As a community worker, I knock on doors to introduce myself and to explore how residents may contribute toward the wellbeing of their neighbourhood. By chatting with them, I discover their talents, aspirations and values. Of course, not everyone talks to me when I knock but it is always so rewarding when they do.
Last week, I met 98-year-old Madam Wong and her son who is in his 70s. I learnt that Madam Wong shares her art and craft skills with the older residents in her community. What she enjoys doing most and is really good at is “weaving” together sachets that once contained coffee, tea or other beverage mix into pouches, mini bags and baskets.
I was bowled over when she showed me the products and was amazed at how she created attractive motifs by reconnecting cropped pieces into something new. She saw the potential in a discarded sachet, noticed a beautiful aspect, cropped it out and brought them together to accentuate its beauty in the creation of something new.
I was moved because her products were a metaphor for my work in community development. I am tasked to appreciate the inherent talents of “labelled” individuals and to bring them together to create a common good that they cannot achieve on their own.
On a lighter note, I could not help thinking, “Goodness, how much coffee does she drink?” However, it was just a fleeting thought and my admiration for Madam Wong surged when it occurred to me that she must have organised a wide network of neighbours to secure her raw materials. As a relationship builder, I pale in comparison.
Madam Wong also told me that she enjoyed volunteering, and she was pleased when I suggested that she could teach her craft to the children living in her block. However, she stressed, “When I help, I expect a 2-way relationship with all involved.” She elaborated by provided some context. She shared that when volunteering, she sometimes felt that organisations were just squeezing her dry. For her, volunteering is not about being free labour, but it is an opportunity to meet people and to build relationships where there is give and take.
Her comments hit home, and I told myself that when I bring together the children, their parents and her, I must impress on everyone that they are not just creating art and craft but creating a community where people give and receive support.
To end, I would like to share a response I have heard from several residents when I knock on doors. They tell me that many well-meaning people have asked them about their problems and invited them to join programmes that they were running. This happens quite often and over time it feels rather discouraging discussing problems that they feel will never completely go away.
As a practitioner in asset-based community development, I believe that despite their challenges, people can contribute and our mantra when door-knocking is “Look for treasure and not dirt!”
Like the treasure that is Madam Wong, we must be able to perceive beauty and possibilities in all our relationships.