Weeks 5 & 6, the penultimate and last weeks of this project. In week 3 & 4’s reflection I mentioned the difficulty of sometimes seeing the return on what you’re putting in, especially if you’re navigating more abstract immeasurable concepts and the understanding of things like arguments & opinions, but sometimes even if it’s not obvious, it shows. When the students are able to answer the questions you pose faster and faster, seeing their eyes light up when it clicks- the small ways you can see the change you’re making. Week 4 was when some of the doubts I had started to be quelled, they were no longer at the forefront of my mind but being addressed by the progress I was seeing. 

Despite that, doubts still persisted- trying to live by the mantra of lightning McQueen (‘I just never thought I couldn’t’), I prepared the structure of the final two weeks- the final MUN style event. Early on I’d realised that a full fledged MUN conference was unrealistic given the time constraints and complexity in running the event. Thus, I adjusted the structure and style in a way that- though I wasn’t sure how it would play out- would hopefully be more fitting for the students. The final event, the one we have been working towards for the previous few weeks, the final output, the final test to assess the impact these sessions have had on the kids, would not necessarily be an MUN conference, but a Youth-Assembly style event that would incorporate aspects of MUN. In each year, the students would be divided into groups of four, with each of these groups representing a country. All groups would each have four questions to answer, one person assigned one question per group. Each student would answer their questions speaking into a microphone on a stage, acting as a delegate of their respective countries.

Years 7 & 8 would answer questions to do with plastic pollution, this being especially relevant to Malaysia since it recently stopped accepting waste shipments from the United States. They were introduced to waste colonialism, and how historical legacies hope the world we live into today. For Year 9 a more complex topic was explored, more personal and closer to home- immigration and refugee rights would be the topic of their debate. They would be challenged to argue for and against arguments they may disagree with, preparing them and familiarizing them with arguments that may very well be made against them in a world that constantly questions their existence.

This plan and context was formed through hours of planning, thinking, and input from teachers who knew their students and the context much much better than me- and yet, I wasn’t quite sure how it’d go. Would the work I’ve put into teaching these students come to fruition? Would the students benefit from the event? Would it even work? 

Flurries of questions like these swarmed in my head as I planned the final two weeks. Week 5 consisted of a practice run-through of this event, and week 6 would be the final full run-through. Week 5 went how any new experience would go, the kids were uncertain-needing clarifications and questions on the structure and style of what they were expected to do. But as always, as with any new things, it’s not hard-it’s just new! Week 6, though full of nerves from both me and the students, went incredibly. Every student put in effort that was more than enough to be proud of, with the final sessions going smooth sailing in a way I could have only hoped for. 

They were tested- unfamiliar waters- for many of them this was their first experience they’ve ever had with public speaking. And yet, they still pulled through. In their final surveys- which had the same assessment questions as a beginning survey they took- there was a clear drastic positive change in how much faith they had in their skills to form opinions and to deliver them confidently. Multiple students in feedback wrote that they wished they could have more sessions or wanted a repeat of the same MUN style event in the future- showing that, this truly was a process they had learned from.

Even though the aim of teaching is always to teach the subject, it cannot be underestimated how much you yourself learn in the process of teaching others. 

In my final days in Malaysia, it was almost surreal seeing the impacts of the sessions I had worked so hard on coming to fruition. Seeing things work out in the most beautiful of ways when the journey itself was a challenge. Solo traveling halfway across the world to the complete unknown to deliver an impact project is a blessing in and of itself. To live is indeed to be changed. This summer was, more than anything, a time of seeing growth, in me, in others, in life. Reflecting on the experiences of this new, uncomfortable change made me realise- it works out-it always does.

That concludes the reflections of this summer. I’m left with ultimately two mantras I hope I (and you) carry onto the future.

Feel the fear and do it anyways!

But,

most importantly,

don’t let the discomfort of growth stop you from becoming. 

Over & Out- Fatima, LiA KL Summer 2026