Dear Friends 55 youth aged from 12 to 23 years old finished a 50km cycling trip last Saturday morning. They started off at East Coast Park at 10pm on Friday evening, headed toward Changi and looped back passing through Pasir Ris and Bedok Reservoir. They were exhausted and some had minor cuts and bruises, but they were all in good spirts and feeling rather proud of themselves.  Many   were on such a trip for the first time and finishing the strenuous physical activity was a satisfying achievement. We were proud of them too, especially the 15 who organized the activity. …

DearFriends About 6 years ago, the residents at the Henderson Neighbourhood showed us the meaning of local leadership and how a caring community could be an important factor that kept children out of trouble.  However, like everything else, a group has a lifespan and in between its inception and its closure there are the stages of development, maturity and decline. The Henderson Caring Community did not officially close but in the last couple years, it was also not exactly active. Hence, instead of simply letting the decline move toward closure, we are heartened that a few of its   members decided …

Dear Friends, We continued our conversation with a group of boys about healthy relationships, sex and family planning (AWB – 1911). This time we offered biryani instead of burgers and 6 “older” youth showed up.  After dinner and a game of charades that got everyone laughing heartily, the youth were paired up; some with an adult volunteer.  Each pair was given a short script entitled “Tonight’s the night” which was a short exchange between 2 boys, one of whom had plans for sex later that evening. Role-playing with a script was an effective way of immersing oneself into a context …

Dear friends, Last Friday, the youth from our Community Theatre Programme set foot into the Esplanade Theatre Studio for the first time.   They were checking out the venue as from 1 to 3 August 2018, they will be staging The Block Party, an original play there.  Although they had performed   at communal spaces in different neighbourhoods, being inside the theatre triggered feelings of anxiety and excitement within them.  Despite, almost 18 months of work co-creating this production, the significance of performing at the Esplanade has just hit them. Being involved in the programme has been significant for these youth in …

Dear Friends Sometimes, those who tell us that they are coming for a meeting or an event do not show up. As a result, we tend to get a little disappointed and even blame them for not honouring their word.  However, it would be apt to ask ourselves, “How have we contributed to this very situation that we are complaining about?” “Did we actually give people the space to honestly decline our invitation without feeling that we would think less of them or imagining that they would be penalised in some way?” The “conversation of dissent” is one of 6 …

Dear Friends Last Saturday, the Kampong Henderson Day concluded with Member of Parliament, Joan Pereira recognising students in the neighbourhood who had done well followed by a breaking of fast meal where I had the privilege of sitting next to a top executive from a multi-business company.  I am not mentioning his name as I have not told him that I am writing about our encounter. As a child, he resided at the Henderson neighbourhood and he recalled how easy it would be then for a young person to get onto the wrong side of the law.  He had his …

Dear Friends “My relationships with my neighbours was okay but now not good because of my children and their friends. They complain a lot that my house is noisy,” responded a mother of 5 when asked what issues children in her neighbourhood faced.  She added, “I know we have to be considerate but then where should my kids hang out?”  This mother was concerned that her children would get into trouble if she allowed them to spend their free time unsupervised. She had noticed other children in her neighbourhood smoking and felt that it was only a matter of time …

Dear Friends On 27 April 2019, a group of student volunteers from the Singapore University of Social Sciences held a debrief and concluded that their 6-session learning programme, Project K.R.O.N.O.S., held in their campus from 16 March to 20 April succeeded in providing children a safe environment to enjoy hands-on learning. We could not agree more and applaud them for their meticulous preparation and their commitment to the belief that regardless, children will be able to learn if the conditions are right. Project K.R.O.N.O.S. focused on ensuring that children experienced a genuine sense of acceptance through healthy attachment with a …

Dear Friends Last Saturday, a mother of two teenagers we shall call Rose arrived at   our centre at 4.45 pm.  Her meeting was scheduled for 6.30 pm but she said that she was happy just to wait for the rest.  Rose’s health has been deteriorating over the past 2 years. She is now wheelchair bound and the meeting was arranged for her family and friends to discuss how they could cooperate in caring for the well-being of her children. Her sister, her niece and 5 neighbours arrived about 6 pm and the meeting started on time. On Rose’s recommendation, we …

Dear Friends When Jacey an intern from Youth Corps Singapore discovered that we had a baking programme that helped mothers gain some income, she thought up Project Oven Hearts to capitalise on Mothers’ Day sales. She was excited about the initiative as she got to put her entrepreneurial skills for a social purpose. She met the mothers, explained how an online business worked and specified the type of cookie she thought would be appropriate for the occasion.  “Stained Glass Hearts” was not something these mothers were proficient with, but they were game to give it a try. With the help …