muhamad Fahmi Rosley Public Health Assistant of KOSPEN. It also involves Gardenia and Al-Khairiyah Mosque, Taman Seri Gombak who are willing to provide sponsorship to make the Care for Mawar Cempaka Flat Community Carnival a success.
The Community Outreach Carnival with the Mawar Cempaka Flat Community SULAM 2023 programme, is one of the initiatives aimed at empowering and serving the community through volunteer activities. Students are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge practically and discover how the knowledge they have acquired can also improve the living standards of the local community. The activities also support the aspirations of Fourth and Eleventh Sustainable Development Goals, which are Quality Education, Sustainable Cities and Communities and include the Government’s vision of fostering Masyarakat Madani.