What shall I do with this absurdity-
O heart, O troubled heart- this caricature,
Decrepit age that has been tied to me
As to a dog’s tail?
William Butler Yeats expressed in ‘The Tower’ the dilemma of ageing; the denial of it and the resistance towards the notion of old age in the view of an adult undergoing the process of ageing. They feel more passionate and inspired than ever, but because of the stereotypes attached to ageing, they think that they ought not to feel that way- resulting in the difficulty of reconciling the notions attached to old age and their own thoughts regarding it.
Too often, youths like us tend to attach too many stereotypes to ageing. We think of ageing as a process associated with the gradual loss of youthful exuberance and liveliness, we too often think that the older generation unlike us, lack creativity and, if I were to quote another line from the poem, ‘must bid the Muse go pack, Choose Plato and Plotinus for a friend’.
That would reflect my sentiments before attending the YO! Forum. However, the forum has changed my perspective on the issue of ageing, particularly in highlighting causes, which youths like me can serve.
The morning visit to Fei Yue Neighbourhood Link at Bukit Batok was an eye opener for me, as I learnt about the various activities that the centre organizes to encourage active ageing and intergenerational bonding (IGB) and the purposes that they serve in bridging the gap between the young and the seniors, and to allow for better appreciation and setting up common grounds between the two distinctly different generations. We were also fortunate to have a chance to engage in IGB activities, such as fingerprint art, where we were paired up with other seniors and worked with them to create pieces of art. Even though we were all amateurs, it was certainly heartening to see the seniors hard at work, unleashing their creativity, and most importantly working hand-in-hand with the young at the craft project. My group members certainly enjoyed the activity; and I believe the seniors were glad to engage in interaction with the younger generation. I believe that IGB activities are definitely an area where youths can venture into, where we can bridge the communication gap between the younger and older generation. I am sure the other 4 groups that went to YAH! Community College, Silver Circle Wellness @ Punggol South, Lion Befrienders Neighbourhood Link and Presbyterian Community Services Evergreen Circle also had equally engaging experiences.
Also, brainstorming sessions with my teams, as well as the dialogue session with Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan set me thinking. One of the questions that bugged my mind was- How can we, as youths, play our part in engaging with our seniors? During the brainstorming sessions, much emphasis was placed on engaging the seniors in learning, setting up interest groups comprising of seniors, and we even thought of the possibility of coming up with TV programs such as the popular singing competition ‘Singapore Idol’ but with a twist- not just the suave young man or the typical pretty lady, but active seniors who have the courage to sing their hearts out on national TV.
After consolidating our ideas, I believe that youths can play a huge part in interacting with our seniors. As youths, we can contribute our passion and enthusiasm in engaging in IGB activities, such as engaging the seniors in learning new skills. We can equip them with a new skill like art and craft- as art not only communicates, it drives communication as well. Communication is effective in eradicating the barriers between the younger generation and the seniors, who typically have a negative impression of each other- youths are hot headed, impatient and insensitive; seniors are ‘naggy’, ‘old-fashioned’ and too ‘conservative’- in our words, that is- well, not anymore, if we get to know each other better.
Learning does not only take place where youths teach seniors, seniors can teach youths as well- imparting valuable knowledge through their life stories, or just like us teaching them decoupage or cross stitch; they can similarly teach us crafts from their generation.
All in all, the YO! Forum has certainly been an engaging one for me, and has prompted me to think about ways through which youths like us can engage the elderly- So that even as our population ages, we are still full of vitality, vigour and verve.
This year’s Ramadan On Wheels (ROW) 2009, has been a fulfilling and enriching experience for me as well as the other GAHA members who were involved the event. As a previous volunteer in ROW 2008, I could see the results of the effort and hard work put in by this year’s Persatuan Persuratan Pemuda Pemudi Melayu (4PM) committee.
This year’s event was based on the theme ‘Road to Self-Empowerment’. Beneficiaries attended talks on financial management before the actual ROW day itself. These talks by professionals were to better equip them with the ability to manage their finances in the future. The information from the talks was put to use on the actual ROW day, when beneficiaries shopped for necessities at GIANT supermarket located at Tampines after the flag off at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East - Simei. I was playing the role of an advisor to my beneficiaries and gave suggestions on what they could get using their $150 vouchers. It was really a sight to see volunteers taking out calculators to ensure that their beneficiaries did not overspend or underspend. It was different from previous ROWs as previously, volunteers would just deliver the prepared food hampers to the beneficiaries’ homes. This year, the volunteers helped the beneficiaries choose what they really needed most and I felt that doing it this way would involve more participation from the volunteers.
Beneficiaries shopped for necessities at Giant Hypermarket, accompanied by volunteers.
2 hours of shopping seem to pass quickly and we headed back to the beneficiaries’ houses. I spoke to my beneficiaries’ whole family together with another volunteer who was the driver for the day. I realized that the family had a very positive mindset and they were ready to seize any opportunity to change their lives. Incidentally, the eldest son currently studying at Northlight Secondary School, will be representing Singapore in the Silat competition for Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2010. It was heartening to see the kids helping their mother to unpack the items they just bought and I also tried to help out before we went back to ITE Simei for the Iftar dinner (break-fast dinner).
Back at ITE Simei, big families with 3 generations could be seen gathering at the multipurpose hall where we were having our Iftar. Seated together with the beneficiaries, I was waiting in anticipation for the Takbir Eid (prayers before breaking fast) before we could break fast. Similar to the previous year, I fasted again and reckoned that it was a true test of resilience and discipline. It was really physically and mentally draining when one goes without water and food for the whole day and yet still being involved in daily activities. With that, we should give recognition and utmost respect to all our Muslim counterparts. Kudos to all of them!
The volunteers brought out the dinner placed on big plates. The dinner included fish, mutton, chicken as well as sweets such as dates and cakes. The beneficiaries were given porridge from the mosque and some biscuits bought by the 4PM management. It soon came to the end of the whole event. I was invited by my beneficiaries to visit them on Hari Raya before they left with the bus which would bring them back home.
It was really a new enjoyable experience for me to have such close contact with the beneficiaries as during ROW 2008, I was doing more of the planning. Personally, I felt that the build up to the actual ROW was the most important phase. For instance, the financial talks and having the volunteers being able to meet up with their beneficiaries before the actual ROW were essential. I believe the new committee for ROW 2010 will come up with greater and more creative ideas to allow the volunteers and beneficiaries to interact more before the actual ROW day.
ROW has been an event which does not only help the beneficiaries but the volunteers also have their fair share in gaining new experiences. GAHA members are encouraged to join the future ROWs, where each volunteer will get to enjoy and learn at the same time.
The Tampines Festival Park was a site of excitement for nearly 500 residents and students on Saturday, 6 June 2009. They were there to participate in the Youth Eco Fiesta 2009 and celebrate World Environment Day 2009. This festive event was made possible with the collaboration of 4 organisations. It was organised by the National Youth Achievement Award Gold Award Holders’ Alumni (NYAA GAHA) in collaboration with the Tampines East Youth Executive Committee, with the support of the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the National Parks Board (NParks). The theme for this year’s World Environment Day was “Your planet needs you! Unite to combat Climate Change”. The Guest-of-Honour for the event was Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development and Co-Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development
Several popular activities were organised to attract the participants. There were lively performances ranging from hip-hop, Latin, soul and ethnic-inspired dances. The song and dance items were put up by students from eight different schools. These activities showcased the talents of Singaporean youths.
Underlying these activities, there was an important environmental purpose that the organisers wanted to impart to the visitors. The committee had worked hard to ensure that a green mindset was infused into the event. For instance, throughout the fiesta, youth messages and wishes for the environment were read out. There were also exhibitions by NParks on Singapore’s Biodiversity Trail, and NYAA on its environmental projects. The Eco Bus of NEA was also an attraction.
The emcees promoted the advantages of improving our carbon footprint. They stressed that it was not just important to the planet but the added bonus in helping us in many other ways, such as, our lifestyle and costs, which resonated well with the audience.
Terence Chia, Chairman of NYAA GAHA expressed, “There’s scope for improvement in every single thing we do. Even the smallest contribution is important and necessary, as we collectively hold the power to make Singapore a greener place for the future.”
“Sustainability will come from a change in mindsets and behaviours from everyone. At the end of the day, it’s about how every individual makes decisions, that we’ll make our impact sustainable,” concluded Regina Oon.
Peer pressure often lead to mistakes that one will regret, many only being aware of the trouble they have gotten themselves into after being punished by the law. Many are teens trying to gain attention and hence susceptible to such pressures. Therefore it is crucial to give these teens a second chance, another chance for them to understand that there are matters that are more worth-doing, more exciting things in life to look forward to. By providing the bigger picture to them, it helps the teens to strive for a different lifestyle as before, a life that they can be proud of. For this reason, the NYAA GAHA and the Singapore Boys’ Home launched the pilot run of the NYAA GAHA - Singapore Boys’ Home Mentoring Project in 2008.
The objective of this mentoring project is to help the participants achieve the NYAA Bronze Award, while providing participating Boys’ Home residents with a meaningful form of personal development and motivation through the NYAA programme, supporting the efforts of at-risk youth to integrate back into society. In doing so, the mentors started with preparations in December 2007, where they met up with the participating boys to get to know them. Subsequently, discussions were held to draft out the whole programme for the boys.
Initially, the boys were mischievous and playful. There were some who disrupted the discussion of the programme, while others were simply defiant. However, as they got to vote for the activities they are interested in to fulfill the criteria for the completion of the award, many soon got engrossed in the project.
On 28 March 2009, 7 boys from the Singapore Boys’ Home received their NYAA Bronze Award from Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports & Ministry of Transport. To achieve the Bronze Award, these boys went through a ten-month long programme: to learn rock climbing; the skill of cooking; caring for the animals in SPCA; and 2 Days - 1 Night Camp at HomeTeamNS @ Bukit Batok. The activities were mentored by volunteers of GAHA, whereby the volunteers interacted with the boys and helped design the activities needed.
After ten months of hard work, the fruit of their labour were reaped. The smiles on the faces of their families during the Award Ceremony were indescribable. Laughter and chatters were heard during the refreshment session with the ceremony’s Guest-of-Honour, Teo Ser Luck where awardees were wondering if there are plans for the NYAA Silver Award. The heightened self-esteem of the boys was seen in the manner they conducted themselves and the way they interacted with others. Through mentorship, the boys were properly guided in overcoming their obstacles and thus helped them gain confidence. This award is something they will always be proud of, making a positive impact in their life and also a positive influence to their peers.
Hope filled the air of the auditorium as the boys looked forward to another goal to achieve in their lives.
Following the success of the initiative of “Letters From Grandma and Grandpa” in 2007, the National Library Board(NLB) and Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports and the Council for Third Age launched the “To My Grandpa/Grandma” Contest in 2008 to foster inter-generational bonds. Its media partners are The Straits Time, STOMP and My Paper.
The contest attracted a total of 1,000 entries for Singaporeans to share their stories and memories about their grandparents. There were three categories: Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and the Open Category. Participants can choose to express themselves through writing or producing a digital video. As many as 120 letters, were picked for a three book series called I Remember: To My Grandpa/Grandma.
GAHA members like Ms Ong Ying Shya, Ms Ka Mung, Mr Gary Shen and Mr Shawn Low are invited to be part of the external selection panel to evaluate the shortlisted submission for the final rounds of entries in each category.
The six prize winners, two written entries from each of the three categories received the top prize of tour package for two to Japan from Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for Education, and Information, Communication and the Arts, who was also the Guest-of-Honour for the event.
