AWB 2345 – Scoring Goals in the Community

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, Community, community spirit

By Mark, Community Worker When is a game of football more than just a game of football, more than just 22 people chasing a little ball on a field? The long answer is: when it helps build confidence in young people, when it helps connect a community, and when it helps create camaraderie amongst neighbours. Recently, Beyond received tickets to attend local football matches – ideal opportunities for members of the community to unite in their shared passion for the Beautiful Game. When I was tasked with coordinating the ticket distribution in the Beach Road area, I approached a 13-year-old …

Another Week Beyond 2429 – An Experience of Connectedness and Contentment

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, community, Community, community spirit

by: Chia Jie Min, Community Worker  Last Tuesday evening, Lisfah, our community enabler, and I set up our usual table at the student care centre for the monthly “tabung” (savings) programme at Lengkok Bahru. We waited with anticipation for the usual buzz of mothers dropping in to sit with us, chat and swap stories about community happenings.   That particular day, however, many mothers could not attend. So, it was unusually quiet. Lisfah was looking a little forlorn as she was looking forward to catching up with her neighbours. She always found her conversations with them comforting as they reassured her …

Another Week Beyond – 2348

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community, community spirit

Dear friends,  In our community building efforts, we strive for residents taking ownership of endeavours that enhance their well-being and that of their community. Over the years, we have had the privilege of working alongside several such residents who have volunteered their ideas, time, and energy enthusiastically. What drives them to give freely is a sense of belonging to their community and as the community belongs to them, they want to look after it as best as they can. As we listened, we were reminded that awareness of an effort must emerge from the House with 5 Windows which is …

Another Week Beyond – 2346

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, Community, community spirit

Dear friends, “After so many years on the job, I continue to be amazed by how neighbours treat each other like siblings,” my colleague commented to the parents who had organised a barbeque to recognise their children’s efforts at a recent street soccer tournament. The team did not win but the parents wanted to applaud the teamwork and sportsmanship displayed. The parents listened as she continued, “There is so much love among the children and every adult is like an aunt or uncle.”  In response, a parent thanked her for trusting them with a budget to get the event going. He …

Another Week Beyond – 2328

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, community spirit

Dear Friends, 3 months ago, when we asked 3 mothers what would bring neighbours together, their spontaneous answer was “Food!” One of them is a volunteer who organises the distribution of food drop-offs by the Jamiyah Food Bank, elaborated that food is a way to do good. Every fortnight when the truckful of groceries arrives, 4 to 6 neighbours will help her sort the items in a way that makes it easy for residents to collect. The lack of food is a strain on families that heightens during the school holidays because children ask for food when they are home. However, these …

Another Week Beyond – 2317

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, community spirit

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

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, community spirit, food

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 – 2220

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, community spirit

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 – 2216

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community, community spirit, health

Dear friends, Over the past couple of weeks, we have been distributing Care Packs provided by T-PRIDE and the Temasek Foundation to our members in different neighbourhoods. T-PRIDE was established in November 2020 to enhance community resilience during a pandemic.  The Care Packs contained face masks, sanitisers, mouth gargle and a digital blood pressure monitor. When Ferlynn who lives at the Yishun neighbourhood learnt that she and her neighbours will be receiving the care packs, she felt strongly that the gift distribution exercise presented an opportunity for neighbours to learn or be reminded about the dangers of hypertension. Many in her …