Another Week Beyond – 2227

July 8, 2022

Dear friends,

8 youth who are pursuing post-secondary education organised a webinar for children and their care-givers. They presented themselves as “Human Books” that revealed their experiences at school and to answer any questions about themselves that their “readers” were interested in finding out. To everyone’s pleasant surprise 25 caregivers and children made their way to this online Human Library.

These youth were part of Ignite! – a group of young people living in public rental housing that have fared well in school. It is an achievement that none of them takes for granted and every word they spoke was delivered with much gratitude and pride. Being resilient in the face of adversity, being able to think critically and communicate persuasively, and being purposeful in pursuit of excellence are 3 outcomes of the Singapore education system that these youth personified.

We have known these youth for a while now and are familiar with their stories, but we could not but be impressed hearing them again. We marvelled at how earnest they were in ensuring that they got their message across. An 18-year-old who was enrolled in a Biomedical Science programme played a self-made video of herself executing a laboratory procedure. She told her audience that scientific terms are intimidating but she wanted to show that what she was learning, and practising was something doable. To impress on its relevance, she joked that maybe she will play a part in stopping the next coronavirus.

Another was not handling anything scientific but was no less proud of the Passenger Services certification he was pursuing. He said it was preparing him to work in the travel industry and maybe he will get to see the world as a flight steward. As we were listening, we wondered if they had a common core message for those listening. All of them came across so passionately about what they were learning and was it because a promising career was now in sight? So, we were glad that the question was posed to them, and even gladder with their answer.

They all said that they hoped to earn a decent living but what makes them happy is knowing that with their newfound skills they will be able to contribute and be of help to others. Put bluntly, they will feel useful and not useless. However, the key message they wanted to deliver was to never stop trying to learn something that one enjoys. Most said that the courses they could choose from did not appeal to them initially, but they are now very happy because they discovered that they could comprehend what was being taught. They feel happy and successful because they experience progress and a sense of mastery daily.

So, finding something that one can learn with passion seems to be their recipe for a fulfilling life. If so, achievements are just pit stops to refresh oneself before resuming a life-long journey of learning.

For peace, community, and life-long learning.

Gerard

Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets. – Leonardo da Vinci

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