Another Week Beyond – 2430

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth, Community

Caring that Children Cross the Finish Line  By Rachel Goh, Communications Imagine being told you can’t join a big event after weeks of practice, determination, and excitement. That was the reality for two young people from Henderson and Jalan Tenteram. But what happened next is a testament to the power of community support and perseverance.  A few months ago, a sponsor offered children from our communities the opportunity to participate in a programme where they could learn how to cycle. The children would attend three training sessions and receive a brand-new bicycle, with the program culminating in a 5 km …

Another Week Beyond 2429 – An Experience of Connectedness and Contentment

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community, community, community spirit

by: Chia Jie Min, Community Worker  Last Tuesday evening, Lisfah, our community enabler, and I set up our usual table at the student care centre for the monthly “tabung” (savings) programme at Lengkok Bahru. We waited with anticipation for the usual buzz of mothers dropping in to sit with us, chat and swap stories about community happenings.   That particular day, however, many mothers could not attend. So, it was unusually quiet. Lisfah was looking a little forlorn as she was looking forward to catching up with her neighbours. She always found her conversations with them comforting as they reassured her …

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 – 2427

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Community, health

No Wealth, No Health? Written by: Pei Ling, Community Relations How often do you find yourself in this situation? You’re unwell or in pain, and it’s been going on for while. But you choose not to see a medical practitioner because you feel you cannot afford it. This is a common scenario amongst Singapore’s financially-challenged – families living in rental public housing. And this is what happened to Ismail. When I visited Ismail on a routine follow-up, he was limping and clearly in pain. He told me he had a slipped disc. I asked about the medical treatment he was …

Another Week Beyond 2426 – Grizzly to Teddy

Comms Team Another Week Beyond, Children and youth

by Wilson, Community Worker Grizzly to Teddy During one of our recent learning programmes, one of the kids who attended was an often moody, sometimes truculent 8-year-old.  Let’s call him “Teddy.” Our expectations of Teddy were, from experience, tempered. How well he participated in our activities and interacted with others depended on his disposition from week to week. At this particular session, Teddy was what we had come to describe as “his usual self” – shouting vulgarities and being disruptive. He risked injury by playing with a sliding door, even after being asked by a volunteer to stop. In fact, …