“Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.” – Greenpeace’s mission statement

The DDC Team and I (4th from left)

My name is Aman Hasnal, and I am a hardcore Greenpeace fan!

It’s been 2 years since I joined Greenpeace Malaysia as a Direct Dialogue Campaign (DDC) Officer, and I’ve enjoyed my fair share of inspiring moments. Greenpeace is probably one of the best organisation’s in the world for me because of its core value of independency. It’s amazing to me because I’d never heard of any organisation who would put transparency ahead of getting donations. It makes me truly believe in Greenpeace’s purpose and message, to a point that I think I would almost literally bleed green. And guess what? All of us in the team believes the same!

There are a lot of campaigns in Greenpeace, each one interesting in their own way. However, it’s the fact that Greenpeace always does their very best for the environment, that makes this organisation different. It’s because of this, our DDC team consists of people who would do their absolute best for the environment too.

Greenpeace volunteers and supporters hold a waste clean-up at Batu Cave, Malaysia during Earth Day event to show their care to the nature and religious place.<br /> Greenpeace is calling for the people in Malaysia to start reducing the use of single-use plastic.<br /> Batu Caves is a an iconic and popular tourist attraction in Selangor. A site of a Hindu temple and shrine, It also attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists, especially during the annual Hindu festival, Thaipusam -<br />

Greenpeace volunteers unfurl the banner that reads #breakfreefromplastic next to the iconic Lord Murugan statue in Batu Caves, Malaysia
© Han Choo / Greenpeace

But being an officer and leading the team is not without its challenges as we face tough situations and make even tougher decisions every day. It means that when a DDC comes to me and tells me how difficult the job is, I have to lead by example and go down myself to get the task done. It means when a DDC feels down and has no energy, I must give my all to motivate them and give them the boost they need. It means putting the team’s happiness first before myself and everything else.

It’s that sense of responsibility that keeps you going, because you love your job and you love your team. So being an officer itself, is a challenge like no other. We kinda have to accept the fact that people don’t know who we are, what we do, or what we are trying to achieve. So it’s up to us to make an impact, right from the get go!

Still, many ask the question, “Why DDC?”. Well, here are 10 ‘WHY’s’ for you!

 

1. We are the front-liners for Greenpeace

People think being a DDC is all about raising funds, bla bla bla… But it’s more than that! It’s about having the ability to represent an organisation. It’s about standing your ground, believing and advocating a cause that will forever change the way people think. It’s about having that passion to make a change. It’s about having it in you to do whatever it takes (in the right way of course) to make changes that you want to see. Being the first one to share ideologies, aims, goals, and hopes for the future, you won’t be able to achieve that sitting at a desk job.

 

2. Everyone can be as strong and amazing as they want to be

Every single one of the DDC is strong and amazing in their own way, but when they join forces and work together as a team, they become unstoppable. So for the opportunity to work together with them and be part of the team, I am grateful. I’m sure you wanna know them too so, let me introduce you to a few of them!

 

3. Age is never a factor

Devarajan a.k.a ‘Uncle Adam’, 55 (Retiree) – Started in July 2017

Our beloved ‘uncle’ has been with Greenpeace for almost 2 years. What makes him love working here with us is its being able to enjoy and literally have fun almost all the time (and yes, he is definitely a funny guy!). That one moment he can’t forget in Greenpeace is the ship tour event, coz that’s when he realised who he is a part of. The toughest thing about working as DDC for him is to not cross other tenant’s booths when working but his most memorable experience as a DDC was bonding with a donor for more than an hour.

 

4. You are encouraged to showcase your talents!

Farhana a.k.a Nana, 25 – Started in March 2018

Nana has been with Greenpeace for over a year. She has a degree in Environmental Science but joined Greenpeace because she’s always wanted to be a part of people who will save our environment by spreading awareness. She is a hardcore fan (just like me) of Greenpeace Malaysia’s on-going campaigns, especially #BreakFreeFromPlastic. But she has felt the emotional difficulties of being a DDC especially when she faced a frustrating person, when the public ignores her and when her team can’t work together. The most memorable experience for her was being part of the ship tour – she had convinced herself to be a DDC but as people signed up with her with the same understanding of saving the environment together, it convinced her even more.

 

Plastic Monster Action at Nestle Headquarter in Malaysia. © Nandakumar S. Haridas / Greenpeace

Malaysian activists, one of them dressed as a Plastic monster called Goblin, protest at Nestle Berhad’s Headquarter in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, to join the global movement demanding the company to change its delivery systems and stop relying on single-use plastics in their packaging.

 

5 + 6: It helps you to stay positive when facing challenges + You won’t know who you’ll meet!

Zubaidah a.k.a Betty, 24 – Started in Nov 2018

Betty has been with Greenpeace Malaysia for over 6 months and what interests her the most about Greenpeace is the campaign on forest fires in Indonesia, especially holding a degree in Forestry, she literally studied that. She also enjoys meeting new people and working together with great colleagues. Her favourite Greenpeace campaign is Forest Not Fires, as that’s what interested her about Greenpeace in the first place. However, working as a DDC is very challenging because it’s not easy to create awareness to a point of getting supporters. And it has impacted her because of her strong belief that every individual has the responsibility to take action and save the planet. The most memorable experience for her is when our team went to a Fundraising road trip to Kedah earlier this year.

It also gave her a chance to meet her favourite motivational speaker, Aiman Azlan. Guess what? He signed up too!

(From right) Betty, Nana, Aiman Azlan (Betty’s favourite motivational speaker), Anwar and Dr. Mazlan during Road trip to Kedah

 

7. It’s a great thing to do even at a young age

Anwar Azizan a.k.a ‘Brader’, 21 – Started in Dec 2017

This is Anwar (left). He goes by many names, but everyone really sees him as a ‘brader’ of the team. He’s been with Greenpeace Malaysia for over a year, always with a chill and positive attitude. He joined Greenpeace because it gave him the opportunity to talk to people at random, giving him new experiences while increasing his confidence level. But the challenge for him is convincing the public about why pollution happens, and facing people who disagree or dislikes Greenpeace and its ideology. He loves the team retreats though, coz that’s where he gets to know everyone closer, manage to understand each other to work together as a team and instil the feeling that ‘we are a family’, part of Greenpeace’s culture that ensures we always have each other’s back. And he always does just that!

 

8. It reminds you to stay appreciative

 

9. You’ll feel like you’re making a change in the world!

“I will inspire all of them. Both parents and children.” – Uncle Adam

 

10. Because WE put the ‘FUN’ in FUNDRAISING!