Community Creative workshop

A community engagement initiative at Kampung Simpang Arang, Gelang Patah, brought Raffles University students and the Orang Asli community together through practical skills, creative exchange, and hands-on learning.

The Community Social Responsibility (CSR) Club and Media Club, in collaboration with the Fashion Design Department, conducted a community engagement workshop titled Creative Workshop: Sewing Techniques, Bag Making and Book Covering for the Orang Asli community in Kampung Simpang Arang.

Skills with a Practical Purpose

The workshop introduced participants to practical skills in sewing, bag making, and book covering, with activities designed around everyday applications.

Through the sessions, community members explored techniques that could be used to repair clothing, create school supplies for their children, and potentially generate additional income through small-scale tailoring or craft sales.

By focusing on skills that can continue to be applied beyond the workshop, the initiative aimed to complement immediate assistance with practical knowledge that could support greater self-sufficiency over time.

Alongside the workshop, the Raffles University team distributed RU T-shirts and dresses hand-stitched by Fashion Design students to members of the community. The contribution combined practical support with the care and effort of students who applied their creative skills to something made for others.

Learning Through Community Engagement

The experience extended beyond skills sharing with the community. For Raffles University students, it provided an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting and consider how design can respond to actual human needs.

Fashion Design students were able to connect their technical and creative abilities with community engagement, gaining experience beyond conventional classroom projects. Students from the participating clubs also experienced first-hand the importance of communication, collaboration, and social awareness when working with communities.

The initiative demonstrated how creative education can extend beyond the classroom, connecting practical skills with community needs while giving students an opportunity to learn through participation and service.

Through activities such as this, students can begin to see their knowledge not only as something to develop academically, but also as something they can share and apply meaningfully within the wider community.