Dear friends, 8 youth who are pursuing post-secondary education organised a webinar for children and their care-givers. They presented themselves as “Human Books” that revealed their experiences at school and to answer any questions about themselves that their “readers” were interested in finding out. To everyone’s pleasant surprise 25 caregivers and children made their way to this online Human Library. These youth were part of Ignite! – a group of young people living in public rental housing that have fared well in school. It is an achievement that none of them takes for granted and every word they spoke was delivered with much gratitude …
Another Week Beyond – 2226
Dear friends, As we camped with 11 youths at Pulau Ubin last week, we were pleasantly surprised to see how quickly they got on with each other. These young people were not acquainted with each other but from the get-go, they cooperated and supported each other. After arriving on the island by bumboat, they received brief instructions on how to read a map and a compass and were told to make their way to the campsite. It was a task they embraced wholeheartedly and 2 hours later they were cooking lunch with their mess tins after pitching their tents. We …
Another Week Beyond – 2225
Dear friends, “Health is wealth” is a truism we are all familiar with but when one is of little means, the less visible barriers to a healthy life are many and perhaps, “wealth is health” would sound truer. A mother on a long-term social visit pass commented that she finds the cost of healthcare very expensive. She is part of a self-organised neighbourhood workgroup that aims to promote social relationships, community activities and opportunities that serve as protective factors against ill-health. She is aware of the importance of preventive medicine but any visit to the doctor would be a strain on …
Another Week Beyond – 2224
Dear friends, After exiting a Soccer Moms WhatsApp Group, a mother called a colleague during the weekend to inform that she was pulling her son Robert out of the football team. In no uncertain terms, she expressed her disappointment that her son was subjected to a racial slur during training, and this was not addressed. When my colleague returned to work, she gathered the other players to hear their point of view, but no one shed any light on what happened. So, she then visited Robert and he identified the teammate that made the demeaning remarks. He also explained that he …
Another Week Beyond – 2223
Dear friends, 11 youth were introduced to the concepts of self-regulation, triggers, trauma responses and coping mechanisms as they trekked the Southern Ridges last Friday. Agreeing to only use their phones for photographs, they endeavoured a mindful beginning where they practiced being aware of their breathing, the manner in which they were walking as well as the healing presence of nature around them. They had not imagined that a walk could be anything more than a physical activity to get around and most importantly, how it may surface an ableism they have not been aware off. Ableism is a prejudice, bias, …
Another Week Beyond – 2222
Dear friends, A common aspiration among those in our Family Circles is home ownership. Currently, they live in a 1 or 2 roomed flat rented from the government at a highly subsided rate but they aspire to have a place they can call their own. 2 mothers. I shall call Jean and Joan have 4 and 3 children respectively. They have come to realize that without a job where their employers contribute to their Central Provident Fund (CPF) account monthly, they are unlikely to have enough savings to purchase a flat. CPF is a mandatory social security savings scheme funded by contributions …
Another Week Beyond – 2221
Dear friends, 6 community fellows chosen by their neighbourhood came together last Saturday to think more deeply about their projects. Between them, they are working on 5 projects which addresses concerns that have received the support of their neighbours. These include enhancing voluntarism among neighbours, helping families overwhelmed with debt, facilitating community access to health and healthcare, sexual safety for youth, and caring for the elderly who are feeling isolated. As the conversation progressed, the value of simply being curious become evident. Fellows realised that by asking each other relevant questions, they gained a clearer picture of what working on their project meant. …
Another Week Beyond – 2220
Dear friends, A colleague’s curiosity was piqued when a mother posted a photograph on the neighbourhood’s WhatsApp group. She saw 3 children who did not usually hang out with each other sitting together. Moreover, one of them was a boy who was overtly shy and was not known to show up at community events. So, she visited Wahiddah, the mother who posted the photo to find out more. Wahiddah told her that it all started with her 11- year-old daughter asking her a question. “When you were a kid mommy, how did you celebrate Raya?” Wahiddah recalled that together with friends, she …
Another Week Beyond – 2219
Dear friends, Last year, with the help of 7 volunteers, we engaged the caregivers of children enrolled in our early childhood centre to better appreciate why some children are frequently not at school. 15 agreed to meet on a virtual call and while it was explained to them that we were gathering views on absenteeism and our work, the main purpose of the exercise was relationship building or what we call a Home-School Partnership. We learnt that the lack of sleep was a significant reason why parents or other caregivers could not bring their children to school. Many caregivers as well …
Another Week Beyond – 2218
Dear friends, Firstly, Selamat Hari Raya Adil Fitri to all our Muslim friends. Trust that the long weekend was joyous and blessed. The children were busy. They were taking turns to be “packed” into a cardboard box that would be sent to a destination of their choice. “Home” was the most popular destination and they had imagined themselves jumping out of the box to surprise mommy when she opened it. As their mothers laid out the food and got ready to break their fast, these 7 children kept themselves entertained with an empty box that originally contained tiered tiffin carriers …