It's Your Choice; Give Them Voice

The Story

Hello! I'm Ha Ly from AIESEC in HELP.

As an emigrant of South Korea, I grew up watching my parents being limited and judged by their lack of fluency in English; difficulty at work was one, worse was the undermining it did to their self-confidence. Their age also made them unfamiliar with modern-day technology. Compounded, it compromised their independence in today's world - always needing help from me, co-workers, and others.

Though my parents' sufferance was the consequence of being a post-civil war generation, the truth is that such adults will still arise years from now, in Malaysia. Harsh, yes, but 2 in every 10 students failed SPM English in 2019. This should be ringing red, blaring alarm bells, especially since the world is only increasingly becoming globalized and tech-centric.

Still, the difference between my parents' generation and students in 2020 is this - we can still do something about it.

The project 'Speak Up' organized by our entity ultimately provides active, practical workshops to secondary school students. Through it, we are enhancing communicative skills and cultivating confidence in English usage by familiarizing the language and constructing a welcoming environment for expression. Additionally, we look to upskill students' technological abilities, specifically, how to use the array of functions provided by Google Suite. 

However, this is not something that can be done with a handful of people; it is a collective effort. Only your action today will stop giving birth to the next generation of linguistically muted, technologically blinded tomorrow. 

Do lend a hand - change only begins when you act on it.