Dear friends, Each year, we celebrate with pride and much gratitude our growth as a nation. At 57 this year, we had our National Day Parade live after 2 years and “Connections,” a short film highlighting resilience and solidarity was interwoven with the performances on The Float @ Marina Bay. “Connections” featured small acts of kindness that enabled us to weather the pandemic and stories inspired by medical workers, home care professionals, teachers, social workers, and artists were showcased to depict family, community, and togetherness. All of us at Beyond beamed with pride as our members Riduwan, Norashidah, Akilah, Nursoleha and …
Another Week Beyond – 2231
Dear friends, We have a donated coffee machine at our premises and a month ago, an intern was showing 3 children aged 10 to 12 years old how to use it. This intern has been a barista at a café and to get to know these young people better, she “opened shop” for a few hours with these young people as her team-mates. The “shop” was well patronised by colleagues and volunteers who contributed whatever they felt their drinks and snacks were worth. Youth work is non-formal education where young people’s holistic development is facilitated through social, recreational, and learning …
Another Week Beyond – 2230
Dear friends, Youth Day is commemorated on the the first weekend of July, but we got our own little celebration going last Saturday. We kept the ritual alive the past 2 years with an online event, but the young people showed us why some things should not be done virtually. As we prepared to board the bus to a bowling alley, there were cheers for 2 who decided to mark the day in costume. One was dressed as a dinosaur and another as a minion from the computer-animated media franchise Despicable Me. We did not specify a theme or a dress …
Another Week Beyond – 2229
Dear friends, In support of Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) “IMDA Data for All Initiative,” we contacted 148 families through a network of neighbours. Families with children below 21 years of age that are living in a public rental flat or are supported by ComCare Assistance Schemes are eligible for 50GB of data, 500 minutes of local outgoing calls and 50 local SMS monthly, provided free of charge by a telco. This 12-month package also includes unlimited incoming calls, and we were pleased to be collaborating with M1, a long-time supporter of our work last Saturday at the Jalan Kukoh …
Another Week Beyond – 2228
Dear friends, We introduced the concept of self-esteem to 7 young people aged from 11 to 16 years old but only 1 of them has attended all 3 weekly sessions so far. However, we believe he will be sharing his insights with his friends and perhaps, more will join us as we continue the conversation. When asked what “self-esteem” meant, “confidence” was the most common word that emerged, and one summed it up as “how much we believe in ourselves” during difficult moments. While defining “self-esteem” took a bit of time, identifying what hurt it was easy. “Criticisms on social media, …
Another Week Beyond – 2227
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 …
Another Week Beyond – 2226
Dear friends, As we camped with 11 youths at Pulau Ubin last week, we were pleasantly surprised to see how quickly they got on with each other. These young people were not acquainted with each other but from the get-go, they cooperated and supported each other. After arriving on the island by bumboat, they received brief instructions on how to read a map and a compass and were told to make their way to the campsite. It was a task they embraced wholeheartedly and 2 hours later they were cooking lunch with their mess tins after pitching their tents. We …
Another Week Beyond – 2225
Dear friends, “Health is wealth” is a truism we are all familiar with but when one is of little means, the less visible barriers to a healthy life are many and perhaps, “wealth is health” would sound truer. A mother on a long-term social visit pass commented that she finds the cost of healthcare very expensive. She is part of a self-organised neighbourhood workgroup that aims to promote social relationships, community activities and opportunities that serve as protective factors against ill-health. She is aware of the importance of preventive medicine but any visit to the doctor would be a strain on …
Another Week Beyond – 2224
Dear friends, After exiting a Soccer Moms WhatsApp Group, a mother called a colleague during the weekend to inform that she was pulling her son Robert out of the football team. In no uncertain terms, she expressed her disappointment that her son was subjected to a racial slur during training, and this was not addressed. When my colleague returned to work, she gathered the other players to hear their point of view, but no one shed any light on what happened. So, she then visited Robert and he identified the teammate that made the demeaning remarks. He also explained that he …
Another Week Beyond – 2223
Dear friends, 11 youth were introduced to the concepts of self-regulation, triggers, trauma responses and coping mechanisms as they trekked the Southern Ridges last Friday. Agreeing to only use their phones for photographs, they endeavoured a mindful beginning where they practiced being aware of their breathing, the manner in which they were walking as well as the healing presence of nature around them. They had not imagined that a walk could be anything more than a physical activity to get around and most importantly, how it may surface an ableism they have not been aware off. Ableism is a prejudice, bias, …