Another Week Beyond – 2316

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, community spirit, food

Dear friends, “What does Ramadan mean to you?” I asked a young person, and her quick reply was simply “Connection!” She then elaborated that she would mindfully make time to break her fast with her family and to appreciate the relationships in her life. Importantly, Ramadan was about caring for the less fortunate among us. This past month, we had the privilege of joining several “buka puasa” or “breaking-of-fast” meals organised by different groups of members. One such session had a group of youth bringing a dish each to our centre to meet volunteers formerly from Youth Corps Singapore who …

Another Week Beyond – 2315

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Arts, Children and youth, Community

Dear friends, After a performance at the Esplanade in 2019 to mark our 50th Anniversary, our community theatre took a short break that turned into a rather long one because of COVID-19.  Hence, we were thrilled when a young person from the programme took the lead last August to revive it with new members and some volunteers skilled in theatre craft. The group is aiming to launch its first forum theatre performance by the end of May even though they don’t have a name for the show yet. Inspired by the efforts of young people addressing the issue of sexual violence at …

Another Week Beyond – 2314

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, Community, HeadStrong

Dear friends, “What was one thing that you were stressed about this week?” The young people present responded to the question thoughtfully. They were then instructed to pen down how they felt immediately after the stressful incident and how they felt a day later. This was a simple exercise in developing self-awareness because when we document an experience, we are listening carefully to ourselves. Over time, we become more familiar and comfortable with our emotions, which puts us in a better place to prevent them from upsetting our well-being. However, not all of us can find the words to say …

Another Week Beyond – 2313

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community

Dear friends, We have 4 mutual support groups we call Family Circles comprising 28 caregivers who attend regularly.  Meetings are held at least once a month in the language that members are most comfortable with and so there are Chinese and Malay speaking circles. During meetings, members submit to us a self-report of their household income, expenses, savings, and debt. After a year, the collective data across all 4 circles revealed a 34% increase in the median income and 25% in the mean income. There was also a 100% increase in median savings and 82% in mean savings. Where debt …

Another Week Beyond – 2312

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, youth

Dear friends, A youth who was new to the programme picked up a guitar hesitantly and started strumming at the back of the room. She knew the song the “band” was playing, and she mouthed the lyrics which spoke to her. “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?” Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin, like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?” explained her so eloquently. She knew every word from “Firework” by Katy Perry and they moved her from playing rhythm guitar in the background to centre stage …

Another Week Beyond – 2311

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community

Dear friends, For the past 10 years, we have been enabling women who are unable to take on full-time employment for various reasons to acquire a livelihood. Sew Can We and Bakers Beyond have been 2 such programmes where participants got to “learn and earn.”  The sewing and baking jobs were not enough for the women to sustain their households, but the earnings enabled them to meet increased household expenses during festive periods. This was important as the means to celebrate festivals provided their families with a sense of normalcy. Besides generating income, our goal is for the women to learn …

Another Week Beyond – 2310

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community

Dear friends, 6 months ago, a father who was well-regarded in his neighbourhood as a friendly and caring person contacted us. He was distraught that his children aged 15, 13 and 10 would be placed in care if he could not convince the authorities that he was able to manage his household. His home was in a mess and deemed unhygienic. As a single parent and a wheelchair user, cleaning up the home was a challenge even with the help of his children. When we learnt of his situation, we set out to organise a clean-up, but the children were …

Another Week Beyond – 2309

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community

Dear friends, Lunch, bingo, a sing-along, and a lucky draw would be a common Sunday afternoon at a social and recreational club. Thanks to The Lodge of St George No 1152 E.C and the Beach Road Residents’ Committee, the experience was recreated at a common area in their neighbourhood for 60 older persons who live there. This neighbourhood has a significant population of older residents and there is a senior activity centre ensuring that those in need of medical help or care receive the appropriate services. This centre also arranges for meals and social activities for those in reasonable health …

Another Week Beyond – 2308

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, HeadStrong

Dear friends, “What is it that makes you…YOU?” 6 undergraduates from the Singapore Management University (SMU)explored the question together with 7 of our youth. Any casual observer would see that these 2 groups of young people were different in so many ways and may even wonder if a meaningful conversation between them would be possible. To move them to common ground, we screened “Soul,” a computer-animated   film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. As people laughed and got teary-eyed, a felt connection and a sense of safety emerged that enabled a young person to reveal a rather peculiar strength. …

Another Week Beyond – 2307

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, health

Dear friend, As a community development agency in the service of people’s efforts to meet their needs, a colleague was heartened when he found himself doing janitorial duties in a roomful of adults and their children. 12 adults and 15 children packed a students’ care centre we had borrowed for a conversation to launch a neighbourhood hotline for neighbours to support each other with their health needs and challenges. Volunteers kept the children occupied with indoor games while their parents discussed the roles and responsibilities for a core group of neighbours to operate the hotline. With the food and the …