About Us

Established in 1997, The Malaysian Students’ Society of Northern Ireland (MSSNI) is currently based in Belfast, United Kingdom. We aim to support our members holistically, tailoring our activities and programs towards current conditions while ensuring that our members are able to make the most out of their university experience at Queen's. The society is led by a core committee of 9 Malaysians this year, and we are a diverse, multi-racial group of students studying various disciplines at Queen's University, Belfast. As such, we hope to steer the society in the direction of inclusivity; being open, supportive and kind, in the true spirit of family.

Our Direction

The 2020/21 MSSNI Committee has decided on a four-pronged approach to ensure that we are able to adequately cater to our members' needs. Despite unprecedented times due to the current global pandemic, we strive to adapt and continue to provide our members with exciting ways to get involved and stay connected.

Activities

Malaysians are a passionate people - we are fiercely proud of our food, culture and sporting accomplishments. As such, MSSNI has always centered our events around these passions. Annual events such as "A Bite of Malaysia" or "Mamak Night" brings authentic Malaysian food to Belfast. This introduces the myriad of flavours that make up Malaysian cuisine to the local Northern Irish people and the various international communities here, while giving Malaysians a small taste of home. The Belfast Games, an annual sporting event, fosters friendly competition and garners participation from students of various nationalities, with some participants travelling from as far as the Republic of Ireland. True to our strong hospitality culture, MSSNI also organises welcome events at the start of each semester, such as Fresher's Camp and Refreshers events, to connect with new members and stay in touch with existing ones. Our event calendar culminates with our annual flagship event - Belfast Malaysian Night, an evening of all things Malaysian, from food to acting to song and dance. Year in and year out, MSSNI organises all these and more!

However, this year has been quite different. We have had to pivot our focus from fun, social events to (still fun!) socially distanced and often virtual events. Over the summer, we have hosted a virtual catch-up session, "Lepak Lah!", as well as a virtual pre-departure event for incoming students. We also held both virtual and physical drop in sessions just before the start of the academic year, to informally chat with students about their concerns, challenges and aspirations when arriving or returning to Belfast. Stay tuned to future MSSNI events by following our socials!

Covid-19 Related Support

Realising that this is an incredibly challenging period for all students, MSSNI created the Covid-19 Crisis Response Team to support our members through the pandemic. Thus far, we have given out  £10 Tesco vouchers through our Covid-Care Fund, distributed health packs to Malaysians in Belfast, and are now rolling out our grocery support scheme for students who are self-isolating and unable to make alternative arrangements to purchase their daily necessities. Through our collaboration with the Welfare Taskforce for Malaysian Students Abroad, we have devised a scheme for members of our community to volunteer as Grocery Heroes as part of the grocery support scheme. We are also available to answer questions about any concerns you may have, or signpost you in the right direction if we are unable to help directly. If you want to get involved in our community-based effort, do sign up as a volunteer. Refer here on how to do so.

Why Join MSSNI?

If we have yet to convince you on why you should join us, we've got the one thing no Malaysian can resist. DISCOUNTS! Exclusive MSSNI members-only discounts await you at Belfast’s top-visited Asian restaurants, cafés and supermarkets with the MSSNI membership card. Our previous affiliations can be found below.

Collaborations and Affiliations

MSSNI has recently formed affiliations with multi-national student organisations. We are connected to student societies within the university, Ireland and beyond - officially going international this term! Read up on some of our affiliated partners below:

• iCUBE – iCUBE aims to encourage and build an entrepreneurial mindset among Malaysian students studying overseas. iCUBE supports the local startup ecosystem in Malaysia.

MSSNI members receive early registration to all iCUBE events whereby they can:

1. Meet and build meaningful friendships with like-minded Malaysian students worldwide.
2. Acquire essential workplace skills, gain first-hand insight into the startup industry and network with successful entrepreneurs across multiple industries through iCUBE’s events.
    

• Queen's International Student Society (QISS) – Collaboration on events and exchange of resources to create a bigger international outreach for  members.

1. Experience, learn and be involved in various international cultural offerings.
2. Meet international students from across the globe who are studying in Queen’s University Belfast 
    

• LYIT Malaysian Student Society (LMSS)

1. Tours – Exchange tours in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland when Covid-19 restrictions relax and it is safe to do so.
2. Joint events with LMSS - Fostering cross-border relationships while giving our members the opportunity to travel.

•  Welfare Taskforce for Malaysian Students Abroad (WTMSA) - In addition to collaborating on the grocery support initiative, WTMSA, through their Covid-19 Support Group for Malaysian Students Abroad provides self-care advice, constant updates on travel and other government imposed restrictions, education on good hygiene practices and myth-debunking, and volunteering as well as leadership opportunities within the taskforce.

INTERESTED IN MSSNI? Sign up on the Join tab above, email us, or drop us a message on Facebook / Instagram! We hope to see you soon (virtually, of course!)