Every time when people first heard about MESYM (pronounced as 'me-sym'), they will be like, 'what is that?' or 'huh?', including almost all of my friends, haha. Yeah, MESYM or Malaysian Environmental Sustainability Youth Movement is a grassroot green non-governmental organisation originally founded in 2011 by Japheth Lim as a personal project. Now MESYM is being developed and run by Leo and Jun-E as leaders with a bunch of dedicated volunteers of different backgrounds. Besides, we are also on our way to establish this organisation officially!
Let us get into the main topic: What is MESYM about?
MESYM is basically a medium which gathers all the information on various environmental movements run by many green organisations in Malaysia so that the information is easily accessible by everyone just by clicking the link to this website. It is all about the sharing of information and to make green movements more reachable. The involvement in green events or movements becomes easier because the details we need to know (what, where, when, how) are at our finger tip. Everyone can be environmentalist and we need to expand our view in order to get updated on what's happening now regarding environmentalism and sustainability in our country. We encourage networking and collaboration on MESYM no matter it's among individuals or organisations to build stronger environmental force to fight for a better future.This is how it works:
The first element on the menu bar from the left is Profiles. Creating a profile means creating an account on MESYM so that you can post or comment on articles on MESYM (you do not need a profile to browse through the articles). Under the profile section, it is divided into the individual section and organisation section. Individual section is for normal people like you and me who registered as our own identity while organisation section is for various green organisations which have been playing a part in environmentalism and sustainability.
The second element is Events. It shows the upcoming green events that will be going on soon with important details such as the date, time and location and also the organiser. If you are interested in that particular event, you can click on it to see the description about the event and how you are going to participate in it. To participate, all you need to do is to click on a green button stated 'volunteer' on the right hand side of the page to send an email to the organiser. There is an event calender too which gives us an overview about events that will be going on in the whole month.
The third element is Projects. A project is an ongoing environmental effort which is run either by an organisation or individuals (yes you can always create your own personal environmental projects such as beach cleaning for example, and invite others to join on MESYM!), unlike event which is only held for one or a few days. Each project works on respective causes and if you see the word 'volunteer' on the top right corner of the poster, you can join in the effort as a volunteer to contribute as well!
The fourth element is Stories. This section is specifically arranged for volunteers to share their experiences during their volunteering work to give people a picture how does volunteering look like. Reviews written by past or current volunteers posted in this section can be a motivation and inspiration to many many people out there who need a little more push in determination to get started in green volunteerism.
The fifth element is Announcements. Announcement provides a channel for green organisations to make announcements to call for internships, exhibitors, petitions, proposals and so on. It is neither event nor project but other forms of support towards green movements.
The sixth element is Discussions. This is the place where people discuss about environmental related issues such as pollutions, policies, green technologies, renewable energy etc. People are encouraged to share environmental knowledge here to equip ourselves to face environmental challenges. Discussion is important to gain new information or to clear any misunderstanding towards the concept of sustainability.
The seventh element is Featured. This is the section where MESYM interviews people who have made contributions towards the environmental field. It is really an eye-opener as we can see what others have done and sacrificed to save the environment. What they have been doing inspire others to care more for the environment.
The eighth element is Resources. Resources is a collection of videos or documents with precious environmental information in them. If you come across something you find would be useful and informative to others, please share it here! It can be helpful!
For all the elements above, there is a filter for each element. In case you couldn't find the topic you want, you can just use the filter and it is really convenient. Map is also provided for most of the elements to mark the location of each happening or individuals. Location does matter when it comes to direct involvement in green movement.
Last but not least, the About. You can see everything about MESYM, from the story of how MESYM grows since three years ago to ways to work with us. You will know who are the people behind this MESYM team and if you are interested to join us, contact us via email! We also call for sponsorship for this organisation because we do not earn profits in things we are doing. Sponsor us if you support our project!
So what can you do?
- Log on to http://www.mesym.com.
- Get started by creating a profile.
- Join in discussions or comment on articles you find interesting.
- Look for a suitable volunteering activity and just do it!
- AND if you are an organiser of green event, share it there!
- ALSO if you are someone related in the environmental field, share you knowledge!
There are a lot more you can do to be part of the environmental efforts. SHARE this awesome website to your friends! The more the merrier!
P/S: In 2013, I found MESYM on internet while looking for volunteering opportunity where I can really get started. So I became a volunteer and started sharing my blog posts on MESYM regarding environmental events or things we learnt as an environmental student. I am really obsessed in writing sometimes, haha. I became really active starting year 2014 in it and now I am one of the outreaches for MESYM (together with Mathi) trying to get more institutions and organisations and also individuals to join us!
