AMCHAM CARES: The English Crib by Johnson & Johnson

The English Crib is a year-long project aimed at elevating the command of the English language among the secondary students in rural school Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Sepang by making learning fun for them. The programme comprises two major components, the first of which was to make over a classroom into an English resource centre called The English Crib.

Setting up The English Crib

Work on the classroom began in July, when 60 employees dedicated their time to clean, paint, shop for items and install furniture to set up The English Crib using the funds raised from the Lunchbox Programme.

Launch of The English Crib

Alas, when The english Crib was ready, it was officially launched by Malaysia Deputy Minister of Education Yang Berhormat P Kamalanathan in an official launch ceremony on 29 July 2016. The launch saw the involvement of 45 ONE J&J MY employees from various departments, some of whom set up learning booths to teach the students about proper facial/skin care, eye care and dental care.

During the launch, YB Kamalanathan acknowledged the great need for English language enrichment in the country and praised ONE J&J MY for our efforts in The English Crib.

Experiential Workshop
Following the launch, APCC Malaysia gathered 30 ONE J&J Malaysia volunteers to participate in the experiential workshop. Volunteers attended a four-hour training prior, so they are well-prepared to interact with the students. The experiential workshop was then held over two days.

Subsequently, APCC Malaysia held a series of workshops to engage and interact with the students. The interactive workshops help build confidence among the students in using the English language, such as public speaking and comprehension.
A total of 292 ONE Johnson & Johnson Malaysia permanent and contract employees from various departments (HR, RA, Sales, marketing -Retail and Hospital, Supply Chain, Procurement, Admin, Vision Care, Operation, Communications) took part in the English Crib. This represented involvement from 51% of total ONE J&J MY employees, compared with 28% in the previous year.

Lunchbox programme
The English Crib kickstarted in May 2016 with the Lunch Box programme, where 12 members of the country management board created, cooked and sold lunch sets to employees. This all-inclusive initiative was aimed to familiarize everyone to The English Crib and to raise initial funds to make over a classroom into The English Crib, an English resource centre that allows the students of SMK Seri Sepang secondary students to learn the language in a conducive environment.

Following that, employees were encouraged to donate unused or unwanted household items such as bookshelves, tv, tables and chairs, as well as english learning materials such as books, DVDs and boardgames through a month-long donation drive in the office.