Another Week Beyond – 2231

August 5, 2022

Dear friends,

We have a donated coffee machine at our premises and a month ago, an intern was showing 3 children aged 10 to 12 years old how to use it. This intern has been a barista at a café and to get to know these young people better, she “opened shop” for a few hours with these young people as her team-mates. The “shop” was well patronised by colleagues and volunteers who contributed whatever they felt their drinks and snacks were worth.

Youth work is non-formal education where young people’s holistic development is facilitated through social, recreational, and learning activities. The youth worker is an adult friend that holds the space for young people to clarify their values, manage their developmental needs and to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills. So, at the end of that session, these tweens walked away from their brief exposure to café work with an experience of success and some pocket money from the profits of the day.

One of them, we shall call Tom was so happy with the experience that he could not stop talking about it at home. Eventually his mother and an older sister who works in the food and beverage sector approached us to see if the experience could be replicated. They were pleased to see Tom so enthusiastic about food preparation and thought it could be a regular activity for youth in the neighbourhood to practice responsibility and to pick up work skills.

Last Friday, Tom and his friends were managing our café again but this time under the supervision of Tom’s mother and sister. It was really timely as we were able to host a farewell tea for some interns who were leaving us that day. Apart from coffee and tea, croissants, sandwiches, and flavoured French fries were on the menu and although the intern who organised the previous session was not present, I am sure she would have been pleased to know that her initial effort has been a catalyst for a community-run initiative.

During the debrief, each young person described their responsibility for the day and shared what they felt they did well and what they could have done better before others were invited to give them feedback. It was heartening seeing how these young people could be reflective and how they took the learning opportunity seriously. One of them was glad she got to cook the fries this time as it was a new skill and more fun than counting money the last time round. Another said that taking orders was meaningful as she learned to spell words like croissant and sandwich.

These young people struck us as enthusiastic learners and it has been our experience that given the right conditions people want to learn and even find it enjoyable. Hence, as we engage young people we are guided by the principle that when young people are not cooperating it is because our approach is inappropriate and not because we have a problem youth.

For peace, community and learning opportunities,

Gerard

Teaching kids how to feed themselves and how to live in a community responsibly is the centre of an education. – Alice Waters

PAST AWB POSTS

2506 – Collective Wisdom, Community Building

March 6, 2025 No Comments

Written by Wilson, Community Worker As is our practice at Beyond, we start every new year by sharing the goals we hope to achieve as a community. We gather young and old, have discussions and plot the journey ahead together. We call these sessions Community Conversations. Typically, everyone present introduces themselves and shares their experience volunteering in the community, and what “community” means to them. We then wrap up with a Beyond staff talking about the value of community development. That, however, was not how a session held in the Bukit Ho Swee neighbourhood went. The Beyond team just sat

2505 – Saving Together, Growing Together

February 27, 2025 No Comments

One of the most pervasive problems encountered by lower-income communities is building financial reserves. The daily demands for every cent, when you have little, usually takes priority. However, there is still a value of building such reserves, even if in small amounts. This is why we created the Community Tabung Programme. Loosely translated, “Tabung” means “money box” in Malay – an apt name for an initiative to help our members grow their savings in support of their children’s health and educational needs. It is a means to help our members achieve their aspirations and save for those rainy days. And

2504 – Growth On The Sidelines

February 20, 2025 No Comments

Amir* wasn’t always the calm, composed young man people look up to today. Not so long ago, he his fiery temper put him in the midst of a heated argument. So to witness him play the peacemaker recently was pleasantly astonishing. That moment could have shaped how others saw him — and how he saw himself — but instead, it became a lesson that helped him grow. Amir was playing at a futsal tournament. Two boys – Danial* and Josh* – got into an altercation. Danial accused Josh of “showboating” and not being a team player…costing them the game. Josh,

2503 – How Roblox Helped James Minimize Screen Time

February 20, 2025 No Comments

10-year-old James is like many of the children who attend our learning programmes. He has an unhealthy attachment to his phone with little interest in academics. When asked to focus on his schoolwork, he would often throw tantrums. Rather than play board games with Beyond volunteers, he’d stick to games on his phone. Still, James would voluntarily show up at our sessions, where he was always welcomed. Our approach isn’t about forcing change but about creating a space for it. We set a clear boundary — schoolwork first, then fun and games. But getting through to James wasn’t easy. We

2502 – Community wasn’t built in a day

February 7, 2025 No Comments

Written by Shariffah, Community Worker What is community? This is a question that shapes much of what we do at Beyond. Building a thriving community isn’t just about solving problems or organizing activities — it’s about creating spaces where people can connect meaningfully, share ideas, and take ownership of their collective future. Community development often begins with small, intentional steps. Our “Community Day” is one such step. This isn’t just a celebration, but part of a process — a chance for residents to collaborate, discover their strengths, and build something meaningful together. Our last Community Day of 2024 was held

2452 – A Fire, A Friend, A Community

January 31, 2025 No Comments

When a fire broke out in a Jalan Bukit Merah flat last year, the damage wasn’t confined to just the one unit. Smoke engulfed neighbouring homes, leaving behind physical damage and disruption. One of the worst affected residents was Madam Tan*, an elderly woman whose flat directly above the burning apartment. While her story didn’t make the headlines, her struggles were very real. She clearly needed help. This is where H comes in. The 28-year-old coach and former educator was no stranger to helping others, but this experience would touch him on a personal level. “I didn’t initially think about

2451 – The Grace to Give

January 31, 2025 No Comments

I joined Beyond in 2005 as a community worker reaching out to children under 6 years old to get them registered for early childhood education and after a couple of years, I was seconded to support our main grant maker. After which, I left social services but rejoined Beyond in 2016. I came back and rejoined the sector to meet my needs for meaning, connection and well-being. Last Friday, I was supporting a corporate volunteer group to distribute care packs comprising necessities for the new school year to children in a neighbourhood where we work. This group engaged youth from

AWB 2449 – When LIFE Happens

January 31, 2025 No Comments

Nelson Mandela famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” We at Beyond, wholeheartedly believe this. So we’ve made it one of our missions to bring education to life for the kids in the neighbourhoods we serve. So, it is no coincidence that we call one of our education programme, LIFE! or Learning is Fun and Exciting! LIFE is a child-centric initiative that’s designed to make learning enjoyable and meaningful. Activities are tailored to children’s individual strengths, interests, and learning styles. At every turn, we nurture them to become independent, self-motivated learners. We