KUCHING – More than 2,000 people attended the SwinBazaar and Night Concert, a charity event recently organised by Swinburne Sarawak Student Council (SSSC) at the university’s campus.
The event was jointly organised by the Student Life section of Student Engagement Department, Hope Worldwide Malaysia, Swinburne Sarawak Green Club, Swinburne Charity Cruiser Club, Swinburne Book Club, Swinburne Music Club, Swinburne Dance Club, and Swinburne Photomedia and Design Club.
80% of the proceeds were channelled to Hope Worldwide Malaysia where it will be used to fund various projects for the underprivileged groups in Kuching and surrounding areas. The projects are carried out in collaboration with the Charity Cruiser Club which carry the tagline ‘Bringing Cheers, Transforming Lives’.
Other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were also invited to the event such as World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Save Our Strays – Kuching (SOS), Kuching Beach Cleaners, Sarawak Society for the Deaf, Sarawak Association for the Welfare of Intellectually Disabled Children (PERKATA), Sarawak Eco-Warriors and Trinity Hope.
Present to officiate the SwinBazaar event were Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Professor John Wilson as well as representatives from each sponsoring organisations namely Borneo Technology PLT, XToken, Angelus Fitness, Grab Malaysia and ONEXOX.
Professor Wilson in his short speech thanked the SSSC and Student Life for organising the event and hoped it would raise awareness of environmental sustainability and promote charity works among staff and students alike.
In keeping with the theme ‘Keep It Green’, plastic bags and polystyrene usage were banned throughout the event to raise awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability. Recycling bins were placed at the surrounding areas and vendors were encouraged to use alternative packaging to reduce the use of plastic bags. A number of vendors went a step further by providing discounts to customers in support of this initiative.
A busy scene at the food bazaar area.
The carnival showcased various food vendors and game booths operated by Swinburne’s student clubs and external vendors such as Mama Zack Kitchen, Katering Tiga M, Belalak Addicted Coffee, Kebab Madu and Love to Bake. To add excitement to the event, the crowd also had the opportunity to take part in Fitness Challenge and Spicy Food Challenge organised by Angelus Fitness and Swinburne Book Club respectively.
The final highlight of the event was the exciting ‘Young and Free’ Night Concert that featured a dance battle in collaboration with Kuching Youth Jam, and other performances by DreamAge, Jello, I-OLA and Majority.
For more information about Swinburne and its upcoming events, visit its website www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).