RAWK Foundation

The Final Tally and Farewell

2007-05-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

Well, this is it. Thanks to the dedicated members of the RAWK Foundation, our supportive lecturer-advisor Mr. Srikumar, the good staff of Taylor's College, all our big-hearted sponsors, each and every talented performer from our events, and you, the reader, the honorable guest, the audience.

All of you played a significant role in bringing our society closer to reaching and embracing autism. All of you have touched the lives of the less fortunate, and made an effort in changing them for the better. And that, ladies and gents, is something you should be proud of.

We raised a grand total of *drumroll*............ RM18,000!

Committee of the RAWK Foundation: [Left-right] Sze Chin, Karen, Aiman, Miranda, Cheng Han, Kelly, Swee Ling, Sha, Sarah, Sunitha

As we now close this chapter and life carries us into other adventures, we hope that the legacy of the RAWK Foundation lives on, in hearts and minds, and in the most pleasant of dreams and memories.

Goodbye!

'Twas the Night Before Easter..

2007-04-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

The night began slow due to the moody weather, but the hall quickly filled only minutes before the show started! Kicking it all off was a video presentation of the RAWK Foundation's visit to the National Autism Society Of Malaysia only 2 months ago. The inimitable Yugi and Isa, our emcees for the event, then introduced the first guest performance of the night--The ComeBackKings!

They had a little surprise for the RAWK Foundation--

--their very own RAWK t-shirts! It was a heartfelt gesture and a great opening to a great night.

The ComeBackKings were promptly followed by finalist #1: Ben and Friends! The band featured a chinese flute and played an unplugged cover of Assuredly Yours by Paradise Life and Guy Sebastian.

Finalist #2, Ain, wasn't able to come due to illness, and so finalist #3, Inspire, took the stage next with a funky and energetic medley of hip-hop grooves.

Hot on Inspire's heels was Aura, finalist #4, with an acoustic performance of a Juliet the Orange cover.

Neo Classicism, finalist #5, then stormed the stage with a spicy fusion of Hindi and English dances.

The sixth finalist, Tidal Sessions, followed by soothing the audience with their guitars and an ukulele.

But the hall quickly got fired up again by finalist #7, It's Me, with a crowd-rousing song and dance number.

For a change of pace, finalist #8, T-Magic, wowed the audience with umbrellas that popped out of thin air and a mysterious, levitating stick.

Next up was Syden, finalist #9, with an interesting fusion of cha-cha, jive, ballet, hip-hop, and freestyle dancing.

And once again an unplugged, acoustic song came to soothe the crowd after a rousing dance. This time it was finalist #10, the Afro-Asian Brothers, with a song entitled Asian Queen.

Mustang Crew were next, and did a street dance funk style animation based on popping and electric boogaloo.

The twelfth finalist, Ballad of Fallen Angel, then took the stage with an original song with an anti-war message.

After the last finalist performed, the emcees announced that it was voting time! Members of the audience then wrote the name or number of their favourite talent in a voting slip found in their programme booklets and passed it to the RAWK ballot-collecting team.

While the ballots were being counted, guest performers Ghetto Republic took to the stage with their flavour of hip-hop.

The audience making predictions and discussing who to vote for while the contestants look on.

From right to left: RAWK Foundation Project Manager Kelly Ch'ng looking anxious while lecturer-advisor Mr. Srikumar and VIP Mia Palencia enjoy the guest performances.

Guest performers and renowned local indie band Project Ei8ht then came on-stage and performed an awesome RAWKin' set!

By now, the crowd was restless and anxious to find out who the winners were!

3rd prize goes to... (the crowd goes silent)

T-Magic!

And in 2nd place is..

Ben and Friends!!

Yugi and Isa then get the crowd to shout their pick for numero uno, and it is none other than.. (*drumroll*)

Mustang Crew!!!

The Champions of the Talent Showdown with emcees Isa and Yugi, RAWK Foundation Project Manager Kelly Ch'ng and lecturer-advisor Mr. Srikumar

A gazillion THANKS to everyone who came; guests, performers, audiences - each and every single one of you made the event a memorable experience!

Until next time..

Keep the RAWK spirit alive!
- The Reach Autism With Kindness Foundation -
From left to right, 1st row: Cheng Han (Assistant Project Manager 1), Mr. Srikumar, Kelly Ch'ng, Swee Ling (Assistant Project Manager 2). 2nd row: Aiman, Fong, Charles, Izham, Sha, Kenix. 3rd row: Cyndy, Grace, Stephanie, Suraya, Bernice, Joe Anne, Meng Yen, Maisara. 4th row: Karen, Miranda, Sarah, Sunitha, Safira, Egisty, Khysa, Bao Li, Huai Yee, Sharon. 5th row: May, Jessica, Jet, Apple, Esther, Jordache, Zareena, Mary, Eva, Rupini, Hannah.
Taylor's College Petaling Jaya
April 2007

P.S. Check rawkfoundation.multiply.com for more photos!

The Chosen Ones [updated April 5]

2007-03-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

Finally! It must have been a tense, anxious couple of days for some of you contestants, but after a very competitive and very tight preliminary round, we've narrowed down the top twelve performances who will make it to the Talent Showdown this April 7! The panel of judges during the prelims included Ariff Akhir of Purple Sound Productions and formerly of The Sofa Sessions, Azmyl Yunor of the Troubadours, and Nigesh and Matt Ho of The ComeBackKings.

Wednesday's panel of judges.

Friday's panel of judges.

Here are the finalists, in alphabetical order:

1. Afro-Asian Brothers

2. Ain

3. Aura

4. Ballad Of Fallen Angel

5. Ben & Friends

6. Inspire

7. Mustang Crew

8. Neo Classicism

9. It's Me!

10. Syden

11. T-Magic

12. Tidal Sessions

This Saturday, April 7, from 7:30pm to 11:00pm at Multi Purpose Hall, Taylor's University College Subang Jaya, these truly talented performers will be vying for more than RM5,000 in prizes, including handphones courtesy of DiGi, an electric guitar courtesy of The Guitar Store, software packages, hampers, vouchers, and up to RM1,000 in cash prizes!

They come from colleges and universities around and beyond the Klang Valley, including Alif College, APIIT, HELP University College, ICOM, IMU, Inti College, Lim Kok Wing University College, Sunway University College, TAR College, TBS, TCPJ, The One Academy, UNITAR, University of Nottingham, and more!

What you will experience is a very eclectic and exciting mix, including some awe-inspiring guitar-playing, flaming-hot fusion dances, a mesmerising magic show, a swooning Nigerian pop tune (ladies beware!), as well as a one-of-a-kind song and dance involving a feather duster, toilet brush and.. ahh, but words cannot describe, that needs to be seen yourself!

And if all that doesn't pop your eyes and mouths wide open with amazement, guest performers The ComeBackKings will bring you to tears with laughter, Ghetto Republic will get your groove on, and Project Ei8ht will rawk your socks off!

Remember, the audience votes the winners and there are goodie bags to be given away, so get your tickets quick as you can! For you may never see a show with a line-up this special again. Ever. (Or at least until the next RAWK Foundation project. ;))

Tickets are RM20.00 each. Call Sarah (017 6017656) / Kelly (016 3015566) or email rawkfoundation@gmail.com for reservations. See you this Saturday, April 7, at 7:30pm!

For those about to RAWK, we salute you!

2007-03-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Registration for the Talent Showdown is now closed! Thanks for signing up, everyone!

[March 29 update: To contestants who have not yet confirmed with us your time slot for the preliminary round, please do so by today, Thursday March 29, 5:00pm, or we will consider you disqualified!]

The preliminary round for the Talent Showdown will be on March 30, in The Auditorium at Taylor's College Petaling Jaya between 10am and 4pm. It is a closed-door event, and contestants are required to come during their time slot to perform before a panel of judges.

Contestants will be judged based on Showmanship, Originality, and Technique. All contestants will then be notified on March 31 on their eligibility to qualify to the Talent Showdown on April 7. Note that contestants may not have to perform their entire routine due to time constraints.

The schedule on March 30 (Friday) is as follows:

Time Slot----------------------Performer Name
11.00-11.05-------------------Ain
11.05-11.10-------------------Puteri
11:15-11:30-------------------Klan G
11:30-11:45-------------------Tidal Sessions
12:00-12:10-------------------Mustang Crew
12.10-12.20-------------------The Rising
12:20-12:30-------------------3 Blind Mice
12:30-12:40-------------------Shazana
12:50-1:00--------------------Simple Guys

1:00-1:10----------------------myo
1:10-1:20----------------------Roshan, Kugan, Guna, Romy, Maha
1:30-1:40----------------------Kiera
1:40-1:50----------------------Jonsen
1:50-2:00----------------------Leo
2:00-2:10----------------------Grace & Laura
2:10-2:30----------------------Give Us A Name
2:30-2:40----------------------Mysterious Spark

3:00-3:10----------------------Inspire
3:10-3:20----------------------Ong Lee Chin
3:20-3:30----------------------Coyote
3:30-3:40----------------------Syden
3:40-3:50----------------------Suhairah
3:50-4:00----------------------Neo Classicism
4:00-4:15----------------------Ling Tau Kien
4:15-4:30----------------------Ben, Dawson, Elsa, Tessie, April & David

For contestants who are TCPJ Diploma in Communication students and won't be available on March 30 due to the Mass Colympics, we're holding a special session on March 28 at LT1, Taylor's College Petaling Jaya, between 12:00 to 3:00pm.

The schedule on March 28 (Wednesday) is as follows:

Time Slot----------------------Performer Name
1:30-1:40----------------------Dice Dentari, Nick & Sara Mak
1:40-1:50----------------------Deep-jeaNNie
1:50-1:55----------------------Ashleigh, Vanessa, Aina
1:55-2:00----------------------Audrey C., Audrey O., Kerry, Denise, ----------------------------------Chandni, Jacqueline
2:00-2:15----------------------Atriumn

2:15-2:30----------------------The Brothers
2:30-2:40----------------------Indhuja

Good luck and all the best, everybody!

Important update to Rules & Regulations!

2007-03-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

Due to numerous requests, we're making a significant change to the Rules & Regulations: Groups with members who are not college/university students are now allowed to sign up. Previously, all contestants needed to be college/university students to enter. Now, a group only needs at least 1 member who's currently enrolled in a college/university to be eligible. Please download (provided the server that's hosting our files isn't down again..) the latest Rules & Regulations and overwrite it over the previous versions (or view it here!).

If you're having problems downloading or opening the registration form, you can also register simply by sending an email to rawkfoundation@gmail.com with your name, stage name, performance description, required equipment, and contact numbers.

So those of you whom we had to regrettably put on hold while we discussed the issue can now send in your registration forms! See you at the preliminary round!

RAWKin' the Media

2007-03-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

A compilation of media coverage on the RAWK Foundation:

The Star Education, March 18, 2007

Yellow Post Issue 24, March 16 - 22, 2007

The Star Metro, March 14, 2007

The Star [R.AGE], March 2, 2007

Inkslingers, February 26, 2007

The Launch and the Awareness Booth

2007-03-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

The RAWK Foundation held its official launching last Wednesday on the 7th of March, 2007, in Lecture Theatre 1, Taylor's College Petaling Jaya.

The launching started promptly at 9.30am, with the arrival of Taylor's College School of Communication Programme Director Ms. Josephine Tan, teachers and autistic children from NASOM, lecturers and students as well as members of the public who came and gave their support. Our project manager, Kelly Ch'ng, kick-started the launch with a brief introduction to RAWK and its mission, followed by a foreword from Ms. Josephine Tan.

RAWK Foundation Project Manager Kelly Ch'ng giving an introductory speech

After both speeches, the teachers and autistic children of NASOM performed a short albeit simple play, portraying the life of autistic children. The play, which was an interesting mixture of prose, sketch, and video illustrated the hardships of autistic children and the rejection they face by society, and some even from parents.

Autistic children performing a play during the launching

A teacher from NASOM then came forward to read a testimonial detailing the challenges faced by a mother having to deal with an autistic child. After that, another impressive speech was given by a 12-year-old boy, Hazim, who presented a personal account of being an autistic child in public schools. His witty, articulate delivery received a tremendous response in the packed theatre.

A testimonial read by one of the teachers from NASOM

Hazim giving an impassioned speech

After the play, Executive Director of NASOM Mrs. Liew enlightened the audience with information on NASOM and the efforts of NASOM in helping both parents and children to deal with autism.

Mrs. Josephine Tan (second from left) presenting Mrs. Liew with a token of appreciation

This was followed by a short video presentation of the RAWK Foundation visit to NASOM, which you can watch below.

The end of the video marked the official launching of the RAWK Foundation and was followed by presenting tokens of appreciation to the honoured guests. Finally, the lecturers and representatives from NASOM adjourned for light refreshments, while the rest of the students and audience proceeded to the Courtyard to check out the RAWK Foundation Awareness Booth.

Awareness Booth

The RAWK Foundation Awareness Booth, situated at the courtyard of Leisure Commerce Square, had several boards up with information to inform the public on autism, the symptoms and effects of autism, information on NASOM, information on RAWK Foundation and the activities we have organised as well as upcoming activities, and most importantly The Talent Showdown!

The information boards at the Awareness Booth

The crowd checking out the information boards

A student counting peanuts for the game, and another checking out the RAWK Talent Showdown flyers.

We had several cool performances to keep the crowd entertained, with the first performance being a very energetic dance by The Music and Dance Society, followed by a rendition of TLC's 'No Scrubs' sung by girl trio Carrie. Melisa Suciati came next, and sang 2 songs - a version of Jason Mraz's 'You and I' accompanied by only maracas and an acapella version of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. Last but not least was an engaging Jujitsu demonstration.

1st performance by The Music and Dance Society

2nd performance by girl trio, Carrie

A wonderful performance by Melisa Suciati accompanied by the maracas.

The hard-hitting Jujitsu demonstration

There was also a games booth with featuring a Guess the Peanuts! game and a Banana-Eating Competition, with hampers and vouchers to be won.

Giving their best guess at the Guess the Peanuts! game.

The Banana-Eating Competition

The RAWK Foundation T-shirts were also on sale for RM22. They're made from high-quality, dry fit Kappa material. Get yours from your nearest RAWK member (identifiable by the tag around our necks) or drop us an e-mail at rawkfoundation@gmail.com.

The back design of The RAWK Foundation T-shirt.

Barring a few technical problems with the PA system at the courtyard, everything went well, and once again, The RAWK Foundation thanks all who have been giving us your continued support.

On a final note, tickets to the Talent Showdown are now on sale! They're RM 20 each. As with the t-shirts, get them from the first RAWK Foundation member you can lay your hands on, or e-mail us at rawkfoundation@gmail.com. Show off your talent and join the Talent Showdown, or get your friends and family to come and vote for your favourite talents!

RAWK Official Launching / Time to get this Show on the Road

2007-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

The RAWK Foundation's got exciting things lined up this week. Not only are we officially launching, we'll also be organising roadshows at selected colleges and universities!

The launching for the RAWK Foundation will be held on Wednesday, 7th of March, 2007, 9.30am to 11.00am, at Lecture Theatre 1, Taylor's College Petaling Jaya. The autistic children from NASOM will be staging a play, which will be a rare performance you do not want to miss. We'll also be giving away goodie bags, so be there!

Also on the 7th of March, we will be setting up an awareness booth at the courtyard to promote our main event, The Inter-College University Talent Showdown, as well as for any information you might want about RAWK or autism. The booth will be open from 10.00am onwards. We've got several very talented individuals to perform, as well as a games session and prizes to be given away! We will also be selling our own RAWK Foundation t-shirts and we will have a donation box for anyone to donate to NASOM. So everyone, come to our awareness booth, where you get to be charitable and have fun at the same time!

For the roadshows, members of the RAWK Foundation will be visiting various universities and colleges, where we will be hosting games, giving out Talent Showdown entry forms, selling t-shirts and Talent Showdown tickets, and have more freebies and prizes to give away! The details of the roadshows are as follows:

Tuesday, 6th March 2007
- Taylor's University College Subang Jaya
- Metropolitan College

Thursday, 8th March 2007
- HELP University College

Tuesday, 13th March 2007
- University of Nottingham, Semenyih campus

Wednesday, 14th March 2007
- University College Sedaya International (subject to change)

In a nutshell, please come to our launching if you can make it, and if you can't, don't worry, we'll go to you! We are going to RAWK here, there, and everywhere, so look out for us and continue supporting us!

The Inter-College University Talent Showdown

2007-02-28T19:41:00.000-08:00

Everyone’s got talent, and now we’re giving you a stage and an audience to show it. And if it’s real talent, we’ll even give you prizes!

Our event welcomes any kind of talent, be it musical, magical, gymnastical, or simply talking to yourself. Just better be able to entertain the audience, because they are the ones that will ultimately decide who gets to win. Everyone in the audience will be given a chance to vote for their favourite talent.

Details are as follows:

Date: 7th April 2007
Time: 7.30pm – 11.00pm
Venue: Taylor’s University College Subang Jaya, Multi Purpose Hall
Admission: RM 20.00 a ticket

Guest performers include Project Ei8ht, Ghetto Republic, and The ComeBackKings!

Prizes worth up to RM5000 are up for grabs, including an electric guitar, handphones, hampers, vouchers, complimentary tickets, and cash prizes worth up to RM1,000!

Besides material prizes, you'll also win fame, respect and recognition, as the media will be there. Who knows, this competition might be your first step on the path to international super-stardom..

All proceeds from the event, including ticket sales, will be donated to the National Autism Society of Malaysia. So what are you waiting for? Come sign up either solo or as a group. You can also come support your friends or check out the talents and have the opportunity to vote for your choice of talents. Catch us at our roadshows at selected colleges or email your enquiries/entry details at rawkfoundation@gmail.com.

Download the rules and regulations in .pdf format

Download the registration form

If you're having problems downloading or opening the registration form, you can also register simply by sending an email to rawkfoundation@gmail.com with your name, stage name, performance description, required equipment, and contact numbers. Now start practising!

Hope to see you there! =)

________________________________________________________

Inter-College University Talent Showdown RULES & REGULATIONS

> ELIGIBILITY
1. This competition is open to all college/university students, except members of The RAWK Foundation and members of their families.

2. Contestants must be enrolled in a local college or university at the time of registration, and will be required to show their student ID cards at the preliminary round. For groups, at least one member must be a college/university student.

3. Contestants must be within the ages of 18 to 25 years old.

4. You can enter as a solo performer or in a group. Groups may not consist of more than 6 members. Group members can come from different institutions.

5. You may enter both as solo and in a group, but you will have to pay the registration fee for both entries. However, you may only enter a maximum of one solo and one group. You may not enter more than one solo performance or more than one group performance.

6. You may either sign up at our road-shows or send an e-mail to rawkfoundation@gmail.com before the 27th of March 2007. Please include your name, name of institution you are currently enrolled in, contact number, and a brief description of your performance. For groups, please include all group members’ names, names of institutions, and at least 2 contact numbers and e-mail addresses.

7. Registration fee is RM 10.00 for solo contestants and for groups it will be RM 5.00 per member. The fees will be collected at the preliminary round.

> COMPETITION GUIDELINES
8. All contestants will be given a maximum of 5 minutes to perform.

9. No indecency, vulgarity, political, religious or racial statements/displays are allowed as part of any contestant’s performance.

10. Contestants will be held liable for all damages and/or loss to provided equipment and property.

11. Contestants must keep good conduct at all times throughout the event. Obscene or revealing attire is not allowed. Offensive behavior, damaging of property or equipment, or encouraging violent behavior will result in instant disqualification.

> PRELIMINARY ROUND REQUIREMENTS
12. All contestants are to attend the preliminary round, which will be held on the 30th of March 2007, from 10:00am to 4:00pm in the Auditorium at Taylor’s College Petaling Jaya. It will be a closed door event, and contestants only have to show up during their appointed time slot. Contestants who miss their appointed time slot may reschedule if there is still time available. Else, you will be forfeited.

13. To schedule their performance for the preliminary round, contestants are required to make an appointment with the Organisers by the 27th of March 2007. Simply contact us with what time you would like to perform. Appointments will be made on a first-come-first-serve basis only, so you are advised to confirm as soon as possible.
Call or SMS:
Sarah: 017-6017656
Kelly: 016-3015566
or E-mail: rawkfoundation@gmail.com

Our official website rawkfoundation.blogspot.com will be constantly updated with the latest schedule, so please refer to it before calling us.

14. Contestants are advised to bring their own equipment/props/music CDs for the preliminary round and the finals. Equipment such as amplifiers and a drum set will be provided for the finals only. For bands that are unable to bring their equipment for the preliminary round, you may perform an acoustic version of the performance.

> FINAL ROUND
15. The top 12 performances will qualify to the finals which will take place on the 7th of April 2007 at the Multi-Purpose Hall at Taylor’s University College, Subang Jaya. All contestants will be notified of the results of the preliminary round via phone and e-mail.

16. Rehearsal and sound checks on the date of the finals is compulsory for all finalists. Finalists will be informed of the time of the rehearsal and sound checks via phone and e-mail.

17. Winners will be determined by the audience through votes. The audience’s decisions are final and non-contestable.

> MISCELLANEOUS
18. All contestants agree to have their names, voices, likenesses, sound materials and photographs used by the Organizers and Sponsors for purpose of publicity, broadcasting, advertising and/or trade without further compensation or notice.

19. The Organizers and Sponsors reserve the right to substitute any of the prizes with that of similar value at any time.

20. The Organizers will not be held responsible for any injuries, deaths or accidents that may occur during the course of the event.

21. The Organizers will not be held responsible should there be any loss or damage of the contestants’ personal equipment.

22. By participating in this contest, all contestants have agreed to abide by the rules & regulations, terms and conditions, and all decisions made by the Organizers.

23. Competition rules and regulations are subject to change at the discretion of the organiser. Contestants will be notified of any changes via phone or e-mail. Please check the official website rawkfoundation.blogspot.com regularly for updates. Also, do not hesitate to contact us at rawkfoundation@gmail.com for further enquiries or clarification on the rules and the event.
____________________________________________________________________

So what is autism and when are we launching?

2007-02-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

We are glad you asked.

What is autism?

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that causes a life-long developmental disability. Statistics show that an estimated 1 in 166 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it one of the most common developmental disorders that affect children. Autism is four times more common in males than females and it typically appears during the first 3 years of life. Children with autism suffer from impairment in their communication skills and social abilities, and also by repetitive behaviours such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific and rigid routines. They also tend to act and sound like much younger children. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe and they include crying tantrums, lack of fear real dangers and insensitivity to pain.

Autism is a lifelong condition of which at this point in time there is no discernible cure. However, early intervention has proved to be the most helpful in treating autistic children. Prompt recognition of the symptoms of autism and special education can significantly improve their lives as they respond well to highly structured, specialised education programmes that are designed to meet their needs. With proper education, many autistic children can learn to communicate, interact with others, form meaningful relationships and overcome behaviours that make it difficult for them to live with their families.

Simply put, those with autism really, really, really need your support. Please, lend them a helping hand (as seen in the following picture).

When is the RAWK Foundation launching their campaign?

We are currently scheduled to launch next week! Barring any unfortunate mishaps that may happen in the official scheduling process, you can look for us to have an opening blast on the 7th of March. Come RAWK with us, and we will RAWK with you!

Cookie Sales!

2007-02-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

The previous week, the RAWK Foundation conducted cookie sales on campus in order to raise funds. It was not just cookies though, we also offered some chips and even chocolate. Though the main attraction was, undoubtedly, cookies.

But, pictures could explain what we did better than a write up, so here they are.

The items to be sold...

The beginning of the sales!

Nowhere was safe!

More customers!

More more more!

To put it simply, the RAWK Foundation had a success on their hands with the cookie (and other things besides) sales. Thank you everyone for your wonderful and generous support!

Remember, more good things are coming in the future, and rest assured, it will RAWK.

Cookie sale begins tomorrow! Pictures are here too.

2007-02-11T05:02:00.000-08:00

The RAWK Foundation will begin selling cookies next week. Everyone will be selling this time, so it should not be difficult at all to find us if you are craving some delectable delights. This cookie sale is a follow up to the ang pow donations which were done this past week, and that received a positive response. Remember, all proceeds go towards helping NASOM, and we are off to a good start. Please support us, and make our good start become something even better!

Now, there have been requests for pictures. As promised, here are some of them. Sorry for the delay.

The RAWK Foundation.

The RAWK Foundation arrives at the NASOM intervention centre!

The RAWK Foundation playing with the autistic children.

The arts and crafts session with the autistic children.

Witness the fruits of our labours! The arts and crafts masterpiece.

Thank you for viewing the pictures. Remember everyone, cookie sales begin on 12th February, 2007, which is tomorrow!

Finally, please check back here for more information on the RAWK Foundation and the activities planned. Also, drop by the tagboard if you have something to say or enquire about. Remember, you're a part of this just as much as we are, so say something!

A Visit to the NASOM Intervention Centre

2007-02-07T05:58:00.000-08:00

The RAWK Foundation held a visitation today to meet autistic children at the NASOM intervention centre. Do not be fooled by the name, it is basically a school for autistic children, where autistic children are able to spend their time learning, playing, and just being taken care of. The centre itself was comprised of two floors, the bottom being mostly a playroom and the upper floors being more conventional rooms with more desks and less fluffy toys.

The visitation was greeted by a representative of the centre. She explained that there were about 40 children there, between the ages of 4-15 years of age. 30 of the children were part of the morning session, which we were avaible for, and the remaining children were part of the afternoon session, which we missed.

Since we were there for the morning show, we decided to split to two - about half of us, and half of the children, would go downstairs to play games such as musical chairs, while the ones upstairs would all get together for an arts and craft session (also known as a fill up the supplied cloth with copius amounts of paint session). After a few hours, both halves switched roles. The end result was that fun was had by all, and there were two long lengths of painted cloth.

The trip was definitely worth it for us all that went. Hopefully the visit was beneficial to everyone involved, not least of all the people in charge the centre, and the autistic kids themselves.

This was a good day. May any other RAWKing activities proceed smoothly in the future.

PS - Pictures will be displayed when they become available.

NASOM - National Autism Society of Malaysia

2007-02-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

The National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM) was formed on the 11th of July, 1986 by a group of parents and professionals as a national voluntary charitable organisation. NASOM provides a range of support series to help autistic people to make more sense of their environment and to help those closest to them.

NASOM aims to provide education, help, care and rehabilitation for people with autism. Their objectives include:

i) To identify and promote the treatment, education welfare and acceptance of people with autism.
ii) To watch over and protect the autistics.
iii) To provide assistance and advice for the families of autistics.
iv) To provide information to parents, professionals and the public.

By 2004, NASOM has successfully implemented 10 Autism Intervention Programmes and 2 Vocational Training Centres. In 2005, NASOM build its first One- Stop Centre, a project under the sponsorship of the Kiwanis Club Petaling Jaya (KCPJ). It has an Autism Spectrum Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (ASMAT) that serves to offer quality autism spectrum assessment and diagnosis services for people at risk of autism disorders as well as assessment of children with autism. In Malaysia, people with autism are referred to NASOM by Government hospitals and private practitioners.

As a non-profit organisation, NASOM is in need of public support to maintain its operational costs. As education has been proven to be the best method in helping autistic persons, donations are an invaluable form of assistance. Apart from that, donations can help in raising awareness on autism, advocacy, research, and most importantly, to assist families living with autism.

(Source: http://nasom.my.diip.net/)

The RAWK Foundation

2007-02-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

The RAWK Foundation was formed on the 19th of January 2007. It consists of Diploma in Communication students, majoring in Advertising, Journalism and Public Relations at Taylor’s College Petaling Jaya.

The initials ‘RAWK’ stand for “Reach Autism With Kindness”. We are organising a project to help raise funds for the National Autism Society of Malaysia.

Our tagline – “Together We RAWK!” – urges us all to play a part in promoting awareness on autism and to help wherever and however we can. We strongly believe that the more we know about autism, the better we can empathise and understand their predicament. With understanding comes acceptance, and this is essential in helping realise the needs of autistic people.

We aim to:

“Provide help, love and care to autistic children; to heighten awareness of autism as well as to encourage a positive public view towards autism.”

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RAWK with us! :)