Building a Sky For Our Hidden Stars

The Story

Introduction

Hi! I'm Asna, a fellow member of AIESEC in Sunway and your local neurodivergent who is passionate about speaking on neurodiversity. I am one of the volunteers for 'Get Fit, Get Inclusive 7.0', a project targeted towards helping children with special needs. 

I'll be honest, I barely understood the need for discrimination towards neurodiverse people.

Sure, they act pretty differently than what you're usually used to. Either way, whether at school or at the workplace, they can excel and provide major contributions to society just like any neurotypical would. Did you know that most special needs children often possess amazing strengths such as enhanced memory, above average intelligence and attention to detail? Take Thomas Edision, the man who invented the lightbulb for example - he is autistic!

So why the need for prejudice? Why should you exclude them from class or the workplace for a condition that they have absolutely no control over? Why do 1 in 3 Malaysians believe that these individuals need to be hidden away from society? Why the need to use them as the subject of your jokes just because some perceive them as the 'weird kid'? It should be our responsibility to accomodate and provide them a safe space where neurodiverse people can shine and hone their abilities to the fullest.

Even so, we as a society can change our perception on how these special needs children are viewed and treated altogether. Celebrate and embrace neurodiversity. Promote inclusivity and equality. Provide a brighter future for them. You can start by shopping for a cause! Our team has designed t-shirts, tote bags and stickers that you can redeem just by making a donation to this fundraiser (It comes with a notecard as a token of appreciation too)

[CNY SALES]

Promotion starts from 21/1 to 25/1

1. T-Shirt - RM28 (20% off)

2. Tote bag - RM13 (15% off)

3. Stickers (2 sets) - RM4 (20% off)

Ala Carte

1. T-Shirt - RM35

2. Tote bag - RM15

3. Stickers (2 sets) - RM5

Packages

[A] - RM48 (1 T-Shirt + 1 Tote bag)

[B] - RM38 (1 T-Shirt + 2 set of stickers)

[C] - RM18 (1 Tote bag + 2 sets of sticker)

[D] - RM50 (1 T-Shirt + 1 Tote bag + 2 sets of stickers)

Pair Discounts

2 T-Shirts - RM65

2 Tote bags - RM28

4 sets of stickers - RM8

What do you need to do after donating?

• Click on this link to select your merchandise

**Please consider donating an additional RM 5 - 10 to cover your shipping costs - this is to ensure that the full price of the merchandise can be donated to our beneficiary <3 

Cost Breakdown 

• Majority of the proceeds earned through this fundraising campaign will go into supporting IMC in continuing their operations

• The remaining sum will be applied by AIESEC to continue supporting and sustaining our future projects around Bandar Sunway.

• The merchandise prices offered cover both the cost of production and GivingHub’s 4.5% tax, however, it does not cover cost of shipping.

Oh! If you're interested, there's some further information down below if you're unfamiliar with special needs/neurodiversity, AIESEC or IMC :)

What is neurodiversity or a special needs child?

Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the different ways of how a person sees and interact with the world, but is often used in the context of those with neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, ASD (Autism spectrum disorder) and various other learning disabilities.

A special needs child may require special attention and special necessities that other children do not. For example, a child with autism would need to be directly taught social skills as most autistic children are unable to understand social cues.

However, I would like to assert: There is no 'correct' way of thinking, behaving or learning as the brain of every individual develops in its own unique way. It just happens that neurodiverse people tend to act more uniquely than most people.

What is AIESEC?

Established after World War II in 1948, AIESEC is an international, non-profit, non-govermental youth organization which focuses on empowerment and encouraging young people to make a social impact through activities such as global volunteering experiences, leadership development and cross-cultural internships.

AIESEC in Sunway is one of the many branches of AIESEC and we focus on conducting various volunteering programmes with the vision of reaching a better and peaceful society.

To find out more, check out AIESEC's official website: https://aiesec.org/ 

What is IMC - Pusat Jagaan dan Latihan Istimewa?

Like the name says, IMC is a training centre with the purpose of developing individuals and children with special needs. With dedicated staffs and volunteers readily available to provide personalised training for these individuals, the centre aims to equip them with skills, moral attitudes and a sense of self-worth that will help them adapt to the real world.

However, a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the institute has been running low on funds and a lack of voluntary manpower. This negatively affects their operation and ability to properly support those under the centre (Which is where you can play a role to mitigate this issue!)

Check out IMC's facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/imcdisability 

If you've made it to the end, thank you so much for your time and don't forget to donate! <3