Dear Friends, We used to have a residential facility that operated as a small-group home and at times, a retreat centre for families to make decisions about the challenges they were facing. Upon welcoming these families, we would tell them that if they needed a piece of furniture or a home appliance that was at the premises, they should let us know and we will send it over to their home. You see, our facilities are mainly furnished with pre-loved items that are constantly coming to us through a goodwill pipeline from the larger Singapore community and giving away what …
Another Week Beyond – 2005
Dear Friends, “It’s the school holidays and it seems like a good time to get to know the other youth in your neighbourhood,” we suggested to a couple of teens last December. They did not reply but it was quite clear that they were not wild about our suggestion. Nonetheless, they heard us out and eventually one of them agreed to gather a few friends for a meeting. He would tell these friends to invite others too. 5 youth showed up a few days later to hear what we had to say. We told them that we wanted to organise …
Another Week Beyond – 2004
Dear Friends, The women in our baking programme checked every box of mandarin oranges carefully before including them as part of a Chinese New Year hamper they were preparing. They soon discovered rotten oranges as well as boxes that did not contain the full complement of 18 oranges. They carried the boxes back to the mini-mart and got the shopkeeper to put things right. “It is the new year for our Chinese neighbours, and we want to give them the best fruits,” they maintained. 12 Malay women participated in a project to prepare 100 festive hampers sponsored by GIC Pte …
Another Week Beyond – 2003
Dear Friends, When Khalid, an intern from Nanyang Polytechnic assisted with “Make & Play,” a weekly craft programme attended by 10 to 15 children, he noticed volunteers taking a few children aside to read to them. It was the first time he was attending the session and he wondered why. After the session, he learnt from the volunteers that they were there to teach craft and to encourage children to create toys and knick-knacks with their hands but in the process, they realised that many could not read. This disturbed Khalid and at that moment, he decided that he had …
Another Week Beyond – 2002
Dear Friends, Some of us wear a tracker or use a smart watch to monitor our activity level and to spur ourselves toward a healthier lifestyle. Having an awareness and understanding seems to encourage us to act on our fitness goals. In the same vein of facilitating informed action, we are supporting residents of a public rental neighbourhood to discover the health challenges and aspirations of their community. We are training these residents to speak with their neighbours and to help paint a picture of the health-related needs of their community. This picture will then be shared with the community …
Another Week Beyond – 2001
Dear Friends, Several greetings that I received the past couple of days alluded to 2020 being a year of vision and so before I go on, I wish you a clear, purposeful and Happy New Year. In collaboration with the Kampong Kapor Family Service Centre, we engaged 21 youth in a drama workshop over the past 2 months. “Youth Stories” created a safe space for these young people to share their day-to-day experiences as well as their challenges, fears and concerns. Last Thursday, they put together a short performance for their caregivers to highlight the risk of getting entangled with …
Another Week Beyond – 1952
Dear Friends, I would like to close the year with a very warm thank you for your interest in this weekly note I write. The work I do and represent has given me purpose and meaning which I am grateful for. I am also deeply grateful that this mailing list has been growing and I am always touched when people tell me what the story meant to them. Here are parts of one sharing that I received in January (AWB – 1903) that showed me a reason why our voices need to be heard and our lived experiences noticed. Thanks …
Another Week Beyond – 1951
Dear Friends, In August this year, youth from our Community Theatre programme presented “The Block Party” at the Esplanade as part of the M1 Peer Pleasure Festival. This play showcased vignettes of poverty as experienced by those residing in a public rental housing neighbourhood. This week, as a follow-up activity, we hosted a conversation about poverty involving 37 persons, comprising mainly youth from different strata in society. The aim was to hold a safe space where questions and perspectives about poverty deemed to be offensive or insensitive can be discussed authentically in the spirit of mutual understanding and respect. To …
Another Week Beyond – 1950
Dear Friends, One reason I write this weekly note is for me to reflect on what we are doing. There is always so much to do, and it is so easy to let our “busi-ness” justify our existence. Thinking about the value of what we do regularly, helps us to keep in sight the intentions and aspirations of our practice. For the last 4 years or so, Professor Ann Wee who is often described as the founding mother of social work education in Singapore has been on our mailing list. Almost every week, she would respond with her take on …
Another Week Beyond – 1949
Dear Friends, In my note last week, I reflected on how we could honour parents as the child’s first educators. I considered getting parents to teach music and other subjects that drew children’s attention to the strengths and beautiful things within their families, communities and culture. I also suggested using the stories of parents and families to convey values where appropriate. In response to my pondering I received an email suggesting that one valuable lesson parents should impart is to simply ask their children regularly, “How was the world a better place today, because you were there?” It was a …