A Merdeka Excursion to Muzium Negara

On Malaysia's Independence day, 7-Eleven marketing team, Beach Valley Trailblazers Club and our NGOhub crews co-organized a trip to national museum for 25 kids from CVC Lembah Pantai and 25 kids from Gurpuri Foundation. The trip is part of 7-Eleven's corporate social responsibility (CSR) effort to provide education and opportunity for the underprivileged children, and to explore the values of the wonders in the world of history. This visit was an education itself through which the this group of kids could see a collection of rare things and things of historical interest. 7-Eleven and NGOhub had supported the full trip by securing and sponsoring the transportation, entrance fees, lunch and goodies. Nine facilitators, with 2 from NGOhub, 2 from Gurpuri Foundation and 5 from CVC along with 7-Eleven crews and NGOhub director, Wah Hoo, had made sincere effort to ensure the trip to this treasure house of great knowledge was a remarkable and resourceful one for these children.

The museum building is majestic and a great attraction. We were stunned to see systematic and well-arranged displays of various objects of art and architecture. The building has been divided into many compartments and sections as per the subjects and periods of history. Under our facilitation, the kids managed to indulge themselves in images, sculptures, rock-engraved scriptures, coins and various objects of archaeological value. Relics and remains of ancient human beings, royal robes, weapons of great rulers, and coins of different periods of time, all made the kids much more familiar with the artistic skill and human progress. Seeing the vivid depiction of the lives of ancient royal families, all of us instantly brought ourselves into the glorious past of the Malay dynasty and Malacca Sultanate. The visit also allowed us to have a better understanding about technological progress, economic growth and social development throughout the human history in a bigger picture.

The entire museum presented a miniature Malaya and Borneo, lands of different periods of time. It displayed the whole gamut of our nation's life and literature. The visit enriched our knowledge and learning. Some activities for the kids had been conducted during the excursion. All the kids had been divided into 9 groups with a team leader. Guided by the facilitators, they were given some tasks with a mission of finding the facts about Malaysian Independence History. The experience was certainly a thrilling one, and we were happy to see that this visit had a deep and lasting impression on the minds of these children.

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The highlight behind the Story: A museum is a community center designed to inform and teach the public. Academic learning is the immediate response when the question of the benefits of a museum is raised. History has made a huge impact on the human innovation, and offering an opportunity for underprivileged kids to form connections to history encourages their love of history. A museum is a repository of insightful stories, allowing these children to be exposed to those stories teach them the virtue of empathy. The visit to a museum also offers a great chance of enhancing critical thinking skills for children as interesting conversations about innovation and industrial development in human history among the children can be fostered.