Written by Vinisha Rengiah. Edited by Nabila Shohimi.
University Civic Engagement Club (UCEC) held its closing ceremony in conjunction with Earth Day on Friday, April 22, 2022, to commemorate the one-year collaboration between EcoKnights, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) with the support of the U.S. Embassy, and to applaud the commitment of the UCEC committee, pledge teams, and volunteers from both universities. The celebration took place in IIUM’s Muhammad Abdul-Rauf Building from 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm, along with other activities such as talks on American programs, a pledge project exhibition and the symbolic gesture of the UCEC Sustainability Fund.
The ceremony was attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Brian D. McFeeters; Cultural Affairs Officer of U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur, Ms Katherine Diop; Rector of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Prof. Ts. Dr Sharifudin Md Shaarani; accompanied by Dr Yasmin Rasyid, the founder and president of EcoKnights as well as 60 other guests consisting of officers, lecturers, students, volunteers and media.
Showcase of Pledge Projects and Networking by UCEC Students
The exhibition session, which included a few interactive activities in addition to showcasing their pledge projects, was one of the centerpieces of the closing ceremony, successfully engaging the attendees and enlivening the venue. A total of 6 UCEC pledge projects from both IIUM and USIM were presented to the guests of honor, providing an opportunity for them to spread awareness about these student projects.
Congratulations to all of the teams that completed their pledge projects within the allotted time frame. We feel that these local youth groups are already doing more on the ground to foster a positive environment on their campuses. Meet our pledge teams lineup:
- Waste No More
- IIUM Recycling Initiative
- Let’s Keep The River Clean
- Printar Campaign
- One People One Tree
- The Good Society IIUM Food Garden
- NoBazeer Campaign
- Say No To Plastic Online Campaign
- Self-Talk and Self Space: Self Injury Prevention Awareness Advocacy
- LESSGO! Campaign
- equiWLibrium
- Transforming Kebun Komuniti
Following the closing ceremony was the ‘buka puasa’ dinner which also served as a networking session for the pledge students to go beyond their usual virtual meets and converse with other guests present, initiated by their dinner table hosts. This allows the pledge students to implement the social skills learnt throughout their workshops and mentorship to further establish new and stronger relationships with other key actors.
Consistency and Support Help to Grow Sustainability.
Moving forward, as UCEC closes its first chapter, to continue with UCEC’s goal of mobilizing student participation and action toward the Sustainable Development Goals on campus, His Excellency Brian D. McFeeters, U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, presented the plant Ficus Elastica, as a symbolic representation of the UCEC Sustainable Fund, to both Sejahtera Centre For Sustainability and Humanity, IIUM and Centre for Sustainability and Serenity, USIM. This demonstrates the continuation of support from the U.S. Embassy, universities and UCEC for the students in their commitment to realizing, continuing their projects and creating new projects in line with the sustainability direction of the universities.
Overall, the first chapter of UCEC came to a close, although it is far from over. Please email us at info@ecoknights.org.my if you or your community are interested in empowering yourself or others and learning how to take the next step towards making a lasting impact. After all, you have to start with yourself if you want to embrace sustainability.
