AT a time when schools are closed, extra co-curricular activities have decreased and mental health is regressing, Kakiseni launches their latest initiative, Kakiseni Junior today. The platform allows parents and teachers to rediscover children and young people's interests.
Made possible by Yayasan Sime Darby, Kakiseni Junior (www.kakisenjunior.com) also aims to support art practitioners, particularly those with no income due to operation and social restrictions; to offer their classes, set their pricing, conduct lessons in a safe environment and receive 100% of the payment.
Yayasan Sime Darby Chairman Tunku Tan Sri Imran Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja'afar said the initiative is in line with the Foundation’s Arts & Culture pillar focus area of ‘Arts and Culture Encouragement’.
This supports world-class creative works by Malaysian artists and provides platforms for emerging artists. Another focus area that Kakiseni Junior aligns with is ‘Arts Demand Development’. Owing to society’s rapid digital transformation driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, the online platform will have a wider reach to create awareness and demand for the arts.
“We are proud to support Malaysia’s first integrated online platform for the arts which brings together local art entrepreneurs to make their services and offerings more accessible to the public, both locally and internationally.
"Through our support for the initiative, parents, their children as well as students and teachers may benefit from a variety of arts-related educational enrichment programmes and activities. We also hope to improve the livelihoods of arts educators and arts education entrepreneurs and make the programmes more affordable to underprivileged communities,” he added.
Children enrolled in classes on Kakiseni Junior will be able to master digital tools, software, and take up exciting courses online until physical classes resume when circumstances permit. There are four categories of classes on Kakiseni Junior:
- Performing Arts
- Traditional Arts
- Visual Arts
- Life Skills/Motivational
“We encourage art practitioners and creative educators to utilize Kakiseni Junior as a means to generate a sustainable income. You will be assisted through the set-up process and be included in various marketing activities to promote your classes at no charge at all.
"Through our outreach programmes like SeniMAD and SeniKidZ, Kakiseni found a demand from parents and teachers to find shadowplay workshops, visual editing courses, piano lessons or embroidery classes for their children that are affordable, trusted and near their neighbourhood,” said Low Ngai Yuen, president of Kakiseni.
Kakiseni Junior for Community Outreach According to Human Rights Watch’s Covid-19 and Children’s Rights report last year, more than 91% of the world’s students are out of school, due to school closures in at least 188 countries since the beginning of the pandemic.
This results in children and youth being deprived of opportunities to grow and develop themselves.
These disadvantages are disproportionate for underprivileged learners who tend to have fewer educational opportunities beyond school.
Both Kakiseni and Yayasan Sime Darby believe that early education plays a huge role in our youth’s development. This is why a fixed amount of RM15 processing fee applies to the user for every transaction on Kakiseni Junior. This is to support Seni Making A Difference (SeniMAD) outreach programme.
SeniMAD is a free, 16-sessions creative programme by Kakiseni for underprivileged children conducted by professional artists. This year, Yayasan Sime Darby has paid forward for 160 children from the B40 community to benefit from SeniMAD. More details about the outreach engagement will be shared soon.
Through SeniMAD, Kakiseni Junior hopes to become a place for children with no other outlet to grow in a wholesome manner.
Stay in touch by following @kakiseni on Twitter and Instagram or @mykakiseni on Facebook and join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #kakisenijunior. – The Vibes, June 3, 2021
.JPG)
