Looking to improve your writing skills? Get involved with the CE Online Media Taskforce

By Daniel Christian Hartanto

About Me

My name is Daniel, I am a third-year Communication major in the Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology. With an interest in photography, graphic design, writing and digital communication as well as social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Also, I consider myself an adventurous person since I have an interest in scuba diving, travelling, and trekking.

During the pandemic, a lot of students had difficulties with online class. However, I found that online classes gave me a lot of opportunities to join volunteering programs that polished my skills. In the summer of 2020, I joined the CE Online Media Taskforce with the SFU Surrey – TD Community Engagement Centre. This is where I developed my writing skills and gained experience.

What is CE Online Media Taskforce?

The CE Online Media Taskforce’s objective – is to acknowledge the works of volunteer students in various programs and events offered by the SFU - TD Community Engagement Centre. Members of the program work to create inspiring blog posts that not only celebrate volunteers’ experiences but also support promotional and recruitment activities through different social media channels.

What is your role?

As a member of the task force, I am responsible for creating a blog post that contains a person (students, staff, supervisor, etc.…) involvement during their time with the SFU Surrey – TD Community Engagement Centre. The purposes are to promote various opportunities suggested by SFU Surrey – TD Community Engagement Centre. Not only that, but each member will also create a one-time “meme” that reflect upon every aspect of CE Online Media Taskforce.

What some of the challenges that you faced?

The challenge that I faced during my period involving with the task force, I had difficulty setting up an interview appointment with the subject of the blogs since the schedule was conflicted with my courses schedule on keeping up with deliverables and also not being able to submit the blog on the due date. However, I try to keep on consulting with my supervisor (Trisha Dulku), telling her my current situation and she will be glad to adjust the time and task to meet your current condition.

Any experience or skills that you have gained?

While I am on my first Communication Co-op job-seeking term, volunteering with the CE Online Media Taskforce has polished my resume and cover letter with relevant experience particularly in the fields of writing (blogging, content writing, and technical documents). Most communication internship requires students to have effective writing skills, knowledge in (graphic design & video editing), and experience in managing social media content. I started to apply for the co-op program in October 2020, but before that, I have already involved with the task force, which gives me a lot of experience in developing my writing skills to be more effective through; creating blog posts, setting up an interview which subtly expanded your oral communication skills, and the ability to work together among peers. In result, most of the experience that I have gained has refined my writing skills to be more effective, engaging and consistent. Using a simple writing template from our supervisor and back-to-back peer review with our teammates has successfully developed my writing skills. Moreover, I’ve also learned to be more organized through scheduling an interviewing time with the subjects and using project management software complete tasks by deadline.

For those of you who want to develop your writing skills or looking for experience I would personally recommend the CE Online Media Taskforce or SFU Surrey – TD Community Engagement Centre as your first step to gain relevant experiences.