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Mummies Come Alive in Langkawi
It was 6.30am and the sky was still dark. Although sleepy, the Junior Brats who had gathered to leave for Pulau Langkawi were enthusiastic and excited. Their parents' expressions, however, mirrored a mixture of concern, pride, and excitement too. There were a total of 36 Junior BRATs and four senior BRATs present along with a few representatives from The Star.
That damp Friday morning was to be the first day of the Junior BRATs workshop and we were gathered at The Star Northern Hub in Penang. There was a bus ready to take us to the jetty where we would be shipped off to Langkawi for the workshop. Idle chatter could be heard all over as the Junior BRATs started to get to know each other. By the time we got to the jetty, it had started to drizzle. Not a good sign for a bunch of young teenagers who were about to get on a two-hour boat ride, as the water was choppy. Some of the Junior BRATs got nauseous and some even threw up.
However, things quickly turned for the better once they got off the boat, and settled down. As an ice-breaker, we started off with a game called 'If I were ?' where the Junior BRATs each got a card with a person or thing written on it. They would then tell the group what they would do if they were the person or thing named on their card. Then, in order to learn the slang words used by the young teenagers, Star Metro editor Tan Ju-Eng played a game with the Junior BRATs called 'Bag of Words', where we tried to match slang words with the right definition. Both facilitators and participants learnt how to understand each others' lingo better through the simple game.
Next, the Junior BRATs were given a mission: to decipher a set of clues in the form of poems and nursery rhymes which would ultimately lead them to a few items with which they would build something specific. The catch: one of the items each group gathers will not be a part of their project but some other groups' and so they must trade with each other in order to get the required materials.
After doing several tasks to obtain their materials, such as catching confetti by smearing starch all over their arms and even faces or searching for paper clips in a bucket of ice water, the Junior BRATs tried their hands at bargaining. The youngsters getting to know each other during the ice-breaking session. 'They wanted what I had, but didn't have what I wanted, so I traded with them and then went to another group to get what I wanted,' says Vinod Naidu, one of the Junior BRATs on how he managed to get the item his group needed. After dinner, it was time for the seniors to present the Junior BRATs with a wayang kulit performance about a girl who commits suicide after getting pregnant and being ill-treated by her mother.
This was followed by a lengthy discussion between the Junior BRATs and the facilitators about suicide, teen pregnancy, and other social problems faced by teenagers. Junior BRAT Nor Amilia Farahin Abu Bakar talked about her visit to a drug rehabilitation centre. 'The drug abuser says he has been in and out of the rehabilitation centre many times. Every time he is released, he ends up going back to drugs. He says it's not easy to quit.' Day two dawned clear and sunny, and the Junior BRATs were treated to a trip to the cable car in Langkawi.
There, they were given clues which had to be deciphered by replacing certain characters in the printed clues with letters of the alphabet to produce a legible set on instructions. The groups were assigned the task of 'mummifying' one of their members and performing a ritual dance at the peak of the cable car ride. This provided much humour and fun for all - Junior BRATs, seniors as well as facilitators. When the Junior BRATs got back to the resort, they played a few games and were given some time to prepare for a 'role play' session whereby they were to present their ideas and thoughts in the form of sketches which was to take place that night. Then it was time for their next task: cooking!
The BRATs were given a fixed amount of 'BRATs dollars' with which they were to buy ingredients and cooking condiments from the facilitators. Bargaining was allowed, even encouraged, and so the chaos began. But the biggest shocker came when they were told that they had to buy a live chicken and slaughter it. Still, the whole 'market' scene was very similar to that of a real pasar malam as the Junior BRATs attempted to buy what they needed. Some didn't even know what was on sale, asking: 'Is that serai or spring onions?' The Junior BRATs worked feverishly to produce their delicacies. They cleaned chickens, peeled onions, cut vegetables and so on. To most of them, this was their first experience doing such chores.
One group even spilt their soup at the very last minute. Rushing to make up for the accident, they still managed to cook up an excellent soup which was commended by all who tried it. Evening descended on Langkawi and it was time for the Junior BRATs to perform their role-plays. They presented their ideas on topics like anger management and stress, drugs and smoking, peer pressure and gangsterism. 'Danger is only one letter away from anger,' says Vinod Naidu on the topic of anger management.
Another idea presented was that peer pressure can lead to positive or negative effects. The final day was spent signing autographs and saying goodbyes. The Junior BRATs left Langkawi with heavy hearts and many promises to keep in touch with each other. More importantly, they left with a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them, especially about teen social issues. The Junior BRATs camp, the last in a series of three this year, was organised by Star Publications (M) Bhd with the co-operation of MAGGI and hosted by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd.
Langkawi 26/09/2004
