Dear Friends, On 21 Nov 2014, we received an email from Darren Tan who informed us that he had attended a kindergarten run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary as well as many of the activities we were running in the 70s and 80s. He lived a stone’s throw from our previous office at Block 44, Beo Crescent and was grateful for the “upbringing” he had received from us. Hence, he was also writing to inform us that he had written us into his will. At that point, we had just downsized the organization and were just coming to grips …
Another Week Beyond 1936
Dear Friends, Teachers in Singapore get a day-off today and enjoy a well-deserved long weekend. It is Teachers’ Day and yesterday evening, our teachers enjoyed a good meal courtesy of volunteers serving on the Management Committee of our Child Development Centre. Earlier in the afternoon, some of these teachers also received a personalized video presentation from undergraduates in early childhood education at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. These undergraduates had been in contact with our teachers over 12 weeks and sent the video as a documentation of their learning experience. The videos also served as tokens of appreciation and it was …
Another Week Beyond – 1935
Dear Friends, 5 years ago, we took stock of the contribution of volunteers within our organisation. We wanted a metric to monitor our progress in harnessing the inherent goodwill within our community to scale our work. Instead of meeting needs by proliferating professional helping services, we invited the involvement of volunteers into the lives of those we supported. This was in the spirit of our community development approach where a social issue was not just a problem to be eradicated but an opportunity for people from different backgrounds to cooperate toward a common good. So, for a start we looked …
Another Week Beyond – 1934
Dear Friends, “What is effective supervision and guidance?” A young colleague who was supporting the youth leaders of our outdoor adventure club realised that it is not just giving instructions and expecting those listening to simply follow. Having observed how much effort the leaders had been putting into organising an “Amazing Race,” she was concerned that they would be deeply discouraged if the event did not turn out as planned. So, she gathered them a day before and went through the programme flow meticulously. When she arrived at the starting point of the race the following day, she was upset …
Another Week Beyond – 1933
Dear Friends, A couple of weeks ago, we asked a group of mothers if the gifts we channelled into their neighbourhoods were important. We anticipated that they would say “Yes,” less we stop being a conduit for goodwill from the larger community. “Not always,” was their answer but they do find it comforting receiving presents for their children because they cannot afford to give them, and they want their children to be happy. Gifts are a tangible way of expressing care, concern and for strengthening a relationship. Over the past 3 years we have flowed in some $450k worth of …
Another Week Beyond – 1932
Dear Friends, To subtly introduce concepts such as colours, diversity, individuality and choice, the uniform at our Healthy Start Child Development Centre comes in a range of pastel colours. However, shorts come in navy blue for all and every T-shirt though different in colour is printed uniformly with the school’s motif. This feature evokes curiosity among parents and the children, and it has been a good conversation starter. Sometimes we ask the children why they think the uniform comes in different colours and sometimes we are asked the question ourselves. Our answer is usually not a precise explanation and we …
Another Week Beyond – 1931
Dear Friends, 6 years ago, to get young people into a meaningful discussion about teenage pregnancy, we cooperated with Babes Pregnancy Crisis Support to run a series of forum theatre performances. Together with the support of volunteers trained in drama, a colleague put together a play that got both adults and young people in a difficult but meaningful conversation. The following year, more volunteers with drama training created other plays to surface shared concerns within our neighbourhoods. On the third year, a young person from one of these neighbourhoods got involved with the programme and ended up being a lead …
Another week Beyond – 1930
Dear Friends, Since March this year, parents from 2 families found it extremely awkward whenever they bumped into each other. Both mothers were also involved in our baking projects, but they cooperated dutifully in the interest of finishing the work. So, it was much relief to both families that they are on speaking terms once again after attending a family group conference for the care and supervision of an 8-year-old boy we shall call Eddie. About 3 months ago, Eddie was watching over his 6-year-old brother who was having fun on a skate scooter. After whizzing around the playground on …
Another Week Beyond – 1929
DearFriends, Two months ago, 52-year-old Hasan had a high fever and while waiting to see the doctor at the polyclinic, a nurse approached him to have his blood pressure taken. He was rather reluctant as he did not want to hear more bad news but was cheered when he was complimented for having a normal reading. A few days later when he was feeling better, he walked past a roadshow by the Singapore Civil Defence Force and noticed that there was a counter helping visitors to check their blood pressure. He took another reading and was delighted to learn that …
Another Week Beyond – 1928
Dear Friends, For a while now, residents and other stakeholders in a neighbourhood we work in have been expressing their concern about youth who have gotten into trouble with the law as well as those whom they feel are in danger of doing so. “What is Beyond going to do about it?” is a question that is frequently asked of us but our response that “We will work alongside those who would like to act on these concerns,” is not an answer some find satisfying. It is flattering being in a position of a problem-solver but when we hit the …