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 …