Community offers the promise of belonging and calls for us to acknowledge our interdependence. To belong is to act as an investor, owner, and creator of this place. – Peter Block
Yesterday, lunch for 22 neighbours was prepared by our members of our community, at our premises with the harvest from our very own vegetable garden. While it was not quite a harvest festival celebration, it was nonetheless a joyous occasion. We were commemorating the end of an 8-session programme-cum-pilot study to explore the positive effects of urban farming on the physical and mental well-being of those aged 50 and above.
With the support of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (National University of Singapore), participants were introduced to basic gardening skills. Over the past 2 months, they learned to prepare organic compost and pesticides. They also enjoyed tea-tasting and art therapy.
While awaiting the results of the study, I can say with confidence, that the newfound sense of belonging and friendships have enriched the lives of our participants. For a start, they are now very much at home at our premises. They walk in freely to tend to the seedlings, and they check on the growth towers placed near our porch daily.
We are heartened that our facilities are experienced as a place that belongs to them.
A sense of belonging is not just an association to a place, but that it’s a place that belongs to us, a place we care about. It is also where we have mutually satisfying relationships with the others that share the place.
This week, a participant extended a warm gesture of belonging when he presented us with a treasured framed poster of the movie First Knight. He was delighted we found a place for it on our office walls. He bought the poster in 1995 after resonating deeply with the values of “duty, honour and courage” that were portrayed in this film based on the legend of King Arthur. He hopes the poster will serve as a reminder of those values to anyone who visits the Beyond office.
As a community development agency, we are not building strong individuals, although people do become stronger with our support. We are building strong relationships, celebrating mutually beneficial inter-dependency and cooperation, and honouring people’s commitment to their community. A community’s well-being is from the quality of these relationships and the cohesion that exists among its members. It is about how much people trust each other and rely on each other to make a place better.
I leave you with this announcement: This is the last instalment of “Another Week Beyond” I write as Beyond’s executive director. From Monday 4 March, Ms. Chia May Ling will assume leadership of our organisation. I invite you to learn more about May Ling and the vast experience she brings to us by clicking here. Needless to say, Beyond will be in good hands.
That said, please know that my relationship with Beyond is not at an end. After 42 years, I feel a deep sense of belonging with this community. So, I will continue to serve the best I can in an advisory role, For the foreseeable future, I will also keep penning these weekly AWB updates.
We look forward to your continued support of the important work we do.
For peace and community,
Gerard
