Sharing session by guest speakers.
(From left): Siddhattha Chong Carl Chun, Year 3 Bachelor of Public Relations (Hons) student who chaired the session, En Dip Muang, Arya Alliyah Elisabeth Chen and Audrey Perriolat.
Group photo of the speakers and public relations lecturers and students.
Audrey Perriolat sharing the TANMA Federation’s work with the Chin refugees in Malaysia.
Students studying public relations heard for themselves the challenges faced by refugees as part of a sharing session organised by TAR UC’s Faculty of Communication and Creative Industries (‘FCCI’) on 2 August 2019. This was part of the PR for Non-Profit subject undertaken by Year 3 Bachelor of Public Relations (Hons) students. The three speakers who shared their experiences were Arya Alliyah Elisabeth Chen Siew Hoon, Programme Officer of Tenaganita Women Force, Audrey Perriolat, Volunteer Coordinator of TANMA Federation and En Dip Muang, Coordinator of Mang Tha (a community of refugee women from Myanmar).
During the sharing session, En Dip Muang briefly shared that Mang Tha women have difficulties finding jobs, therefore they had to make handicrafts which are sold both locally and internationally as a source of income.
Students were also encouraged to volunteer as teachers to refugees in their free time, as refugees are not able to enroll in Malaysian schools. This was part of the emphasis made by Audrey Perriolat on volunteerism as an essential element in non-profit organisations. The TANMA Federation believes in building solidarity among women and providing a chance for Chin refugee women to be economically independent and committed to bring a change in our environment.
Arya Alliyah Elisabeth Chen Siew Hoon shared the importance of recognising refugee basic rights in Malaysia by giving valuable insights into the work and challenges the organisation faces to achieve their goals. She also shared with the students how to strategically deal with the different parties. “Advocacy is only successful if you can persuade and gather support from the public by engaging touching stories and human elements. It should be an on-going process of constant posting until they get fed up and remember your stories. This is when they might start searching for additional information,” she said.
