As required by the National Youth Council (NYC), we conducted a local volunteer project. We liaised with Henderson Community Centre (HCC), who was our partner for the previous Inspiring India trip. We wanted to establish long term partnership with HCC for subsequent Inspiring India trips.
The beneficiaries were 40 Primary 3 – 6 students living in the Henderson area. The students are from low income families and they are enrolled in the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CS CDC) Nurture Programme with WeLL Centre @ Henderson (http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/nurture/). Nurture programmes improve qualities of lives of children and their families by creating opportunities for creative learning.
We have devised a host of activities for the span of 4 hours for the children. There were baking sessions, personal hygiene lessons and cultural lessons. It was difficult to handle the children because they come from diverse family background and education level. Every one of them demands and deserves equal attention but it was not easy.
Our team did a great job given the little experience they have interacting with children. I believe, for many of them it was their first given the shocked look on their faces from time to time. I’m glad that some of the team mates stepped up and took initiative to get things going or to modify the lessons on the spot.
During reflection, we listed down many areas of improvement for future projects and also things to look out for when planning for the project in Bangalore, India. I was thankful for this local volunteer project because it gave me a clearer picture of my team mates strengths and weaknesses.
