Dear friends, Trust your year has started off well. For the past 6 months or so, we have been learning and practicing decision making by consent rather than consensus. In a nutshell, consensus requires everyone to agree, while consent means that a decision will be taken as long as no one in the decision-making group objects. So, in consent decision-making, a proposal is reworked until there are no objections. However, an objection is strictly defined as a concern that “the decision proposed is at odds with the purpose of the group and hinders its members from doing their job well.” Decision-making by consent is …
Another Week Beyond – 2153
Dear friends, 2 brothers who lost their mother suddenly have been in the care of their father the past month (AWB – 2146). Dad’s exclusion order from the family home was lifted, and he is currently supporting his family by working as a safe-entry inspector at a hawker centre. The hours are long, but he is allowed to leave his post in the late afternoon to pick up his younger son from the students’ care centre. Last week, we facilitated a planning meeting to strengthen the support around the family. There were 2 items on the agenda. One was that dad should …
Another Week Beyond – 2152
Dear friends, For more than 20 years now, we have been organising a year-end ritual we call a Celebration of Learning, to acknowledge the learning achievements of young people as well as their caregivers. These events have been held in auditoriums, hotel function rooms and community halls where gifts were presented, and a sumptuous meal was served. All done to impress on those who came that their achievements, modest as they may be, mattered. This ritual continued these past 2 years online or in decentralised fashion and, in many ways, it seemed even more meaningful for the young people and their …
Another Week Beyond – 2151
Dear friends, ‘Tis season of giving and last Monday, 19 youth received an experience of normalcy. COVID-19 safety protocol still applied but masks were off once they launched their canoes at the Kallang River. For almost 2 years now, there has been no outdoor activities and this gift from the Singapore Canoe Federation was most thoughtful and timely. The afternoon began with much enthusiasm but as energy waned and the wind made it difficult to return to shore, some grumbles were heard. However, when it was time to leave for home, everyone concluded that they had a most beautiful and enjoyable day. As …
Another Week Beyond – 2150
Dear friends, “Everyone who visits my home says that I am very warm because of my hospitality. But I also experience another kind of warmth. In the 11 years I have lived in this rental flat, the heat has gotten more and more unbearable. And it affects us every day,” Marlina, a 43-year-old mother of five was speaking at the SG Climate Rally 2021 last Sunday. “The People in Crisis” was a theme she identified with, and she wanted to let others know how climate change has affected those in her neighbourhood. She spoke about a friend whose eczema acted up where …
Another Week Beyond – 2149
Dear friends, In May this year, 2 residents who help to direct food and other essentials to their neighbours fell out with each other. One is connected to some 80 older persons in the neighbourhood and the other, reaches out to families with children. Both consider themselves to be volunteers of our organisation and they both take their role as the coordinator of goodwill going into their neighbourhood very seriously, and with much pride. Both also believe in collaborating, sharing, and minimising wastage and the duplication of resources to the same recipient. These past 7 months have been very difficult for both. They …
Another Week Beyond – 2148
Dear friends, Since 7 October 2021, 12 residents have been meeting weekly as a “Health Workgroup” to address their health-related needs as well as that of their neighbours. These people felt that they had to do something to maintain, if not enhance their health after participating in a discussion about a study conducted in their neighbourhood. This study revealed that 40 percent of those interviewed had a serious illness. On 12 October 2021, 2 members of this workgroup joined a presentation of the same study which was attended by over 20 persons, comprising medical and health-care professionals, academics, and social workers. They wanted to …
Another Week Beyond – 2147
Dear friends, The 5 Family Circles met, and we were most encouraged when members of 1 circle told us that it was the best session they had so far, elaborating that they were no longer feeling awkward with each other and really enjoyed their conversation. This circle was meeting for the third time and seemed to have acted on a gentle provocation we introduced at the beginning of the session, “Why is it that people in the group only seem comfortable with those from their own neighbourhood?” We then said that we would like them to run the meeting and left the zoom room. …
Another Week Beyond – 2146
Dear friends, About 3 weeks ago, we received the sad news that 2 brothers who come to our programmes lost their mother suddenly. The social worker who is supporting them arranged for the 17-year-old to live with an aunt, and for his 11-year-old brother to stay with a friend of their late mother. But the 11-year-old’s living arrangement was soon terminated. It was brought to the social worker’s attention that there were allegations that the boy had previously been abused by a member of that household. So, he tried to persuade the aunt to also take in the younger brother, …
Another Week Beyond – 2145
Dear friends, Hope you had a good Deepavali holiday and may the festival of lights bring you many blessings, healing, and love. I started writing this weekly message in 2005 as a way for my team and I to reflect on our work, and where possible, celebrate a small success that energises us for the week ahead. This routine has taught us to view situations through different lenses and a key perspective would be that of the people who are the primary reason for our existence. I learnt very early in my training that empathy is walking a mile in …