PR Campaign VI In-Campus Events

The students cheering after the successful opening

The Public Relations (PR) Campaign 2017/2018: Volunteerism VI was launched on 6 March 2018. Following the launch, a large-scale exhibition was organised by all 198 PR students from 2 to 6 April 2018. The exhibition was held at Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, Kampar Campus.

They kick-started the exhibition with an opening ceremony on 3 April 2018.  It was officiated by UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik. Also present at the opening ceremony were UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong and Faculty of Arts and Social Science Dean Dr Alia Azalea, along with staff and students.

“This would be the sixth year of the Volunteerism Campaign, which has been held consecutively by our PR students. In line with UTAR’s founding principle, “By the people, for the people”, the Volunteerism Campaign has benefitted the community in many ways,” said Prof Chuah in his speech.

He also added, “UTAR has constantly encouraged the intellectual and personal development of students so that they can respond to professional and community needs. Therefore, we aim to provide a supportive and challenging environment such as this campaign for the students to realise their full potential and to develop the necessary skills and flexibility to succeed. I am glad that the Volunteerism Campaign has become a staple of the Public Relations programme as it not only allows students to translate theory into practice, but is also one of the important channels for UTAR to reach out to the community. This legacy is being passed down from batch to batch among the Public Relations students because we believe that an institution of higher learning such as UTAR should always have a heart for the community and be able to bring transformative impact to the society and nation.”

Main Campaign Director Julian Chin Chun Kit also said, “I am happy because we have this opportunity to learn valuable things from the campaign. Throughout the preparations and organising of events, we are exposed to various skills, knowledge, expertise and networking from other companies. It is surely a rewarding experience as we grow in our soft skills and communication skills. I hope the team will continue to strive hard to live up to the tagline, ‘Revitalising Volunteerism, Empowering Community’.”

From left: Prof Chuah and Chin delivering their speeches

The opening ceremony featured the gathering of VIPs on stage to push the red button and saw the banner of all five groups raised. Videos featuring the students’ past events were played with their theme song “V” (We) playing as the background music of the video. A traditional Malay dance was also part of the highlights, with the singing performance by FAS lecturer Mohd Yusof bin Zulkefli.

Opening ceremony with the mascots

Throughout the five-day event, all five groups organised their respective events at Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik that reflected the group’s sub-theme. Group 1, with their sub-theme ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ focused on the issue of sea pollutions, through their musical drama titled “One More Step to SEA-ing You”. It was held on 6 April 2018. It aimed to enhance the public’s awareness on sea pollutions via dancing and singing performances. An exhibition featuring various information on sea pollution was also held. The exhibition saw a number of waste art decorations and it exposed ways to prevent sea pollution. 

Group 1 members celebrating the successful night

A night filled with musical dramas

Group 2 with their sub-theme ‘Digital Economy’ organised the “C.E.P.A.T (Cashless, Economical, Payment and Transaction) Expo” on 4 April 2018, which aimed to encourage entrepreneurship among the younger generation with the advancement of modern technology. It also featured a talk by entrepreneurs who are experienced in using digital technology in their business, with the hope to inspire and instil interest among undergraduates on digital entrepreneurship. The highlight of the event was the QR Pick & Spot, which required participants to scan the QR codes to win attractive prizes.

Visitors enjoying the expo

Group 3, with their sub-theme ‘Health Services’ organised “Move it, Move It!” sports event on 5 April 2018. The aim was to raise awareness on the issue of heart diseases in Malaysia by introducing healthy lifestyle as an effective prevention method. The Zumba session successfully attracted participation from staff, students and local residents.

Participants and members feeling energised from the Zumba

The opening ceremony

Zumba time

Group 4’s sub-theme ‘Heritage Tourism’ intended to promote the Perak heritage sites and the importance of preserving these historical sites, through the “Treasures of Perak (T.O.P) Exhibition”. It was held on 2 April 2018. They hoped for the event to be able to explain the gems of Perak, through sculptures of famous heritage sites in Perak that were exhibited there. 

Historical moment for the members

Replicas of historical items displayed at the exhibition

Lastly, Group 5’s ‘Social Welfare’ sub-theme saw the team organising an “Aww~S.O.M.E. Workshop” catered to local primary school students. The aim was to enable the primary school students to enhance their creative skills through their participation in the various activities organised at the workshop. They hoped that the primary school students’ participation will develop their three basic creative skills, such as general creativity, artistic creativity and entrepreneur creativity. 

Participants and members posing after the workshop

Participants testing their creativity skills

Participants posing with the mascot and their prizes 

Held annually since 2011, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s (UTAR) Public Relations (PR) Campaign, Volunteerism is a project by UTAR Public Relations students. Throughout the years, Volunteerism Campaign had received significant award such as the Bronze Award in the Malaysia PR Awards (MPRA) 2014/2015 under the Public Sector Award category and Gold Award in the Malaysia PR Awards (MPRA) 2016/2017 under the “Institutions of Higher Learning – Students” category. Currently in its sixth edition, the Volunteerism Campaign, known as Volunteerism VI, aims to encourage the public to be actively involved in volunteer activities. Volunteerism VI aims to improve the surrounding community’s quality of life through the recruitment of volunteers in order to address the different problems faced. There are five sub-themes under Volunteerism VI, namely Corporate Social Responsibility, Digital Economy, Health Services, Heritage Tourism, and Social Welfare. Each sub-theme targets a specific group of audience and champions a specific cause.