On 23rd June 2025, the first-year students of English for Professionals (EFP) from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) carried out a community outreach program titled Echoes of English: A Language Voyage. The program was planned as both a course assignment for our LET102 course, The History and Structure of English, and a community engagement project, where EFP students conducted an academic exhibition on the development of English from Old English to Modern English for primary and secondary school students in Penang. This SULAM- based program took place at three different schools simultaneously, which are SK Sungai Gelugor, SMK Datuk Haji Mohamed Nor Ahmad, and SK Sri Aman.
The main goals were to educate the school students, reinforce our own academic understanding, and foster a love of learning for everyone involved. A total of 31 groups participated, and with many considerations, I assigned 13 groups at SK Sungai Gelugor, 11 at SMK Datuk Haji Mohamed Nor Ahmad, and 7 at SK Sri Aman. All exhibition materials were first reviewed and approved by Associate Professor Dr. Shaidatul Akma Adi Kasuma. Each group had the freedom to prepare either online or physical content, resulting in varied and creative presentations on D-Day.
I served as the project director for the entire program, overseeing planning and communication between all three participating schools. Although I was based at SK Sungai Gelugor since it had the largest number of groups, I worked closely with the appointed persons-in- charge at SK Sri Aman and SMK Datuk Haji Mohamed Nor Ahmad to ensure everything ran smoothly across all locations.
I assigned a team of AJKs at each school to manage venue, food, activities, documentation, and PA systems. To support transportation needs, three EFP students generously volunteered their vehicles to help carry hampers, food, drinks, and the AJK members. As the project director, I took responsibility for team management, pre-event briefings, coordination, and troubleshooting to ensure every student and committee member was informed, prepared, and supported throughout the process.
The day began with a gathering at Padang Kawad around 8:00 AM. By 9:00 AM, everyone was already heading to or had arrived at their assigned schools, ahead of schedule. This early momentum set a positive tone for the rest of the program. Upon arrival at the school, we began setting up the exhibition booths. The exhibition officially began at 10:00 AM for SK Sri Aman and SMK Datuk Haji Mohamed Nor Ahmad and at 10:40 AM for SK Sungai Gelugor due to recess timing.
Each exhibition booth focused on a specific stage of English language development and was designed to appeal to primary and secondary school students. Many groups included games, storytelling, and visual elements to make their booths interactive and engaging. Based on my own observation, the EFP students demonstrated excellent teamwork and adaptability. I would love to highlight our international students, who faced language barriers, gave a tremendous effort to communicate in simple English, and used social skills to connect with the younger local students. I noticed some groups quickly adjusted their delivery method on the spot to maintain the school students’ interest. Despite the challenges, they continued engaging with patience and persistence, which was truly admirable. The level of engagement and curiosity shown by the students from the three schools at our booths made it clear that the exhibition was a success.
After the exhibition, we moved on to an activity session, where a quiz was conducted based on the booths the school students had visited. This was an intentional second phase of learning to help the students recall and apply the knowledge they gained and to reinforce the educational value of the event. This aligns with the broader goals of the SULAM initiative, which aims to create meaningful and lasting impact beyond the classroom.
The activity session was well-organised by the EFP students, who had prepared quiz slides in advance. SK Sungai Gelugor and SK Sri Aman students were enthusiastically competing among themselves to answer the questions, however, it is a different case for the students at SMK Datuk Haji Mohamed Nor Ahmad. Despite the low-energy environment, the AJKs stayed motivated and kept uplifting the students, encouraging them to stay engaged right through to the end. One winning group from each school was selected to receive a hamper as a token of appreciation, which added an extra element of fun and recognition to the experience.
To recapitulate, Echoes of English: A Language Voyage was a unique and enriching experience for all involved. It allowed us, as first-year EFP students, to bridge classroom learning with real-life engagement, build our communication and teaching skills, and connect with school communities in a purposeful way. The experience taught us lessons not only in academics but also in personal growth. We realised that language is not just a subject but something that unites, empowers, and inspires people.
