Semalam berlangsungnya salah satu event paling besar pernah saya melibatkan diri sebagai team pengurusan. Selalunya event2 besar saya terlibat sebagai peserta, but this time I got the chance to actually be in a team that organized the entire event. I must say it was a hell lot of work but I'm happy with the outcome. Kidxy was chosen to organize this year PERMATA Kurnia event for autistic children with carnival as the theme. I wasn't aware that it took this much work to organize something this big! I mean most probably because Kidxy is still new and we only have like 10 people in the company including the CEO, so we really rely on each other to make this happened. Plus some wonderful volunteers that really ease the process during the event day.
Karnival Semarak Autisme aim is to educate the public that Autism is not a tragedy. These special children are gifted and they see the world differently than most of us. Antara aktiviti yang best yesterday was the Walk A Mile In My Shoes. Aktiviti tu memberi peluang kepada orang 'normal' macam kita semua untuk merasai apa yang dihadapi oleh orang-orang autistik. Terbahagi kepada 5 bilik, bilik pertama bertemakan fashionista. Mengajar kita bagaimana orang autistic bersiap or grooming. Ada sesetengah daripada mereka tak gemarkan warna, tekstur kain atau ada yang jenis suka satu benda and nak pakai yang tu je.
Selain tu there are 4 more rooms that have different experience to it, ada bilik yang bising, bilik yang banyak lampu, bilik ramai orang dan bilik yang gelap. Semua bilik-bilik tu memberi kita peluang untuk rasai kehidupan seharian mereka. But seriously, as a 'normal' person pun I felt irritated already dengan keadaan yang baru berapa minit je tu, imagine they have to go through that their entire life. I'm almost in tears thinking about it sebab for us yang tak nak ambil tahu and thinking that orang autism ni is a burden and suka act out adalah satu perasaan yang sangat tak patut. Now I understand why they have tantrum and all.
Lastly, autistic people are so talented and gifted as I said earlier. There is this one autistic kid at the age of 6, he can speak very fluent English with British accent and his father said he is able to capture the accent of many other languages very quickly. He can speak Korean as well because his mother love watching Korean shows. See? Autistic people are genius! Selain dari tu, I also respect their parents! I have mad respect for them, semalam je hampir seluruh kawasan ada kids having tantrum and their parents are so calm in handling them. Ada yang kena pukul dengan anak-anak dorang but if they don't show love, who else will? Kita yang tak ada pengalaman ni senang lah nak cakap kan.
I'm so grateful to be a part of this amazing team. I admit that previously I'm not a kid or baby person sebab saya tak suka nak melayan budak. But having gone through all this for 5 months now, I started to see the important of treating and raising your child well. Sebab dorang pick up things from us and if we didn't show a good example, jangan tanya lah kenapa anak kita susah nak bela bila dah besar kan?
So great job to all my team in Kidxy, ada yang tidur dekat office, ada yang ulang alik from office to tempat event sampai pagi. You guys did amazing for a company yang belum masuk setahun lagi pun and dah buat event this big. I'm proud and happy!
P/S: I want to be a child advocate as well. Can?