Another Week Beyond 2428 – The Making of a Youth Leader

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, youth

By: Nina, Community Relations I met Atiqah ten years ago when I was a Community Worker. It was at a photography workshop we had organized for youths. She was a shy, soft-spoken 16-year-old. Her family had only recently moved in, so she didn’t know any other youths in the neighborhood yet. Throughout the few sessions we held, she mostly kept to herself, except when she offered to help me with minor tasks. Despite her discomfort being around others, she always showed up when invited to our programmes. I always admired Atiqah’s quiet determination and was pleased to see her slowly …

Another Week Beyond – 2318

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Family, youth

Dear friend, 20 months ago, a colleague was knocking on doors to meet students taking their “N” Level examinations and to wish them well. It was her way of establishing a relationship with young people in the neighbourhood that she had not met and reconnecting with those already on our database.  Amy, 16 years old, was not at home but she was already in our database and a day later, my colleague sent her a short message asking if she was well. “I am coping but it is not a good day!” was her short reply and the conversation ended …

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 – 2248

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Women, youth

Dear friends, The youth were surprised when a mother revealed that when she was violated as a child, the adults she confided in did not believe her. It was an experience the other three mothers present resonated with and they added that such was their reality when they were young. After a brief pause, one of the youth responded, “I am feeling rather sad because the trauma you experienced as a child has remained with you all these years.” These mothers and youth are neighbours who are working together to keep their neighbourhood safe from sexual and domestic/dating violence (AWB …

Another Week Beyond – 2242

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, youth

Dear friends, 8 youth from different neighbourhoods responded enthusiastically to an invitation to explore how they could lead or be a part of a social action project that they cared about. They told us that they were inspired by mothers in their respective neighbourhoods who organized community activities, spoke to their neighbours about improving their health and cared for older people. They also fondly recalled activities like “really free markets” where they could pick up preloved clothes, bags, and household items as well as potluck dinners and community events where they were welcomed to have their fill. There was always something …

On the Collaborative Change Agent Programme – Sobi

Comms Team Community, Women, youth

CW: mentions of sexual violence  In 2018 I was conducting an applied drama programme with 11 and 12 year old girls. During that period, they began telling stories about their experiences of gendered violence, and one girl brought up that she had two cousins who were sexually abusing her. We met with the families involved to facilitate a process of restorative justice, alongside the family’s decision to report to the police. After hearing other similar stories of sexual violence, we started talking to mothers in the neighbourhood and got the mandate that this is an issue they wanted to take …

Another Week Beyond – 2235

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, Volunteers, youth

Dear friends, A teacher at our early childhood centre got her students to clap as they spelt out “papaya” loudly together with her and everyone was moving energetically to the rhythm of a rhyming cheer, “P-A-P-A-Y-A, P-A-P-A-Y-A, P-A-P-A-Y-A, PAPAYA-YEH!” When it was clear that everyone could easily spell “papaya,” she carried on with the lesson by introducing the fruit for the children to hold and to discuss its features. This was a learning experience that attended to the children’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development. Importantly, it was one where each child succeeded in learning something new. Understanding how a student …

Beyond Expectations: A Learning Journey for both Mentor and Mentee

Comms Team Education, youth

Beyond Expectations began in 2018 as a mentoring initiative by NUS students serving as mentors for 13 to 17-year-old youths from our Redhill rental communities. The initiative has gone a long way and has since expanded and diversified its mentor pool to include students from other local universities. In this short interview, we ask the team more about how the initiative began and why it is meaningful.  1. Could you give me a brief description of Beyond Expectations—what are its aims, what the team does, and who it serves?  Beyond Expectations is a mentoring initiative in collaboration with Beyond Social …