Dear friends, Youth Day is commemorated on the the first weekend of July, but we got our own little celebration going last Saturday. We kept the ritual alive the past 2 years with an online event, but the young people showed us why some things should not be done virtually. As we prepared to board the bus to a bowling alley, there were cheers for 2 who decided to mark the day in costume. One was dressed as a dinosaur and another as a minion from the computer-animated media franchise Despicable Me. We did not specify a theme or a dress …
Another Week Beyond – 2229
Dear friends, In support of Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) “IMDA Data for All Initiative,” we contacted 148 families through a network of neighbours. Families with children below 21 years of age that are living in a public rental flat or are supported by ComCare Assistance Schemes are eligible for 50GB of data, 500 minutes of local outgoing calls and 50 local SMS monthly, provided free of charge by a telco. This 12-month package also includes unlimited incoming calls, and we were pleased to be collaborating with M1, a long-time supporter of our work last Saturday at the Jalan Kukoh …
Another Week Beyond – 2228
Dear friends, We introduced the concept of self-esteem to 7 young people aged from 11 to 16 years old but only 1 of them has attended all 3 weekly sessions so far. However, we believe he will be sharing his insights with his friends and perhaps, more will join us as we continue the conversation. When asked what “self-esteem” meant, “confidence” was the most common word that emerged, and one summed it up as “how much we believe in ourselves” during difficult moments. While defining “self-esteem” took a bit of time, identifying what hurt it was easy. “Criticisms on social media, …
Another Week Beyond – 2227
Dear friends, 8 youth who are pursuing post-secondary education organised a webinar for children and their care-givers. They presented themselves as “Human Books” that revealed their experiences at school and to answer any questions about themselves that their “readers” were interested in finding out. To everyone’s pleasant surprise 25 caregivers and children made their way to this online Human Library. These youth were part of Ignite! – a group of young people living in public rental housing that have fared well in school. It is an achievement that none of them takes for granted and every word they spoke was delivered with much gratitude …
Another Week Beyond – 2226
Dear friends, As we camped with 11 youths at Pulau Ubin last week, we were pleasantly surprised to see how quickly they got on with each other. These young people were not acquainted with each other but from the get-go, they cooperated and supported each other. After arriving on the island by bumboat, they received brief instructions on how to read a map and a compass and were told to make their way to the campsite. It was a task they embraced wholeheartedly and 2 hours later they were cooking lunch with their mess tins after pitching their tents. We …