Dear friends, “My friends and I never thought that we could trust the boys,” declared a 15-year-old girl. “We never thought that they will care about our fears and our safety,” she added. Her friends who were with her nodded but together they said that they are happy to have been proven wrong. Since 2020 a group of girls have been coming together to discuss sexuality, relationships, and other topics that youth find difficult to raise with others (AWB -2043). They have benefitted from the experience and feel that they could do something to support their peers who may be at risk of sexual …
Another Week Beyond – 2144
Dear friends, Although they had met online twice previously, 2 mothers only realised that they both hail from the same county in Hainan China before making Singapore home. Excitedly, both began conversing in Hainanese in the midst of others during a virtual meeting. After a minute or so, they caught themselves and agreed to connect on WeChat after the meeting to discuss a recipe for braised duck. No one at the meeting was offended by this spontaneous side dialogue. Instead, everyone found the spontaneity rather amusing and a pleasure to witness. These 7 Chinese speaking caregivers have been coming together as a mutual …
Another Week Beyond – 2137
Dear friends, “Look around this room. What memories come to mind?” We posed this question to a group of youth assisting an artist to create a mural that adorns our premises at Whampoa. Spontaneously, one uttered, “Standing around this table like what we are doing now.” He elaborated that he was curious why his friends were gathered at the table and when he joined them, he realised that they were trying to solve an algebra problem. No one could do it and he remembers being very frustrated but it was still a good memory that comes to mind. Another pointed …
Another Week Beyond – 2134
Dear friends, Ellyn joined our after-school programme at 9 years old and she remembers that she was placed 3rd in a 5km race at the East Coast Park that year. She was having a shower when her mother told her that her name was being announced on stage and urged her to hurry up so that she could collect her prize. The occasion was the Streetwise Run, an annual Youth Day Celebration that was part of our calendar from 2001 to 2010. She also remembers learning circus skills and performing for a Sunday afternoon crowd at Toa Payoh and singing “Seasons …
Another Week Beyond – 2132
Dear friends, “Our Singapore Spirit” is the theme for this year’s National Day Parade and on its official website, visitors are invited to say what the Singapore Spirit means to them. As of 28 July 2021, the top 2 traits articulated are “hard-working” and “caring.” We can’t disagree as our work is significantly sustained by the caring people who donate their time and resources. Just this Monday, someone brought in 2 bags full of chocolate beverage mix for our members. He told me that they happened to be on sale at the supermarket and so he thought of us and another …
Another Week Beyond – 2127
Dear friends, In 1944, oblivious to the dangers of landing in a Japanese-occupied Singapore, Mr Heng and his father left their home in Guangdong in search of a better life. His daughter could not say how he and her grandfather navigated the dangers upon arriving at Syonan-to, the “Light of the South Island” but she knew that once the light was extinguished and Singapore was officially returned to British colonial rule on 12 September 1945, both men took to peddling. With a strong bamboo pole across their shoulders that had a basket full of wares on both ends, they would walk …
Another Week Beyond – 2125
Dear friends, The Heightened Alert which began on 16 May 2021 has moved into Phase 3 since Monday. Social gatherings of 5 persons and below are allowed and hopefully dining-in at eateries and hawker centres will resume next Monday. We are still working from home and most of us are generally getting by. However, the situation has caused job loss or reduced income for several breadwinners who were mainly cleaners or helpers in coffee shops, hawker centres and restaurants. We have been directing such families to the government’s COVID-19 Recovery Grant-Temporary, where they will receive one-off support ranging from $500 to …
Another Week Beyond – 2120
Dear friends, In the service of people’s efforts, a colleague joined Mariam, a mother of 2 grown up children as she prepared to distribute 120 packets of food to her neighbours. Mariam has been living in her 2-room public rental flat the past 10 years and she revealed that she has not exactly been socialising with neighbours and had preferred very much to keep to herself. This Ramadan though, she had been reaching out to her neighbours by providing a packed meal every Saturday. There was a queue 15 minutes before the stated distribution time and the event was over in 15 minutes …
Another Week Beyond – 2112
Dear Friends We met with some children and youth to gather their thoughts and sentiments of a new playgroup next to their blocks. In October 2019 (AWB – 1943), these children submitted a set of drawings to their Member of Parliament illustrating what their dream playgroup should look like. Hence, now that the playground has been up since 10 February 21, we wanted to check if it was indeed a dream come true for them. All present unanimously agreed that the playgroup has brought much joy and pride. It is a showpiece that has enhanced their living environment tremendously as both the …
Another Week Beyond – 2107
Dear Friends “I did not do it!” Alex, 8 years old insisted but a few moments later he relented, “I did it yesterday.” With a box of crayons, he had received for his birthday, Alex “decorated” a pillar at the void deck where we were holding an art and craft session for him and 4 of his friends. The boy had quite a bit of spunk. “This colour nice what,” he argued and insisted that the 50 cents he had in his pocket could not buy the paint to clean up the wall. While our little discussion with Alex was going …