Generation Gap: My experience with Skim Rondaan Sukarela (SRS)

I have been living in Taman Pinggiran Delima Hulu Langat for quite number of years now and this year will be my 5th years reside here .Insyallah by next year I'm anticipating that my family will move on to our first bought house at Branang Semenyih, Selangor and yes you are right....it is quite far from KL. But what else generation Y like us can do. Housing price in Klang Valley tremendously ridiculous nowadays. The only affordable property for me is in outskirt KL :)

The community here at Taman Pinggiran Delima is quite friendly and I Iove it a lot. Most of the residence here are Malays and I can say the housing area here mostly occupied by pensioners where their age is around 50 years plus. I bet they bought this houses at their early age and by looking at their close relationship I can say that they take actually take care of each other a lot and do practices good neighbourhood.

Night Watch
One of the community volunteered  activities here is 'Night Watch' whereby all residence of the selected block need to have representative (usually male) . Previous robbery cases have put the neighbourhood in high alert. So they formed SRS (Skim Rondaan Sukarela). One of the person in charge for scheduling the duty rooster name Pak Wan. A very friendly person and  a respected senior here. Our time for the patrolling activities normally been schedule once a month and every night there will be a leader been selected to lead the team.


Problems
1.Text Messages-SMS
One of the problem that I have recognize with the Night Watch is that Pak Wan have been responsible for arranging our neighbourhood night patrolling duty rooster for several years and the ways he reminding to serve our night duty is by SMS. He been doing this for every night without pay! I truly respect his dedication as I think this kind of contribution required time & money. But normally Pak Wan alert us at last minute time so normally there will be people who will be unable commit. Those who unable to attend will asked Pak Wan to schedule them to other nights. Sometimes it creates dissatisfaction among members as not all members will turn out that night as planned. But I sense that this system can improve.

2. Update Community Activities

Other things that I recognize is that they way that they update each other with activities like memos, walimatulurus, engagement activities, kenduri doa selamat and others is by sending cards to the neighbourhood. They like give the card personally to the neighbours but sometimes they not at home so they have to come several time to the target houses just to make ensure that the owner received the invitation card by hands. I also feels that this can be improve.

Solutions for Problem
I have tried to come up with a proposal to the seniors to the community about developing a system so that they don't have to use the conventional ways how to do these activities and can save time, money and effort. I have suggested them use blogspot and its free and can be systematic approach if they willing to learn use it. Everyone can be selected to become editor and they can post their activities in the blog. They can planned their activities well in this blog and can become a online community centre to manage information. At first they quite excited and I have volunteered myself to setup the blog:
 
http://pinggirande5.blogspot.com

At first I have to synchronized with Pak Wan of the night schedule, planning, and what widget need to be use as this blog planned to be useful as possible.

Present the blog
Once I have upload the blog, I have present this to them. They seems excited I have tried to teach them how to upload it. Then that's it. I sense a problem...

1.Internet
The elders here though some of them have their smartphone  they don't have internet access or either have data plan. So to get them to get online, they have to  get to the Cyber Café of mamak restaurant that have WiFi connectivity but its not very practical.

2.Acceptance
Though I have gave them training, I need to understand these olders folks find it hard to understand and I can understand this very well. They are used with conventional system and if we change is that mean that they have to learn this new technology to use it. And for elder generation learning this is like a big challenge to them.

3.Time
Most of them still looks busy even though that they are pensioner. Some driving taxi, some do contracts works and some do small business in this community. Its hard to get their time to learn and it even harder to expect them to commit. It nobody fault either.

Conclusion
Though that I know that by learning and using blogspot can help to improve the communication, I think is widely depends on the acceptance and acceptance sometimes required effort, time and willingness for it to be embrace to make it useful. But for certain condition I think it is better we keep it at it is. Most important the spirit of the neighbourhood is there.