When students were told to “take a step out of the classroom and work on a real project”, they did exactly that. Through the close ties that INTI International University & Colleges has built with WWF-Malaysia, students are able to take part in employer projects – a programme that enables students to work on actual business case studies and industry-relevant problems.
In conjunction with WWF-Malaysia’s 50th anniversary, students from the Southern New Hampshire University and American Degree Transfer programmes at INTI International College Subang took part in the ‘Earth Hour 2022 Pledge for Nature’ employer project. The project aimed to educate and empower local youths to garner support from the public for WWF-Malaysia’s conservation efforts.
“First and foremost, it gives me great pleasure to wish WWF-Malaysia a happy 50th anniversary, an occasion which has aptly been themed ‘50 Years – Together for Nature’. The past 50 years have been filled with challenges and momentous milestones for the organisation and Malaysia,” said Gurmit Kaur, a senior lecturer from the INTI Language Centre at INTI International College Subang.
Through the employer project, students were tasked to design persuasive posters to encourage more people to pledge their support to turn off the lights in their homes, offices and business centres during Earth Hour on 26 March 2022 at 8.30pm (MYT / UTC+8).
According to Gurmit, people need to understand that Earth Hour is not designed to save electricity, but a symbolic action taken by individuals, businesses and communities to inspire more action on climate change and to help protect the planet. Earth Hour motivates people to look beyond the hour and has become a major catalyst for positive environmental impact.
In terms of the significance of the project to students, Gurmit said, “Additionally, the pledge also encouraged the public to plant potted plants in their homes or offices in support of WWF-Malaysia’s conservation efforts. Throughout the process, students researched and learned about the fragility of the environment and the need for conservation efforts; as a result, the students were whole-heartedly involved in coming up with effective and meaningful posters.”
Meanwhile, Roberto Gerardo Calleja, a senior lecturer from the Faculty of Business and Communication at INTI International University, Nilai, who was also involved in the employer project, said it was an outstanding achievement and being part of it made him feel accomplished especially when it’s something to do with saving the planet for the future generations.
“To witness the commitment of the students towards these kinds of initiatives is encouraging and to be able to facilitate this opportunity makes it even better. This effort is something I personally believe in, bridging the gap between industries and academia is a reality at INTI, and not just a promotional slogan. When students graduate and they return to chat about their experiences now as professionals, these employer projects are a topic to discuss about over a teh tarik session and how it has helped them interact and perform better in a working environment,” Roberto explained.
One of the participants, Lai Zu En shared about the experience she gained through this employer project.
“It has been a valuable journey for me. I have always wanted to contribute to the environment. Through this employer project, I realized my dream although it may seem significantly small compared to other initiatives carried out by other movements and individuals. From promoting it to the wider community to obtaining pledges for nature, I feel satisfied with the outcome, and I must thank INTI for playing a huge role in it. Without its extensive relationship with WWF-Malaysia, we couldn’t have been part of this meaningful effort,” stated Zu En, a Diploma in Mass Communication student.
Speaking about how they reached the mass audience, Zu En said, “Our group used several methods including posting on our Instagram stories, promoting on SoundCloud, Facebook and LinkedIn. Of course, the most effective way was the word-of-mouth method via WhatsApp and face-to-face conversations with family and friends about pledging for the nature. Above all, it was the reputation of WWF-Malaysia and INTI that instilled trust in the public to contribute towards the project.”
Another student, Liong Wei Shan, who is also pursuing her Diploma in Mass Communication, talked about the knowledge she accumulated.
She said, “The pledge highlights how this accelerating crisis is causing irreversible harm to our life-support systems, aggravating poverty and inequality, increasing the risk of future zoonotic pandemics and significantly contributing to climate change. The rising cost to society and the economy requires us to urgently stop biodiversity loss if we are to achieve climate objectives and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”
Wei Shan affirms that while our institution endorses the pledge for nature through this employer project with WWF-Malaysia, we should commit ourselves not simply to words, but to important actions and mutual accountability to address the planetary emergency.
Meanwhile, Roberto also highlighted that INTI has worked with WWF-Malaysia numerous times.
“I’m proud to share that INTI International University was the first university to create a YouTube channel for WWF-Malaysia, helping them raise awareness to save nature. In that occasion, students from other disciplines joined and the video productions created amazed WWF-Malaysia and its stakeholders. Since then, they have collaborated with other institutions creating more content for the channel. Being the first in doing something for WWF-Malaysia was an exclusive experience, especially for the students who were engaged in that project.
“INTI’s long track record with WWF-Malaysia was made even more relevant as it aligned classroom learning with actual hands-on application of subjects being taught in areas such as business, advertising, economics and creative thinking,” he said.
In conjunction with WWF-Malaysia’s 50th anniversary, Business Communication subject students from the Southern New Hampshire University and American Degree Transfer programmes at INTI International College Subang took part in the ‘Earth Hour 2022 Pledge for Nature’ employer project.
Business Communication subject students from the Southern New Hampshire University and American Degree Transfer programmes at INTI International College Subang came up with Tik Tok videos to wish WWF-Malaysia for its 50th anniversary.