Dear Friends International Women’s Day falls on 8 March every year but despite missing the date, some of our interns felt strongly that it was important to recognize the contributions of women in the neighbourhood that they were working in. So, in the same vein, they organized “Happy Women’s Day” to honour the achievements of the many women they had met which they felt were often overlooked. For instance, when a 58-year-old grandmother who raises her grandchild singlehandedly was asked to share a personal strength or an achievement the past year, she was silent because she felt that she could …
Another Week Beyond – 1912
Dear Friends In our endeavour to help youth develop into contributing members of our society, we provide opportunities. The opportunity to be forgiven and to put things right if one runs afoul of authority or the law; the opportunity to make headway in education and employment, the opportunity to experience family stability and the opportunity for social capital or friendships that bridge them to experiences and networks that enhance their personal or professional development. Over 3 weekends last month, 10 youth participated in the Future Ready Sailor Programme(FRS) of the Singapore Sailing Federation (SSF). They were introduced to sailing as …
Another Week Beyond – 1911
Dear Friends Perhaps it was the name of the event as 15 boys showed up when we would have been happy with 8 to 10. “Bros and Burgers,” was a boys’ night we held this week for an honest and open conversation about relationships, sex, pornography, gender roles, peer pressure and teenage pregnancy. Two weeks ago, there was a girls’ night in similar vein and such work is not just about healthy youth development but is part of a holistic attempt at supporting communities to reflect on family planning and the role of the family in guiding its young and …