At Urban Hijau, we have hosted hundreds of volunteers since we were formed in 2015. These volunteers have come solo, and many come in groups. Many of these volunteers are foreigners coming from outside Malaysia while many are nearby local TTDI residents. But perhaps the largest variance we have in terms of our volunteers are regarding their age and their level of enthusiasm.
Until the pandemic hit, the majority of our volunteers at our site were those that were, in a sense, forced to come here. These include university student groups that were assigned to achieve certain extra credits as part of their academic requirement and chose our social enterprise to do this. While their presence on the farm is always appreciated, they did display a mix of attitudes in how they approach farm tasks. Some of them were genuinely keen and appreciate the natural environment, while others found the shoveling of dirt and planting rather tiresome chores, and would perhaps be more at home doing administrative work in an office.
Youth Overrated?
Young volunteers bring to the game their energy and fresh enthusiasm. In the best of them, it can almost be infectious. Yet we have to admit after having so many students come to the farm and share their experiences, that somehow the hype of youth hasn’t quite met the reality all the time. Despite some notable exceptions, including our current keen interns, quite a few of the young visitors seem more comfortable in the concrete jungle atmosphere and feel out of their element in a farm. Of course, this is a rather sober observation, and it does indicate that there needs to be a drive for more youth activism towards issues of sustainability and environmental awareness in Malaysia. Especially as compared to other youth population in other countries, where the level of sensitivity towards issues of climate change and the environment is much higher for those of the younger generation.
Old is Gold
Our most committed, effective and inspiring volunteers on the site are those retirees who are more advanced in the years yet contribute with their wisdom, toil and experience. Compared to their younger counterparts, these volunteer elders display a more consistent sense of professionalism and punctuality in how they carry out their activities at their farm.
We can point especially to two noteworthy examples, Ms. J and Aunty N. Ms. J is a seasoned development expert, but chooses to spend 1 to 2 days a week at our farm helping to improve the running of our aquaponics systems. She is meticulous in detail and often points out issues to our operations manager with a seriousness that shows how much she cares for the system under her care. Aunty N comes from the area of personal wellness and nutrition, and appreciates our farm as it connects to her core philosophy of reconnecting with nature. She not only assists with farm tasks but also brings in new guests and customers regularly to see what we have to offer.
While there is a growing tendency in modern society to extol youth and shy away from the idea of aging, we at Urban Hijau have been beneficiaries of the more senior members of our community and their hard earned wisdom. As a relatively young operation, we don’t pretend to have all the answers, and are always open to hearing what the elders have to share. Sustainability as we see it is a cross-generational enterprise.