Self Reflection: Beach Cleaning Event & CSR - Olympia College

This is a self-reflection report on a beach cleaning event organized by a Local Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) group, involving students from Olympia College. The event aimed to raise awareness about the increasing pollution on Malaysian beaches due to public negligence. The author reflects on the importance of teamwork and social responsibility experienced during the initiative, which included cleaning Morib Beach and enjoying recreational activities. The report highlights the strengths of the initiative, such as uniting students for a common cause and successfully cleaning a significant portion of the beach. It also identifies weaknesses, including the event's one-time nature and limited focus on broader awareness campaigns. Suggestions for future activities include conducting more frequent events and emphasizing public awareness to promote long-term beach cleanliness. The author concludes that such initiatives are crucial for maintaining tourist attractions and preserving marine life.

Running Head: SELF REFLECTION REPORT
SELF REFLECTION REPORT
Name of the Student:
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Author Note

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Self Reflection Report
What I learnt
By analyzing and evaluating the report that has been presented to me I have learned about the
importance of the initiative of the Beach Cleaning Event which had been organized by the Local
Corporate Social Responsibility Group. It has also helped me understand that all the members of
the society have to act responsibly and take part in the initiative to clean the beaches and spread
awareness about how dirty and unhygienic beaches have become in Malaysia due to the
negligence of the citizens.
Oceans provide a habitat to fishes and marine animals, attracts vacationers from all over the
world and sustains complex costal ecosystems. Beach pollution is constituted by:
 Solid wastes such as picnic bags, plastic bags, picnic plates, cigarette buds and plastic
bottles
 Storm Water Run off
 Ageing sewage treatment plants
 Polluted water from roads, cities and farms
 Oil spills which happened accidentally.
Therefore it is of utmost importance to keep the beaches pollution free. This initiative aimed to
change the mindset and the attitude of the people about letting others clean up the mess made by
them. By taking part in the event I have learned that it is quintessential to work together as a
team setting aside differences for the purpose of attaining the desired objectives and goals. The
event of cleaning up the beaches not only involved picking up trash that had accumulated on the
beaches and the seashores but also enjoying a quick dip in the sea as a refreshment after the

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hectic work. Thus, it was successful in attracting a larger audience who were looking forward to
cleaning up their beach and enjoying a quick swim in the ocean afterwards. This event required
all the members attending it, to contribute a nominal RM 50, which covered transportation and
breakfast and lunch. It can be mentioned that the Ocean sustains people with the essentials of
life.
How it benefited me
This initiative as discussed earlier helped me to understand that there are many people who care
about keeping their beaches clean and are eagerly looking forward to take the necessary steps to
cleanse it. It can be mentioned that, It was really heart-warming to see the people working
tirelessly picking up the trash and under the blazing sun. However, in my opinion the entire
experience was fun as no one complained about the tiresome work and was doing it with a smile
on their face. I felt that I had worked in a socially responsible manner by taking part in this noble
initiative and somewhere deep down in my heart I was overjoyed with the results. Further, it can
be said that this initiative helped spread the awareness to stop polluting the beaches as it
adversely affects marine life.
The Strengths of this initiative
It can be said that this initiative was very successful as it was attended by the calculated head
count and was able to achieve its desired objectives. The main objectives of this initiative were
to bring together the students of Olympia College to make the beaches free from pollution. It can
be said that we as a group had been able to clean up several layers of plastic bags buried in the
sand of the Morid Beach. Further, it can be stated that all the members of the team controlled

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and monitored the cleaning process so as to reduce the shortfalls that occurred during the
cleaning process.
Weakness of the initiative
In my opinion the weakness of this initiative was that it occurred on one particular instance and it
is not a recurring event. It is not possible to keep the beach the clean if it is not cleaned from time
to time. Further I believe that this initiative involving the students of the Olympia College should
have focused more on spreading awareness about the importance to keep the beaches clean and
hygienic and about the adverse consequences of polluting the beaches. This could have been
done by a social awareness campaign. It can be mentioned that this event would have more
successful if it involved a larger group of participants. However, the number of participants who
took part in this event was relatively less. A bigger workforce would have enabled the group to
produce better results.
Suggestion to the group for future activities
In my opinion this initiative taken to clean up the Morib Beach by the group can be considered to
be a noble one. This beach is one of the closest beaches to Kuala Lumpur and is a major tourist
attraction. Therefore, it can be said that this group needs to conduct such events frequently and
must focus on spreading awareness about keeping the beach clean and pollution free by
campaigns to achieve its goals in the future. Such campaigns must be advertised to gain the
popularity of the mass.

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