Rumah Ilham residents visit peers at Montford Boys Town
Forty residents from Rumah Ilham, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur had a great time when they visited their peers at Montfort Boys Town (MBT), Shah Alam for a half-day programme. The visit enabled them to learn how their peers from the home lead their daily lives as well as bond through various fun and exciting activities.
The half-day event began with a video presentation on MBT and a sharing session by the home prefects who spoke about their personal learning experiences. This was followed by Rumah Ilham residents’ presentations on their leadership project that they executed and key learning takeaways.
The Rumah Ilham boys later went on a tour of MBT before participating in team building activities including running an obstacle course with water balloons without spilling the water, football dribbling and carrying ping pong balls to a specified point and back without dropping them.
Organised by Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB), the programme aimed at encouraging the young residents of Rumah Ilham to meet their peers from other homes such as Montfort Boys Town to enhance their social skills by interacting and exchanging views and experiences with people from different backgrounds.
Rumah Ilham resident, Muhammad Ridzuan Surian, 17, said: “It was my first time visiting MBT and I thoroughly loved it, especially the teambuilding activities organised by the residents.
“I was initially nervous to meet a new group of people but the feeling quickly subsided after interacting with the boys and playing games together with them.”
Growing up at Rumah Ilham has taught Muhammad Ridzuan a lot about the true value of friendship.
“The visit to MBT not only offered me with the opportunity to gain new friends but also showed me the importance of teamwork and communicating with other people from diverse backgrounds,” he said.
“I appreciate the boys’ efforts in making our visit to their home a memorable one and I hope that me and
my friends at Rumah Ilham can return the favour if they visit us one day,” he added.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Mehn Sang Ka from Myanmar and also one of the prefects from MBT who led the programme organising committee, said that he was pleased with the Rumah Ilham kids’ participation and excitement over the event.
“It was such a joyous and unforgettable experience for all of us although we only met for the first time. Everyone was such a good sport and subconsciously proclaimed our newfound friendships in agreement by shouting ‘Kita kawan!’ after each challenge,” said Mehn.
“Despite our different backgrounds, at the end of the day, we are all the same and yearn to create meaningful connections with others. The event taught us to respect each other, boost our self-esteem and build a sense of community belonging,” he added.
Sang Ka’s fellow prefect, 21-year-old Joshua Raj said that he was thrilled to be able to bring the Rumah Ilham kids on a tour of their home and facilities so that they could personally witnessed how the MBT residents go about their daily lives.
“Besides improving my leadership and communication skills, I better understood the true meaning of teamwork and team spirit by mingling with a different group of people. Additionally, we got to learn more about how the Rumah Ilham boys lead their lives through their entertaining presentations. They are a fun and friendly bunch, and I hope we get to meet them again in the future,” Joshua added.
F&NHB Corporate Affairs manager, Cariessa Goh said that the youths, especially the younger children, are naturally curious and interested to learn more about new people, places and things around them. “Kids learn positive attitudes and characteristics by observing and interacting with others which stimulate their thinking skills and inspire them to have an open discussion and sharing session with their peers about issues and situations,” she said.
“Good social interaction and communication skills are essential to help children and teenagers forge positive relationships with people from different racial, religious, cultural and age groups. This encourages them to be more kind, empathetic, helpful and understanding of each other in social settings despite the differences.
“It also fosters social competence in the youth that enables them to reflect on their surroundings and take into account other people’s concerns and perspectives, and apply their new insights to learning more about others in social interactions,” she added.