Another Week Beyond – 2327

July 7, 2023

Dear Friends,

2 Sundays ago, I was making my way to the office to prepare for our volunteer-run chiropractic clinic when the van in front of mine stopped. It was a one-way street and the driver got out and walked toward me. It was a courier van, and I was thinking that the guy was having difficulty locating an address and wanted directions. I certainly was not prepared for, “Hello Gerard. How are you? I miss you,” when he was standing next to my door. I felt a little awkward at first as I could not place him. Also, it was slightly after 6 am and I was slumbery, but I did my best to return the pleasantries warmly. Just when I remembered who he was, he had already gotten back into his vehicle and was driving off.

He was a child in our residential programme whom we had reunited with his grandmother and as I drove to the office, I was filled with gratitude that our efforts were well received by him. We operate by the principle that residential care must always be a short-term arrangement because it is in the best interest for children to be cared for by their families or community and this experience in a way validates the principle for me.

I am often asked if the young people who have been on our programmes come back as volunteers. For those asking, this is an indicator of success, and my answer would be “Yes, sometimes.” For instance, 8 youths in their early 20s organised a Youth Day event together with volunteers from Singapore Polytechnic last Saturday. Singapore commemorates Youth Day on the first Sunday of July and youth from different neighbourhoods enjoyed a carnival designed to assure them that they are valued members of our community who can be optimistic about the life ahead of them.

For the organisers, the day was a gesture of gratitude for meaningful experiences that they had enjoyed and are now replicating for others. They had big smiles throughout the day and went about their duties with much pride and joy. As we observed them, we felt a sense of satisfaction that those we led are now leading others. Such outcomes are great, but they may not be the most accurate way of registering our impact. Honestly, we were not the only source of guidance for these youth and their leadership skills may have been honed elsewhere. What we can quite safely say though is that their relationship with us and their community is one they care about.

For peace and community,

Gerard

Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. – Singapore Association of Social Workers

PAST AWB POSTS

Another Week Beyond – 2419

May 10, 2024 No Comments

Change is hard. It is not something everyone deals with well. We discovered this when we spoke to 4 young people who had to relocate to new homes (AWB-2417 dated Friday, April 26, 2024}. They had to leave their ageing flats in Henderson and move to new homes. It was a change they were not looking forward to. But such change is not only often necessary, but it is also a good way to shake things up and create a better life situation. To help spin what was to some a negative experience into something positive, we took it upon

Another Week Beyond – 2418

May 3, 2024 No Comments

As Wednesday was Labour Day, we thought we’d share Salleh’s story in honour of all workers. This is also a timely reminder to ourselves to value and appreciate those among us whose hard work has made our lives easier in one way or another. 53-year-old delivery rider Salleh used to be a Chief Steward at a hotel, supervising the cleaning of crockery… While the job was stable, it was not fulfilling, “No matter how hard I work and how many problems I solve, my hours and pay never change.” So, when the health of his parents started failing, he quit.

Another Week Beyond – 2417

May 3, 2024 No Comments

Four friends aged 17 to 20 years old were telling us that their flats would be demolished in a year or so and they would be relocating to a different public rental neighbourhood. One of them seemed rather distressed but when we asked if he would be badly affected by the move, he clarified that he was living a few blocks away and was not affected. He was troubled that his friends were moving away and was thinking that it would only be a matter of time before he had to move to a different neighbourhood too. These young men

Another Week Beyond – 2416

April 29, 2024 No Comments

For the past few years, I have enjoyed working with a man who is now in his 70s. I consider him an effective neighbourhood leader who looks out for his peers. On behalf of his neighbours, he would request pre-loved household appliances when needed and is always happy to gather them for an outing or event. Apart from us, he is also a contact for a couple of food charities, and he would organise his peers to redistribute food rations to some 80 elderly people who regard him as their neighbourhood leader. Recently, this man told me that his peers

Another Week Beyond – 2415

April 29, 2024 No Comments

A 10-year-old girl we shall call Judith, was cared for by her grandmother. Judith’s mother works long hours and only returns home late at night and that was the reason, the family agreed that granny was better placed to care for Judith. Recently, she had to return to her mother who lives 15 kilometres away when granny took ill. Judith attends a learning programme we run in her granny’s neighbourhood. When she moved, we suggested linking her to learning programmes in her mother’s neighbourhood. She was adamant that we should not do so and reasoned that she would still be

Another Week Beyond 2414

April 29, 2024 No Comments

About 2 weeks ago, a colleague met some residents incidentally and asked how Ramadan has been for them. A young mother said that it would it nice if there could be a breaking of fast meal where neighbours could get together. When we informed them that we could provide some funds if they could it get one going, a lively discussion ensued. They made a list of neighbours who could prepare food that would add up to a healthy nutritious spread. We were heartened that they included fruits and vegetables in the menu as it seemed like the notion of

Another Week Beyond – 2413

March 29, 2024 No Comments

Yesterday, I had a discussion with some colleagues about how we may get residents in the neighbourhoods we engage to present themselves “better” to volunteers especially those from corporations who provide funds and other resources. This discussion was triggered by feedback that these residents do not brief the volunteers well enough on their tasks or explain to them how their time and efforts add value to their neighbourhood. The goodwill from corporations is important for the sustainability of our work and obviously, we want to create a positive experience for these corporate volunteers lest we lose their support. However, this

Another Week Beyond – 2412

March 22, 2024 No Comments

Ignite! Is a group of youth studying in institutions of higher learning who share resources,encourage each other and serve as role models for children in their neighbourhoods. It has been in existence for about 2.5 years and at its peak there were 25 members. 2 weeks ago, when a meeting was called, 3 members showed up and they were concerned that the group would no longer exist if there were no new members. Quickly, they discussed what a recruitment drive could look like and they drew up a collective list of friends they could invite to attend an introductory meeting.