Hello all. It’s nearer to the time for the next Projek Kalsom!! Aren’t we excited? We are currently recruiting facilitators for the program. Please do sign up to us in our facebook group or through the ‘Contact Us’ link at the navigator.

Now now, can’t seem to decide if you should join Projek Kalsom? Read on and have a glimpse of ideas of what you could expect from the program You do not want to miss this!!

All About How A Boy Made Me Smile Today by Natasha Haqim (Projek Kalsom 13 facilitator)

A young boy I met at camp e-mailed me today, and I have to share this with the rest of the ex-Kalsoms. (last note; promise)

His name is Daniel, now eighteen, and was one of twelve kids in the group I facilitated along with Irina and Imran, at Projek Kalsom 13 in Summer 2007.

He wrote, “I just wanted to tell you that I got 9A1s in SPM, and I’m having an interview soon. Do you have any tips for me?”

I was beaming! so proud of this shy be-spectacled boy I spent five days getting to know, and watched him have fun with new friends treasure hunting, and slowly gaining his confidence and speaking up more in our group games and discussions. I remember him as a really sweet boy; all innocent-looking and really close to one other boy, which sadly, I can’t remember his name, but I recall how certain he was about becoming a marine engineer.

Daniel told us at camp that he loved astronomy. So, it was no surprised to me that he expressed his desire to study Astrophysics abroad, with scholarship by the government hopefully, if he scores his interview; which I’m pretty confident he would.

Reading his e-mail, I thought, “Astrophysics??? OMG! I don’t even know what that is!” smiling and still beaming.

Like everyone else, I Googled.

Wikipedia is extremely helpful; or so I’ve learned from my coursework prep.
Apparently, Astrophysics is….. the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties (luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition) of celestial objects such as galaxies, stars, planets, exoplanets, and the interstellar medium, as well as their interactions.

Wow. That just sounds super-cool. (and frankly, I didn’t understand half of it!) But I’m just really proud that a young boy from Perlis, who then when I met him, barely spoke proper English and was just really shy, can now be confident enough to pursue his dreams.

What touched me the most was he wrote, “I know (taking up Astrophysics) will be difficult, but that only makes life more interesting, right?”

I think this is what Projek Kalsom is all about; giving faith to these wonderful kids that they can achieve more than what they think they can.

I realized then, when I spent time with my twelve ‘kids’, that they didn’t get the same kind of ‘pep-talk’ I get from my own parents; telling me to study, study, study, encouraging me to dream big, and just believing in me. These kids; they didn’t have that growing up. Their parents don’t talk to them about studying abroad, or becoming top scorers, much less, becoming ambitious and earning big bucks. They just didn’t believe that they could have a life better than what they have – if only they tried harder, they could.

But what I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter who believes in you, as long as someone does. And to me, being part of Projek Kalsom, was about just that; being that person who’s willing to listen to them talk about their dreams (no matter how silly they might seemed), and having faith in them.

As you may already know, I’m selfish, highly self-involved too - so it was a breath of fresh air that that camp, made me focus on people other than myself. At the end of the five days, I realized that the pride I felt from seeing someone become better versions of themselves, or that in some miniscule way, I might have helped them achieve more of what they want, is far more satisfying than simply achieving my own individual pursuits.

I had to share with my ex-Kalsomers, just to let them know, that the kids we spent time with last Summer 2007; well, they remember us. And I believe that they remember us, because of what we did for them; it was sincere and it meant something to them.

Daniel ended his e-mail saying, “I hope I will see you again someday” and P.S-ing, asking about Imran. (Did you change your email address, Imran? He wants to get in touch.)

Because I had such a rewarding time at the camp, and formed a whole new network of friends all around the UK (if not for Kalsom, I swear I wouldn’t have known anyone from Cardiff!), I’m signing up for another round this year, led by my friend, Azri Malek.

Just before ‘Real Life’ kicks in, and I get sucked into the nine-to-five nightmare of paycheck-to-paycheck and living life according to societal expectations, why not spend a week in the company of bright, innocent kids with big dreams, who have no idea what’s in store for them???

It’s worth it, that I can tell you.