Hearts Unfold sends a warm message

A passerby hugging the mascot of the project

Sometimes it is all about sending a message. A message that is clear and concise and resonates with the audiences’ interests and values.

Four students from the Faculty of Creative Industries had just that in mind. They came out with a project that sends out a message transcending conventional media, yet echoes a clear lesson to those around it.

“Hearts Unfold” is a final year project conducted by Media and Creative Studies students, namely Tan Wei Kun, Tai Zhen Hong, Yong Zhang Lin and Ham Pei Guan. 

(Left picture) promotion booth and (right picture) one of the lucky draw winners

“The idea behind the project is to increase the awareness of civic mindset among the students and the public members. Nowadays, our society is becoming more and more individualistic. Therefore, we wish to seed the concern for others in their hearts,” said Ham.

To spread the good message, the team utilised both traditional and modern methods.

“Our main media of engagement was through social media, namely Facebook. From the content that we shared, we hope the audiences will care more about people around them, especially friends and family,” said Ham.

Since the first week of the trimester, the team worked hard to provide contents which were not only full of meaningful messages but also enjoyable to watch. Through social experiments, the team put UTAR students’ concern and ethics to test.

“The social experiments went well. Of course, there were challenges.  Some felt uneasy about it but we managed to sort it out nicely,” said Tan.

“I also did not have any background knowledge in editing videos, therefore, it was challenging for me. It was tough but I learnt a lot,” Ham added.

Social experiment in the process

Besides conducting social experiments, they also provided an opportunity for students and staff to share their thoughts, advice and warm words to the rest of the community. With a string that stretched all the way from ground floor to the 10^th floor, UTAR community wrote their messages and hang them on the string.

“This project provided a chance for the community to write what they should do in life but they have not yet done. Therefore it is like a promise they made to themselves and shared with others,” explained Ham, adding that some of the messages were really moving and personal.

Most of the messages were about what the students’ wished to achieve in their studies, while others were about spending more time with their family back in their hometown.

Two messages shared by students

The project did not only benefit the community but also helped in enhancing the team’s knowledge and skills.

“We learnt a lot on how to manage social media, including advertising, customer engagement and customer management via the project,” said Ham.

The manpower behind the project (from left): Yong, Tai, Tan and Ham

For those who are interested to know more about their project, including the social experiments conducted, please click this link to view their Facebook page: https://bit.ly/2Oc6bSB