What participants say about their experience
These are accounts from households who have attended Settlestead workshops. They are not edited for sentiment — they are what participants chose to share.
Back to Home340+
Households participated
4.8
Average participant rating
6
Years running in Melaka
91%
Would recommend to a family member
Participant accounts
From a range of households and programmes.
Nadia binti Arshad
Melaka Tengah · Household Story Workshop
I went in not sure what I would produce. Three hours later I had four pages about my grandmother's move from Penang and how that shaped the household I grew up in. The prompts were specific enough to keep me writing but not so narrow that they cut off things I wanted to include. I was surprised by how much I remembered once I started.
April 2025
Tan Kheng Huat
Ayer Keroh · Family Records Series
My wife and I attended the Series together. The household inventory session in Week 3 was the one that surprised me most — there were objects in our house I'd never thought to document, and the prompt made me realise how much significance some of them carry. The follow-up note from the facilitator a month later was a thoughtful addition I hadn't expected.
March 2025
Rohaini binti Sulaiman
Jasin · Yearlong Archive Membership
I've been a member for just over a year now. What I value most is the rhythm — knowing there is a private session every quarter keeps me returning to the writing rather than letting months pass. The printed annual addition they produced at the end of my first year is something I will keep for a very long time.
April 2025
Kavitha a/p Subramaniam
Alor Gajah · Household Story Workshop
I came because my mother has been asking me to write down our family story for years and I never knew where to start. The workshop gave me that start. I appreciated that no one told me what my story should look like — I wrote about things that mattered to my household specifically, including sections in Tamil that I chose to leave as they were.
April 2025
Ahmad Farouk bin Rashid
Melaka Tengah · Family Records Series
A colleague mentioned the Series to me and I was a bit sceptical at first — I didn't think a six-week writing programme was something I'd manage alongside work. But the schedule was manageable, the between-session writing only took me about 20 minutes each time, and the result was far more substantial than I expected. Worth the time investment.
March 2025
Lim Mei Ling
Klebang · Yearlong Archive Membership
I joined the membership after completing the Series. The private sessions are different in character from group workshops — they go deeper into specific parts of the household record that I wouldn't feel comfortable exploring in a shared setting. The facilitator was patient and never rushed the session even when we covered difficult ground.
April 2025
Household journeys
A few more detailed accounts from participants across different programmes.
Starting point
No written record, fading memories
A retired couple in Melaka Tengah knew their household carried a significant history — three generations in the same area, spanning the period before and after independence. But nothing was written down, and the older generation was becoming harder to reach for extended conversations.
What they did
Started with the Series, moved to Membership
The couple attended the Family Records Workshop Series together. After completing it, they joined the Yearlong Membership in the following month. The private quarterly sessions gave them space to work through more complex parts of their history.
After 12 months
A complete written archive across three generations
By the end of their first membership year, they had a written archive covering three generations — names, dates, anecdotes, a household inventory, and a family story. The printed annual addition sits in their living room alongside the original workbooks.
"We came in not knowing if we'd produce anything useful. What came out was more than we expected."
Starting point
A household with multiple languages and no single record
An adult participant — one of four siblings — wanted to create a family record before an upcoming family reunion. The household spanned Malay, Mandarin, and English, and previous attempts to write something down had stalled over which language to use.
What they did
Single workshop session
She attended the Household Story Workshop alone. The facilitator helped her work across languages within a single document — she wrote some sections in Mandarin, some in English, and left certain names as they appeared in Jawi. The workbook format accommodated this without difficulty.
Outcome
A readable household story, shared at the reunion
She brought copies of her completed workbook pages to the reunion. Her siblings have since asked about doing the Series as a group. The multilingual format made the document feel accurate rather than translated.
"I'd been putting this off for years because I didn't know how to handle the language question. Turns out I didn't have to choose."
Reach the studio
For enquiries about upcoming dates or programme suitability.
Phone
+60 6-283 7641Address
Suite 8, Jalan Hang Tuah
75300 Melaka
Studio Hours
Tue – Sat
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Professional standing
Credentials that inform the studio's work in household documentation.
Melaka Cultural Practitioners Network
Member since 2021
Registered Educational Provider
Under Malaysian adult learning guidelines
Melaka State Library
Community documentation collaboration since 2022
Add your household's story to the record
Contact the studio for information on the next available workshop dates. Places are reserved on a first-come basis for each cohort.
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