Organised by EEE Egnite in partnership with holistic education membership programme Glyph Asia, “An Egniting Christmas” brought students from EEE and IEM, alumni and beneficiaries for a year-end party to celebrate the festive season with an educational twist.
Held on 21 December 2019, 26 volunteers engaged 35 children aged 4 to 12 from underprivileged families in basic electrical engineering craftwork. The volunteers worked with the children for three hours, to create a LED board with Christmas lights.
Each group’s programme was specifically tailored to suit the different age groups, with the older children learning the basics of Arduino coding – a basic language paired with open-source electronics platform Arduino that works with LED boards – so they could explore the language themselves. While the three-hour session was considered limited, volunteers spent the bulk of it engaging with the children, patiently sharing their knowledge of basic electrical work and encouraging the children to dream big.
The Christmas lights created by the children were also woven around waste bottles to add a small but important message of recycling for the environment. At the end of the session, the most creative craftworks were given awards and the children took home the Christmas lights as festive decorations.
The volunteers came away with positive feedback and experience, with many hoping that interest in electrical engineering can be further cultivated in more participants through similar activities. EEE Egnite believes that “An Egniting Christmas” marked a new beginning for the club’s volunteer activities through using what they have learned in school, and hope to reach out to more beneficiaries with both knowledge and love.
It was a heart-warming experience for me. It was the first time we did a volunteer event using what we have learnt in school, and it was rewarding – I felt that our hard work had paid off when we saw the kids enjoying themselves while exploring about the circuit and trying hard to craft their own Christmas lights. Our volunteers also enjoyed the entire session and are looking forward to more – we hope to spread the spirit of volunteering further and to bring joy to the beneficiaries. Ang Teck Lih, Volunteer
About EEE Egnite
EEE Egnite is an initiative by students from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, where members can share love and care to the community and environment. It aims to “egnite” the passion to volunteer in order to foster a strong voluntary spirit in students and alumni.
