In school, I was always considered the smart student who could do no wrong. I was selected to be a school prefect because of my exemplary behaviour, and I would always have to take care of the naughty students or so-called “budak kelas belakang”. Looking back on my relationship with them at school, I found myself reminiscing about the times we shared together.

This memory struck me when I coordinated the Gempak 100 programme at Flat Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) Jalan Sungai, Penang. It was easy for me to build a good relationship with the children as I believe my understanding of their underprivileged background helped me a lot. They liked me so much and of course, I liked them too. Even children who weren’t participating in the programme would get excited to see me. This touched me deeply and made me even more motivated to see them grow and acquire more skills to secure a better future.

The programme started out smoothly, as this was not the first time Arts-ED worked with this community. Between 2012 and 2015, Arts-ED conducted a similar programme which brought arts to the community known as Sungai Pinang Kita. Having me as a Malay coordinator also smoothened communication between the residents’ committee Pertubuhan Komuniti Penduduk Jalan Sungai (PKPJS), parents and children as we shared the same race and religion, which made them feel comfortable and safe talking to me.

Unfortunately, not all parents were supportive and understood the importance of the arts in building their children's character and personalities. Therefore, we conducted house visits weekly or monthly to understand parents' opinions and build good relationships with them. Some parents responded positively understanding and expressing hope that their children would acquire skills through the programme, while others did not.

During the first phase of the programme, parents and children would sometimes share issues or problems related to their community with me, which were outside my scope of responsibilities. I often ask myself, “How do I draw the line so that the residents’ committee will not think that I am interfering with their authority, but at the same time, parents will not think that I neglected their request?”. It was hard but I managed to identify which issues I could help them with, and which I could not.

Gempak 100 Team would like to take this opportunity to thank our strategic partner, Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA), and support from Balai Seni Negara, Penang Education Council, LUMA, Srishti Digital Life & Pertubuhan Komuniti Penduduk Jalan Sungai (PKPJS).

By Nurul Shahira Jamalluddin, Programme Coordinator.

PROJECT JOURNEY

Community-engaged Arts Mentorship

Thirteen young artists and cultural workers worked alongside four mentors in planning and facilitating the workshops. This program served as a platform for young artists and cultural workers to apply their knowledge in the field as part of a mentorship programme.

Creative Arts Workshops for Young People

The creative workshops were conducted for 5 months between January and May 2022, through weekly sessions which ended with a final presentation to the community. During the workshop sessions, the young participants took on the creative journey to map, conduct research, compose and express their own and the community’s stories through various art forms.

Gempak 100 Phase 1 wrapped up in June 2022. We are grateful that the participants enjoyed the process and developed their talents.

Watch Aida’s take on the mentorship and community (Gempak 100) programme.

Click here to watch what other mentors and mentees say about the programme.

OUR JOURNEY IN A GLANCE

Click for the English version

Click for the Bahasa version

Programme Outcomes

In the series of engagement sessions,

i. Participants showed high artistic skill and creativity in telling their own stories through the final showcase, which comprised a creative movement presentation, shadow puppet performances, and a photography exhibition. The children’s potential and talents have been identified and could be developed further in the future.

ii. Art processes sharpened the participants’ understanding and awareness about themselves and their surroundings. The children were able to identify community issues and suggest solutions.

iii. Art was able to help participants to develop life skills/soft skills (analytical skills, problem-solving, communication) through a long-term and continuous arts workshop. These skills are highly important in helping to develop youths and their ability to contribute to the community.

iv. The project cultivates a positive attitude among the young participants, with a visible improvement in several areas after the completion of the project, such as independence, motivation, leadership, confidence, and social and communication skills.

Check out the final performance by the Tari Gempak (Creative Movement) Team below.

What’s Next…

Gempak 100 has been able to assemble form a group of active youths who are ready to serve the community and play a role in its programmes. The residents’ committee and parents are well-informed and highly engaged in taking care of the participants’ development together. The support shown by most of the community is a positive indicator of the success of the project’s sustainability. In the long run, community members have the potential to lead and organize programmes for the children themselves.

Other than that, the artist mentors have been able to share their knowledge and coach younger artists about their approaches to community engagement. At the same time, these artists have been able to continue using their skills while facilitating the development of young artists and young participants. This practical and hands-on coaching involved physical demonstrations and guidance for mentees. The long-term and ongoing nature of this mentorship programme has enabled more discussion, experimentation, and engagement between mentors and mentees, and between facilitators and participants during the implementation of the creative arts workshops in the community.