Another Week Beyond – 1825

Dear Friends
Community is a way of belonging. Members of a community experience a sense of belonging to a place that they also believe belongs to them. Sometimes it is really a physical place where people reside but often a shared purpose, or an interest brings people together. What’s important though is that that when people come together they enjoy a sense of connectedness and contentment.

InterNations reaches out to expatriates with the assurance, “Wherever in the world life takes you, our InterNations Communities help you feel at home.” It is interesting how strangers from diverse backgrounds can have a shared identity. Strangers from various parts of the world identifying with each other, valuing the importance of community and seeking to contribute to the place they call home; even if it is temporary.

Elsa Lillford arrived from Melbourne last Saturday and on Tuesday, she was in our classroom guiding our children to produce decorated key rings, pencil cases and tote bags for sale at Fairground our fund-raiser slated for Saturday, 3 September at SCAPE. The children got to choose and keep the items that they liked but we still amassed a healthy inventory.

This school holiday month, over 40 children from 2 different neighborhoods have been volunteering their talent to create craft for our fund-raising activities. The raw materials were sponsored by East West Artisans, a social enterprise run by John Davis who coordinates the volunteering activities for InterNations in Singapore. John tells us that he has had the happy problem of turning down volunteers for our art and craft sessions as there were just too many, but it also means that he is confident of support when he offers other volunteer opportunities with our children to his members. He has also encouraged his members to sign up as regular volunteers with us.

So, these holidays our children got to meet people from America, Australia, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Spain and Vietnam. They have not gone on a trip to see the world but through InterNations, the world has in a small way come to them. When community is a hospitable place, both visitors and hosts enlarge their experience of the world.

Enjoy your week

Gerard

One’s destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things. – Henry Miller

PAST AWB POSTS

2506 – Collective Wisdom, Community Building

Written by Wilson, Community Worker As is our practice at Beyond, we start every new year by sharing the goals we hope to achieve as a community. We gather young and old, have discussions and plot the journey ahead together. We call these sessions Community Conversations. Typically, everyone present introduces themselves and shares their experience volunteering in the community, and what “community” means to them. We then wrap up with a Beyond staff talking about the value of community development. That, however, was not how a session held in the Bukit Ho Swee neighbourhood went. The Beyond team just sat

Read More »

2505 – Saving Together, Growing Together

One of the most pervasive problems encountered by lower-income communities is building financial reserves. The daily demands for every cent, when you have little, usually takes priority. However, there is still a value of building such reserves, even if in small amounts. This is why we created the Community Tabung Programme. Loosely translated, “Tabung” means “money box” in Malay – an apt name for an initiative to help our members grow their savings in support of their children’s health and educational needs. It is a means to help our members achieve their aspirations and save for those rainy days. And

Read More »

2504 – Growth On The Sidelines

Amir* wasn’t always the calm, composed young man people look up to today. Not so long ago, he his fiery temper put him in the midst of a heated argument. So to witness him play the peacemaker recently was pleasantly astonishing. That moment could have shaped how others saw him — and how he saw himself — but instead, it became a lesson that helped him grow. Amir was playing at a futsal tournament. Two boys – Danial* and Josh* – got into an altercation. Danial accused Josh of “showboating” and not being a team player…costing them the game. Josh,

Read More »

2503 – How Roblox Helped James Minimize Screen Time

10-year-old James is like many of the children who attend our learning programmes. He has an unhealthy attachment to his phone with little interest in academics. When asked to focus on his schoolwork, he would often throw tantrums. Rather than play board games with Beyond volunteers, he’d stick to games on his phone. Still, James would voluntarily show up at our sessions, where he was always welcomed. Our approach isn’t about forcing change but about creating a space for it. We set a clear boundary — schoolwork first, then fun and games.  But getting through to James wasn’t easy. We

Read More »

2502 – Community wasn’t built in a day

Written by Shariffah, Community Worker What is community? This is a question that shapes much of what we do at Beyond. Building a thriving community isn’t just about solving problems or organizing activities — it’s about creating spaces where people can connect meaningfully, share ideas, and take ownership of their collective future. Community development often begins with small, intentional steps. Our “Community Day” is one such step. This isn’t just a celebration, but part of a process — a chance for residents to collaborate, discover their strengths, and build something meaningful together. Our last Community Day of 2024 was held

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2452 – A Fire, A Friend, A Community

When a fire broke out in a Jalan Bukit Merah flat last year, the damage wasn’t confined to just the one unit. Smoke engulfed neighbouring homes, leaving behind physical damage and disruption. One of the worst affected residents was Madam Tan*, an elderly woman whose flat directly above the burning apartment. While her story didn’t make the headlines, her struggles were very real. She clearly needed help. This is where H comes in. The 28-year-old coach and former educator was no stranger to helping others, but this experience would touch him on a personal level. “I didn’t initially think about

Read More »

2451 – The Grace to Give

I joined Beyond in 2005 as a community worker reaching out to children under 6 years old to get them registered for early childhood education and after a couple of years, I was seconded to support our main grant maker. After which, I left social services but rejoined Beyond in 2016.  I came back and rejoined the sector to meet my needs for meaning, connection and well-being. Last Friday, I was supporting a corporate volunteer group to distribute care packs comprising necessities for the new school year to children in a neighbourhood where we work. This group engaged youth from

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AWB 2449 – When LIFE Happens

Nelson Mandela famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” We at Beyond, wholeheartedly believe this. So we’ve made it one of our missions to bring education to life for the kids in the neighbourhoods we serve. So, it is no coincidence that we call one of our education programme, LIFE! or Learning is Fun and Exciting! LIFE is a child-centric initiative that’s designed to make learning enjoyable and meaningful. Activities are tailored to children’s individual strengths, interests, and learning styles. At every turn, we nurture them to become independent, self-motivated learners. We

Read More »

PAST AWB POSTS

2506 – Collective Wisdom, Community Building

Written by Wilson, Community Worker As is our practice at Beyond, we start every new year by sharing the goals we hope to achieve as a community. We gather young and old, have discussions and plot the journey ahead together. We call these sessions Community Conversations. Typically, everyone present introduces themselves and shares their experience volunteering in the community, and what “community” means to them. We then wrap up with a Beyond staff talking about the value of community development. That, however, was not how a session held in the Bukit Ho Swee neighbourhood went. The Beyond team just sat

Read more >

2505 – Saving Together, Growing Together

One of the most pervasive problems encountered by lower-income communities is building financial reserves. The daily demands for every cent, when you have little, usually takes priority. However, there is still a value of building such reserves, even if in small amounts. This is why we created the Community Tabung Programme. Loosely translated, “Tabung” means “money box” in Malay – an apt name for an initiative to help our members grow their savings in support of their children’s health and educational needs. It is a means to help our members achieve their aspirations and save for those rainy days. And

Read more >

2504 – Growth On The Sidelines

Amir* wasn’t always the calm, composed young man people look up to today. Not so long ago, he his fiery temper put him in the midst of a heated argument. So to witness him play the peacemaker recently was pleasantly astonishing. That moment could have shaped how others saw him — and how he saw himself — but instead, it became a lesson that helped him grow. Amir was playing at a futsal tournament. Two boys – Danial* and Josh* – got into an altercation. Danial accused Josh of “showboating” and not being a team player…costing them the game. Josh,

Read more >