WELCOME TO SPACE - SABAH'S PROBLEMS ACTION CENTRE
WELCOME TO SPACE – SABAH PROBLEM ACTION CENTRE
I have been contributing Lex Borneo to the borneo Post for the last three years. In this time I have received many requests and many stories from people all over Sabah but the most touching was this letter I received from a housewife in Tamparuli who identifies herself as Ajuntha. Her letter reads as follows:-
‘Dear Lex,
I have been following your articles for the last three years and I find them helpful although I don’t understand them all. As you know that our land has so many problems and many people have this sense of being lost and hopeless. They are unable to get in touch with some of their political leaders or even if they can their leaders are unable to solve their problems. So I believe that political leaders are not able to solve the ordinary problems of the ordinary folks. What we need is a group of non political professionals and people with skills who can be in contact with us ordinary folks. These people can set aside their time to provide consultation FOC to the man on the street. Some of these problems are not very complicated but to ordinary folks like us we don’t know who to approach or talk to. It could be like chasing payment from a government department, wrongly disconnect of current, writing a simple letter, advise on how to clear a sewerage not functioning. If there is a group of professionals who can network with each other and make themselves available to the public of Sabah this place will be a better place on planet Earth……’
This letter has been gnawing at my conscience for the last few months. I have been around to see other professionals and skilled persons on this and some of them have been receptive to the idea of Ajuntha. So we have decided to start up SPACE – Sabah’s Problems Action Center. Presently I have one engineer, a website developer, a hotelier, three lawyers, two teachers, a psychologist, a safety officer, a banker, two doctors who are willing to contribute their time and service to SPACE. I also have the pledge of internationally renowned speaker and psychologist Dr Tan Khian Seng to contribute his time and effort to SPACE All have agreed to provide free consultation on a pro bono basis. More have promised to get on board of SPACE.
ACTIVITIES OF SPACE
The offices of SPACE will be located in Kota Kinabalu at :-
a) KK Plaza:- First Floor, Lot 1.17C, KK Plaza, Kota Kinabalu City b) Plaza Kingfisher:- Block D, 2nd Floor, Lot 10-2, Lorong Plaza Kingfisher 6
SPACE will be open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 am to 7 p.m. You can also contact SPACE by phone @ 088-470778 or by hp/sms @ 0178206778. The fax number of SPACE is 088-388960. You can email SPACE to marceljiude@yahoo.com. We also have a website space @ borneobest.com. SPACE will conduct free public talks or have sessions on areas of interest. Watch out for dates in Lex Borneo or send us an email or sms so we can send you updates. If you or your organization want to have a talk on a particular area of interest please contact us. If you can arrange the place and the number of persons to attend we will come over to deliver our sessions. Meanwhile SPACE is also planning to ‘turun padang’ . On weekends we will arrange to visit kampungs or housing estates to set up a booth so you can come and meet us to discuss your problems. SPACE is not politically affiliated to any party but we are willing to render our services to anyone irrespective of political affiliation. We are committed to do our part to fulfill the 1Malaysia dream espoused by our Prime Minister.
SPACE CONSULTANT PROGRAM – WHY SPACE NEEDS U & U NEED SPACE
To carry out the objectives of SPACE it will need volunteers willing to serve on a pro bono basis. We know there are all sorts of professionals who want to donate their services -- web design, graphic design, human resources expertise, legal advice, editing, research, and so forth -- to mission-based organizations (nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, schools, etc.). And there are all sorts of nonprofits and NGOs who would like to attract such donated services. But too often, there's a disconnect, and misunderstandings and miscommunications and unrealistic expectations lead to missed opportunities and frustrating experiences for both the people who want to volunteer and the organizations that wanted to involve them. If you are Retired/semi-retired/between jobs/at the peak of your career but have some free time - the SPACE Consultant Program may be right for you! • Interested in volunteering – but not sure you have the time? • Looking for an opportunity to use your professional skills? • Willing to donate your expertise to area nonprofits on a short term project? • Searching for a way to contribute to your community in a meaningful, professionally challenging way? Are you interested in volunteering but not sure you have the time to make a long term commitment? Do you want to apply your experience and skills to a worthy cause, but would prefer to work within a self-determined schedule to produce a specific result? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then SPACE Pro-Bono Consulting program may be just right for you! In a nutshell, SPACE Pro Bono Consulting would feature worthy community non-profit projects that involve a flexible schedule, a work product, resources, and a willing volunteer who has the right expertise. Ideal pro bono volunteers would be working adults or active retirees. Here's how it works. SPACE collaborates with area non-profit agencies to determine and document their project needs, then seeks volunteers with appropriate skills and expertise to fit the need. Or, willing volunteers identify their skills and availability, which are then offered to nonprofit service agencies for a good project fit. Agencies and SPACE then sit down together with volunteers to discuss the project, and make sure that all aspects are agreeable to all parties. The role of SPACE Pro Bono Consulting is to connect the right volunteer to the right project to produce the right result. Willing adult professionals of all ages and types are welcome to serve as Pro Bono Consultants. Many of these volunteers would do the majority of the work at home. All parties work together to accomplish the project. At the end of each project, everybody involved gets the chance to evaluate the work and to suggest improvements for the future. Volunteers then "graduate" to other agencies and projects, do another project for the original agency, choose a different way to serve through SPACE, or just take a break and come back again later if they wish. SPACE Pro Bono Consulting would offer the opportunity to work in a broad array of fields that include information technology, program leadership, legal, marketing, event planning, skilled trades, fund raising, graphic arts, grant research and applications, accounting, and much more. SPACE Pro Bono Consulting volunteers would have to produce good results, serving a wide spectrum of community missions. These volunteers would complete their projects feeling a strong sense of personal reward, knowing that they have helped a good cause by giving the gift of what they do best.
DECIDING HOW OR WHAT YOU CAN VOLUNTEER?
1. Think about WHY you or your company or your organization wants to provide donated services. It can be all or just a few or even just one of the reasons already mentioned, but it should be defined from the very beginning, and communicated to mission-based organizations you may assist. Ask yourself or your staff this question: "No matter what else results, the most important thing for me/us that will happen because of this donated service is..." 2. What type of service do you want to provide? What type of service do you NOT want to provide? The more specific you can be about the type of work you do and don't want to donate, the more likely that you will find the right volunteering opportunity for you or your company. 3. Set parameters for your donated services! Do you want to help one organization, or a group of organizations? Do you want to help on a variety of projects throughout the year, or just one big project during a select period? How many hours a week will each staff member be permitted/encouraged to donate? 4. Some companies or consultants pick a particular kind of nonprofit to assist: organizations that are focused primarily on preserving or restoring the natural environment, on the arts, on youth, on seniors, on people with disabilities, on people in a particular geographic area. Maybe your company will want to rotate its focus each year, or stick to just one. But this is another point to consider and define before you start looking for a pro bono opportunity. 5. What should the qualities of the nonprofit you assist be? Cultures vary. Think about the kind of culture you want to work with, that would be compatible with your own. One that is open to change and innovation? One that believes that computer technology is a fundamental element of effective service delivery?
If you are interested to volunteer contact us and email your info or cv or queires to marceljude@yahoo.com. For more news go to our website @ borneobest.com
MARCEL JUDE
