Dear Friends, A study of 147,004 patients conducted by the Singhealth Regional Health System reviewing the period 2012 to 2017, found that those who lived in rental housing were 1.57 times more likely to die in the period, compared with those who were living elsewhere. Public rental housing was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality. This statistic hit home when we joined several neighbours to clean up a home in preparation for the return of an 8-year-old child who is on life-support after passing out while having a high fever. This was an active boy who attended our reading …
Another Week Beyond – 1943
Dear Friends, The children were unable to come for the meeting held on a Sunday morning, but they asked us to share their views with their Member of Parliament. A resident put their views into a PowerPoint presentation, and we brought their drawings to the meeting. The children wanted a say on what a proposed playground and a hard court should look like and they were all smiles when we told them that their MP took their ideas seriously. So, like they wanted, there will be a fire-truck, garden swing and most importantly, monkey bars. This meeting follows an earlier …
Another Week Beyond – 1940
Dear Friends, A year ago, we broached the idea that “Families, not services, lead change” (AWB – 1839) to several families and we are glad that 11 of them have signed up for the Community Independence Project (CII). These families have been divided into 2 groups and they each received a tablet PC to login onto an online journal that tracks their efforts related to income and savings, health, education and skills, housing, leadership and connections. CII is a new model of social assistance that focuses on equipping families with social networks, capital and autonomy to improve their lives independently. …
Another Week Beyond – 1937
Dear Friends, On 21 Nov 2014, we received an email from Darren Tan who informed us that he had attended a kindergarten run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary as well as many of the activities we were running in the 70s and 80s. He lived a stone’s throw from our previous office at Block 44, Beo Crescent and was grateful for the “upbringing” he had received from us. Hence, he was also writing to inform us that he had written us into his will. At that point, we had just downsized the organization and were just coming to grips …
Another Week Beyond 1936
Dear Friends, Teachers in Singapore get a day-off today and enjoy a well-deserved long weekend. It is Teachers’ Day and yesterday evening, our teachers enjoyed a good meal courtesy of volunteers serving on the Management Committee of our Child Development Centre. Earlier in the afternoon, some of these teachers also received a personalized video presentation from undergraduates in early childhood education at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. These undergraduates had been in contact with our teachers over 12 weeks and sent the video as a documentation of their learning experience. The videos also served as tokens of appreciation and it was …
Another Week Beyond – 1934
Dear Friends, “What is effective supervision and guidance?” A young colleague who was supporting the youth leaders of our outdoor adventure club realised that it is not just giving instructions and expecting those listening to simply follow. Having observed how much effort the leaders had been putting into organising an “Amazing Race,” she was concerned that they would be deeply discouraged if the event did not turn out as planned. So, she gathered them a day before and went through the programme flow meticulously. When she arrived at the starting point of the race the following day, she was upset …
Another Week Beyond – 1932
Dear Friends, To subtly introduce concepts such as colours, diversity, individuality and choice, the uniform at our Healthy Start Child Development Centre comes in a range of pastel colours. However, shorts come in navy blue for all and every T-shirt though different in colour is printed uniformly with the school’s motif. This feature evokes curiosity among parents and the children, and it has been a good conversation starter. Sometimes we ask the children why they think the uniform comes in different colours and sometimes we are asked the question ourselves. Our answer is usually not a precise explanation and we …
Another Week Beyond – 1931
Dear Friends, 6 years ago, to get young people into a meaningful discussion about teenage pregnancy, we cooperated with Babes Pregnancy Crisis Support to run a series of forum theatre performances. Together with the support of volunteers trained in drama, a colleague put together a play that got both adults and young people in a difficult but meaningful conversation. The following year, more volunteers with drama training created other plays to surface shared concerns within our neighbourhoods. On the third year, a young person from one of these neighbourhoods got involved with the programme and ended up being a lead …
Another week Beyond – 1930
Dear Friends, Since March this year, parents from 2 families found it extremely awkward whenever they bumped into each other. Both mothers were also involved in our baking projects, but they cooperated dutifully in the interest of finishing the work. So, it was much relief to both families that they are on speaking terms once again after attending a family group conference for the care and supervision of an 8-year-old boy we shall call Eddie. About 3 months ago, Eddie was watching over his 6-year-old brother who was having fun on a skate scooter. After whizzing around the playground on …