stART

I'm very proud of Javen. First, he performed in front of a big crowd in UCSI and without any jitters. Secondly, he performed together with a group of under-privileged children, to raise funds for the StART Society.

How did this come about? Well, his guitar teacher invited him to join some of his students to perform in a charity concert. He thought that it will be a great exposure for him to perform in front of a crowd. I agree, but I think that this is a great opportunity for him to get to know some other children who are not as lucky as him.

Javen and his brothers are so lucky; they have everything that they need - family, home, food and material things. Other children are not so lucky and some may even have to worry about their very next meal, while some have lost their parents or not even know who their parents are. This group of children who were performing with him are orphans, and I wanted Javen to get to know them. As a friend mentioned, that night Javen was a little boy with a big heart. Honestly, Javen went there to have fun, get to know some new friends as well as to get on stage and play his guitar. He may not fully understand the significance of his action but in many years to come, I'm sure he will understand better.

Here, let me explain that nights' event. It was a charity concert "Music Brings Us Together" organised by UCSI's School of Music first year students as part of their final semester coursework. They collaborated with StART Society to present the concert. Donation was collected and all proceeds from this concert was donated to StART.

Let me explain StART by lifting out the words from their leaflet.

The StART Society

The first of its kind, StART Society is an academy dedicated to serve underprivileged children. In essence, we use the arts (music, drama, speech, writing, design, etc) for the betterment of these children.

Our role is to help them find their natural talent; allow the various art forms to bring healing; encourage and nurture these talents; allow their newly acquired talent to rebuild their self-esteem and confidence; and possibly help them carve out something that will give them a brighter future.

Our mission

Through the healing and liberating power of the arts, StART provides underprivileged and at0risk children a safe format to express and articulate emotions, and for them to learn and grow into confident, responsible Malaysians. StART gives happy endings to all.

Our vision

To provide a fun, healthy, safe and educational experience on a weekly basis for these children. To build long term mentor-mentee relationship and trust. To impart and nurture skills in music, art, drama and dance. To see emotional and mental wholeness. To elevate self-confidence and a healthy self-image. To see these children thrive in the arts. To see them use arts as their career or provide a side income (art directors, singers, writers, etc). To see them come back to the centre to inspire the next generation of underprivileged kids.

I salute the volunteers for their commitment and dedication towards this course. For more information, you can read about them from a link in my facebook.