Dear Friends, An intern facilitated an exercise on creating a LinkedIn profile for 5 youths whose ages were not too different from hers. On a worksheet, the youth listed their work experiences, strengths/skills, and interests. As these youth were still in school, they were told that the category for work could include their volunteering and caregiving experiences. However, we soon realised that our instruction was not exactly necessary as everyone in the room had no trouble making a list of their work experiences. They began working when they were 14 or 15 years old, and they have had a variety …
Another Week Beyond – 2323
Dear Friends, These 2 weeks, we have been training 3 mothers as health ambassadors for their neighbourhood. Their homes are within 3 different housing blocks, and each was tasked to inform those who lived in their block about available medical resources and activities that promoted their wellbeing. Health in 5 or Hi-5! is how we have packaged 5 ways to live healthy and it covers Eating Healthy, Exercising Regularly, Having Friends, Mental Health as well as Health Check-ups and Jabs. Between them, these mothers have 16 children and for 2 of them with younger children, caregiving takes up most of …
Another Week Beyond – 2322
Dear Friend, Many years ago, a mother with 3 very young children came to our door seeking assistance. An older colleague who used to work elsewhere took me aside and heaved a sigh. She told me that she was the caseworker for this woman’s mother at her previous place of employment and it pains her to see this woman in the same situation as her mother. She also told me that I should be prepared to deal with alcoholism, violence, child neglect and perpetual crises. What I heard sounded like stereotyping but as a young worker, I took it that this …
Another Week Beyond – 2321
Dear Friend, Conversations that matter tend to be difficult ones. Even when people come together, they do not know where to start. Then when a problem is raised, those listening may get defensive and meaningful dialogue is stifled before it begins. Hence, to kickstart conversations about difficult issues, we adopted forum theatre in 2014 to generate awareness of problems within communities. Our community theatre programme has generated awareness on teenage pregnancy, school truancy, addictions, challenging family relationships, and youth crime and last Saturday, it tackled the issue of sexual harassment. Facing an audience of 100 or so, 11 youths delivered …
Another Week Beyond – 2320
Dear Friends, Together with some neighbours, Marlina leads a community health initiative in their neighbourhood called Healthy You & Me. They are constantly reaching out to their neighbours with information on affordable healthcare services and inviting them to activities that promote a healthy lifestyle. In their conversations, they also convey that good health is not attained at clinics or hospitals but comes about from what one does to stay healthy. In the process, they hear for themselves what really matters to people. 2 months ago, Marlina told us that she had 2 ideas that would be helpful for her neighbours. One was …
Another Week Beyond – 2319
Dear Friends, I was mistaken that last Sunday was Mother’s Day and I sent out our greetings a tad too early. Nonetheless, the mistake has given me the opportunity to hear a single mom speak about her motherhood experiences. After listening to her, I started thinking that when Mother’s Day is celebrated in the media with stories of exemplary mothering, how would such stories affect mothers who are stressed out by their responsibilities and do not feel very good about themselves. “As my son is taking PSLE this year, I worry for him constantly. Besides struggling with his academics, my …
Another Week Beyond – 2318
Dear friend, 20 months ago, a colleague was knocking on doors to meet students taking their “N” Level examinations and to wish them well. It was her way of establishing a relationship with young people in the neighbourhood that she had not met and reconnecting with those already on our database. Amy, 16 years old, was not at home but she was already in our database and a day later, my colleague sent her a short message asking if she was well. “I am coping but it is not a good day!” was her short reply and the conversation ended …
Another Week Beyond – 2317
Dear friends, After presenting a report on the amount of food and household essentials they helped to distribute in their neighbourhood last year, we asked 10 residents for their feedback. They were pleased with their effort and told us that the volunteer work enabled them to make friends with their neighbours. A mother added that her children also accompanied her on home visits as they too wanted to meet other children. Often, they reminded her to visit other mothers so that they could follow her to meet their friends. They also said that the work challenged them to speak to all …
Another Week Beyond – 2316
Dear friends, “What does Ramadan mean to you?” I asked a young person, and her quick reply was simply “Connection!” She then elaborated that she would mindfully make time to break her fast with her family and to appreciate the relationships in her life. Importantly, Ramadan was about caring for the less fortunate among us. This past month, we had the privilege of joining several “buka puasa” or “breaking-of-fast” meals organised by different groups of members. One such session had a group of youth bringing a dish each to our centre to meet volunteers formerly from Youth Corps Singapore who …
Another Week Beyond – 2315
Dear friends, After a performance at the Esplanade in 2019 to mark our 50th Anniversary, our community theatre took a short break that turned into a rather long one because of COVID-19. Hence, we were thrilled when a young person from the programme took the lead last August to revive it with new members and some volunteers skilled in theatre craft. The group is aiming to launch its first forum theatre performance by the end of May even though they don’t have a name for the show yet. Inspired by the efforts of young people addressing the issue of sexual violence at …