RCE Kuching - 2019

Sarawak River Art Competition 2019
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Sarawak River Art Competition 2019
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Kuching
Contributing organization(s) : 
RCE Kuching
UCSI University
Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHe)
Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA)
Natural Resources And Environment Board Sarawak (NREB)
Sarawak River Board (SRB)
Government. Arts. Marketplace. Education. Sports/Social (G.A.M.E.S) PLT
Worming Up
Sarawak Biodiversity Centre
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
Junior Chamber International (JCI) Kuching




Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Francesca Enchang
Organizational Affiliation: 
RCE Kuching
E-mail: 
rcekuching@gmail.com
Name: 
Lucas Lim
Organizational Affiliation: 
UCSI University
E-mail: 
lucaslim@ucsiuniversity.edu.my
Name: 
YBHg. Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani
Organizational Affiliation: 
Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHe)
E-mail: 
mmag@sarawak.gov.my
Name: 
Prof Ir. Dr. Al- Khalid Othman
Organizational Affiliation: 
Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA)
E-mail: 
okhalid@sma.gov.my
Name: 
Nur Aida Bt. Nur Azman
Organizational Affiliation: 
Natural Resources And Environment Board Sarawak (NREB)
E-mail: 
aidaa@nreb.gov.my
Name: 
Angga Maga
Organizational Affiliation: 
Sarawak River Board (SRB)
E-mail: 
amega@srb.gov.my
Name: 
Agnes Toner
Organizational Affiliation: 
Government. Arts. Marketplace. Education. Sports/Social (G.A.M.E.S) PLT
E-mail: 
AgnesToner@ucsiuniversity.edu.my
Name: 
Jeff Hung Yee Wee
Organizational Affiliation: 
Worming Up
E-mail: 
Jeff@WormingUp.com
Name: 
Nurulliza bt. Murtadza
Organizational Affiliation: 
Sarawak Biodiversity Centre
E-mail: 
nurulliza@sbc.org.my
Name: 
Assoc. Prof. Alexander Sayok
Organizational Affiliation: 
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
E-mail: 
ksalexender@unimas.my
Name: 
Hubert Ngo
Organizational Affiliation: 
Junior Chamber International (JCI) Kuching
E-mail: 
hubertngo@hotmail.com
Format of project: 
painting, sculpture making, poetry presentation, powerpoint, audiovisual
Language of project: 
English and Malay Language
Date of submission:
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Web link: 
http://rce.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/news/sarawak-river-art-competition-2019/
Additional resources: 
https://www.facebook.com/RCEKuchingUCSI/ (RCE Kuching Facebook)

https://www.facebook.com/ryan.l.reginald/videos/2454679517888062/UzpfSTI4Mjc3NzMxNTcwNjIwNTo0MDk4OTg3MzI5OTQwNjI/ (Video)

https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/dont-wait-for-waste-collectors-folk-told/ (Sarawak Tribune Newspaper)

https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/07/23/kuching-all-set-to-become-a-smart-city/ (The Borneo Post Newspaper)

https://srb.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/pages.php?mod=photo_gallery&sub=photo_listing&menu_id=&sub_id=&alb=51 (Sarawak River Board)

https://www.facebook.com/ukascomms/videos/vb.1247686682029360/2536452089719547/?type=2&theater (22th July 2019-12.30p.m on the 8.00th minutes)


Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
No
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Asia-Pacific
Country: 
Malaysia
Location(s): 
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Address of focal point institution for project: 
UCSI University Sarawak Campus
Lot 2976, Block 7 Muara Tebas Land District, Sejingkat 93450 Kuching, Sarawak
Ecosystem(s):
Fresh water
Target Audience:
Community, Higher, Primary, Secondary, Teacher Ed., Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Kuching is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak in Borneo. It is the most populous division of Sarawak comprising the districts of Kuching, Lundu and Bau with an area of around 430 sq km. Kuching is also the capital of Sarawak and occupies both banks of the Sarawak River. This event was held at Kuching Waterfront. With its natural beauty and historical significance, Sungei Sarawak’s potential as a tourist attraction has never been overlooked by the authorities. The local and tourists can also enjoy the heritage buildings alongside the river banks.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
Two thirds of the rivers in Malaysia are to be categorized as polluted (Khalid et.al,2018). Rivers in Sarawak provide fresh water for consumption, recreation, industrial use and even means of public transport. In one of the local newspaper article, a villager admitted that she throws rubbish into the river at the back of her house and when asked about its impact on pollution, she said she was unaware that her action is bad for the environment. Therefore, continuous awareness should be done on river cleanliness by educating the public and encourage their participation in keeping the rivers clean.
Contents
Status: 
Completed
Period: 
January, 2019
Rationale: 
The art competition (both tangible and intangible arts) was aimed at gathering unique perspectives that local communities have on their rivers and their sustainability and how they can express themselves in various art forms. This is our first project to promote the goals of SDG 6 which is Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 14; that is, Life Below Water. We want to empower our locals to understand what they can do to contribute to each of these global goals. In view of the belief that the young ones should also be encouraged and aware of taking care of the rivers, a colouring contest was also held on the same day, especially for children below 12 years of age.
Objectives: 
a) To improve society’s awareness of the importance of Sarawak rivers as part of the Kuching SMART city initiatives (Cognitive learning)

b) To express individual’s feelings about Sarawak rivers sustainability in the form of art (intangible and tangible) among local communities (Socio-emotional learning)

c) To empower individuals to be influential ambassadors of Sarawak (Behavioural learning)

d) To include the need of digital inclusion among the artists by applying QR Code in the artwork (Psychomotor learning)

Activities and/or practices employed: 
Phase 1 (April-July 2019):
The public was informed about the Sarawak River Art Competition 2019 via newspapers, social media, e-mails, direct mails to schools etc.

Phase 2 (May-July 2019):
The public was given 60 days to prepare the paintings and poems.

Phase 3 (12th-15th July 2019):
- Received 80 total of artworks (55 paintings, 19 poems and 6 sculptures)
- Only 30 finalists (paintings), 10 poetries and 6 sculptures were selected for final round.

Phase 4 (22nd July 2019) :
-Voting via QR Code was opened from 10a.m-1.00p.m for paintings and sculptures competition
-Kids Zone (Colouring contest) was also organized from 10.00a.m-12.00p.m.
- Awareness talk on keeping the rivers clean by representatives from Sarawak River Board and Natural Resources And Environment Board Sarawak
- 10 finalists of poetry presentation
- Poem performance by one of the famous local artist, Mr. Taksu Zacharia, Studio Labu Sakti
- Booths & exhibitions by few participating agencies (F&B, RCE Kuching, Recyclable Collection Booth etc.)
- Awards Ceremony to all winners
Size of academic audience: 
200-250 pax
Results: 
- Sensitivity and awareness towards Sarawak rivers sustainability are enhanced among the participants. This competition has requires them to include and also contribute the four domains of teaching and learning; Cognitive learning Socio-emotional learning, Behavioural learning, Psychomotor learning by being able to producing arts through painting, sculptures from recycled materials or by presenting poem.

-Database of participants were collected for future RCE programmes especially to upgrade their art and presentation skills and also to be part of RCE Youth Ambassadors.

-Increase of acceptance of participants and the public on QR code as a trending in moving towards digital economy and also as one of the imitative to save papers.
Lessons learned: 
We did not get any participation from the university students due to final examination weeks / semester breaks. Proper planning on deciding the dates must be done next time.

We also did not get many responses from the public due to bad weather and thunderstorm therefore the next event is proposed to be organized indoor.

Most of the public are still not aware of what is Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Therefore, a seminar or workshop on ‘What is SDG’ should be conducted frequently.

Nevertheless on the shortcomings, RCE Kuching is still invited by Sarawak Multimedia Authority and Old Kuching Smart Heritage to organize Sarawak River Art Competition as an annual event.
Key messages: 
Sarawak River Art Competition 2019 includes tangible arts (paintings and sculpture) and intangible arts (poetry). This year’s theme is “Our River, Our Life”. 60 days were given to the participants to accomplish their task and the prize-giving ceremony was held on 22nd July 2019, in conjunction with Sarawak Independence Day.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
RCE Kuching 5R Campaign - students can start to collect recyclable materials for sculpture making for Sarawak River Art Competition 2020.
Funding: 
We would like to thank Sarawak Multimedia Authority(SMA) and Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHe) for providing us in total fund of RM19,500.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon Screenshot 2019-09-03 at 5.46.18 PM.png (321.51 KB) Poster and Backdrop Sherrymina Kichin & Lucas Lim
Image icon DSC_8751.JPG (1.82 MB) With all winners Ryan Lanyu
Image icon DSC_8043.JPG (2.21 MB) Finalists wearing traditional costumes Muhammad Imran Bin Mohd Hilman Rajang
Image icon 67079737_408896449760957_66155686202966016_n.jpg (124.32 KB) From left to right : Mukvinder Sandhu (V.Chairperson RCE Kuching), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeong Siew Wei (Chairperson RCE Kuching), Francesca Enchang (Chairperson SRAC 2019) & Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani (Dep. Chairman OKSHe) Tang Leong Kong
Image icon 67238354_411721476145121_6562465013288665088_n-2.jpg (150.28 KB) Congratulations to all winners! Student Affairs & Alumni, UCSI University / RCE Kuching Secretariat
Image icon 67528035_411721469478455_5780082393280937984_n.jpg (131.17 KB) Thank you to all speakers and invited guests for coming! Student Affairs & Alumni, UCSI University/ RCE Kuching Secretariat
Image icon 67670298_411721489478453_1446284882073354240_n.jpg (149.74 KB) Thank you to all RCE Youth Ambassadors and volunteers from UCSI University! Student Affairs & Alumni, UCSI University/ RCE Kuching Secretariat
References and reference materials: 
File For UCSI Gazette 20082019.docx
PDF icon For UCSI Gazette 20082019 3.pdf
File River Art Competition 03092019.pptx
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Direct
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Direct
Theme
Arts 
Direct
Ecotourism 
Direct
Waste 
Direct
Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development – Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Building capacities of educators and trainers 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Empowering and mobilizing youth 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
Direct
Update: 
No