The proverb “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” certainly rings true when it comes to getting our youth to get involved in human right campaigns and activities. Disliking the idea of spending the entire day listening to condescending so-called volunteers and human right activists telling them to do good deeds, most of our youth will simply forget the little interest they have on the issues to opt for something more fun and entertaining.
In its bid to make activism more fun and engaging, UndiMsia! has devised a brilliant way to revolutionise the boring and stupor-inducing workshop!
UndiMsia!, if you guys still have not heard about it, is the nation’s hottest citizen rights movement that believes in the concept of participatory democracy. UndiMsia! aims to empower the citizens to realise that real democracy goes beyond just voting during elections once every 5 years. We want to create the awareness that as citizens our voices should be heard more often than just during elections especially when our honourable law-makers should be doing more than making policies. It is also about encouraging our youth to look at politics beyond the gutter form practiced in the country and focusing more on actual issues affecting the citizens. Sex scandals are so last year so get over it!
To achieve all of this, the first step is focused on making our youth realise that if we want something to change, we have to be the positive agent of change ourselves rather than just whining and complaining during meals without any productive action. Complaining at mamak stalls is so last year as well!
What UndiMsia! has been doing so far is something called “GameShop” which is a fun and interactive version of a workshop. Rather than just having top politicians and ministers putting on their paternalistic caps telling our youth they have to do this and that to serve and die for the country, the GameShop allows the participants to come up with their own action and solutions for the problems they’re facing in their communities. Nothing appeals more to our youth than to give full reign to formulate our own ideas and allow us to make our voices heard. This is what UndiMsia! is relying on to attract those who are disengaged. Citizen action like never seen.
The GameShop is roughly divided into 4 parts: “Spaceship” for consensus-building, “The Problem Tree” to identify local problems, and its causes and consequences, “AHA” to unpack and re-build our democractic system of governance ground-up and “Citizen Action” suggesting various tactics, and to compete to be the idol of democracy upon a vote of the participants.
Here are more stories on this GameShop we call #IdolaDemokrasi:
I Attended The Myth-Busting UndiMsia! GameShop “IdolaDemokrasi”
Why You Should Make It To #IdolaDemokrasi by UndiMsia!
Aiming for sustainability of the project, UndiMsia! relies on “Youth-Action-Groups” or YAGs to continue what we have done to the next batch of participants. One only requires 5 persons to form a YAG. Hopefully after attending the GameShop, the empowered youths will form their own YAGs in their own communities, be it at universities, colleges, mosques or churches, so they can continue conducting the GameShop and infect others.
Now that is how you give voice to the youths!
Follow UndiMsia! on Twitter for more updates on our activities.