Strawberries CYA

Welcome

2008-08-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

You have reached the Strawberries CYA blog :D

Who are we?
We are a group of year 1 students from Psychology and Community Service (PCS). Our group consists of Pearlyn Kwang, See Hui Fang, Wong Hui Wen and Cassie Yung.

What is this for?
This blog is specially created for the CYA project; set-up by the School of Humanities. It serves to create awareness about what we have done for Asian Women Welfare Association (AWWA) organization. As CYA symbolizes Compassionate Youth in Action, we are one of the groups which truly represent it. As compassionate youths, we try to reach out to the less fortunate elderly at AWWA. As compassionate youths, we try to do something for them so that their lives will be more enriched. As compassionate youths, we try to make them feel happier and wanted despite their situations or conditions.

This blog will consist of all the events and activities we had and will be doing or working with AWWA. We will certainly be updating it with more events and activities. Though our manpower is limited, though what we can give to the society is limited, however, with passion, persistence and determination, our strengths and effort will be able to help us to brave through all the difficulties and obstacles we face while trying to create a better life for these elderly.

We are recruiting volunteers! Interested?
As the title goes, we need more volunteers to help make the Home a better place for the elderly.

If you are interested, do drop us a tag (at our tagboard) with your particulars (i.e. name, email, course, class and which lesson you want to be part of (English or IT).

We will reply to you ASAP.

Want to know more?
Navigations are at the right.

You can get a knowledge of how we started on this project, our reflections, and of course, pictures! Just click the links located at the right.

Our Reflections

2008-08-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

I feel that everything has gone beyond my expectations; it started abruptly though. With the initial obstacle while finding an organization to work with for the ITABS module, I forecasted that there would be more problems coming. I remembered feeling extremely excited and nervous when AWWA first agreed for the visit. I was excited because it means that my project could be completed and nervous, for the wrong impression about the kind of elderly in a community home.

Nonetheless, of course, I was proven wrong for the biased impression I had of them. I felt a little ashamed after interacting and playing games with them for a few hours. I felt excited when AWWA agreed for the set-up of the computer room proposed by us though I did not know how I was going to do it. None of us were really IT expert. But things turn out smoothly and beyond expectations. We also stumbled on the English lesson, which we decided to bring it back since there were some elderly who had voiced out that they enjoy it. Everything turned out to be, luckily, not what I had predicted.

The laughter and smile that they gave to us are the little gifts that we take from them in return.

***

It is through PBL that my group and I came to know about AWWA community home for the elderly. The first thing that went straight into my head was questions such as “will it be difficult to communicate with them?” since the impression I had about them are that they are a group of grouchy people. But, I was proven wrong. During our first visit there, we get to know more about the home, its way of functioning and the types of facilities and activities that are available for the elderly. The elderly turn out to be different from my impression. They were very friendly and sociable.

We were given the opportunity to set up the half furbished computer room during our first visit and the idea of giving IT lessons to the elderly started forming in our heads. During our next visit, we thought of more activities that we can do with the elderly. We started planning about it. I am very excited to be able to play a part in doing something for the elderly.

Through the interactions we had with them, it made me reflect a lot. I feel that most youngsters have some misconceptions about the elderly.

One good example will be about the myths that elderly nags a lot. I beg to differ as I feel that this is one way for them to attract their families’ attention as they are lonely. I also think that the elderly are a nice group of people to work with.

Firstly, they can share lots of experiences with us, thus increasing our knowledge. They are nice people who will laugh and talk to us, unlike some who says that they are unreasonable and never laugh.

Also, seeing the happiness of their faces when we interact with them really makes me feel accomplished and motivated to contribute more in bringing happiness to their lives. They deserve happiness much like any of us and should be given a chance to age gracefully.

***

It has been an exhilarating journey so far, though we are only halfway there. If you asked me a few months back, I would never have thought I would be so deeply involved and attached to an organisation. Now after embarking on these two projects, there is always much to reflect everytime we visit the organisation.

Hearing the qualms and story the elderly have to share, seeing them idling their time away, all these left a huge imapact on me. I wanted to make their lives more meaningful, at least for the remaining years they have left on earth. Comparing them to my grandparents, I feel that our grandparents are lucky; at least my grandpa and grandma have kins to talk to, support them, and rely on. The senior citizens do not deserve to live in loneliness, and it is only right for us to give them the care, love and warmth they have missed all these years.

I feel their agony when they talk about how their children abandon them, how their only kins left earlier then them. Sometimes, all they need is for people to care about them. They need people to share their laughters with. And this project do just it. We reach out to them - and hopefully, after undergoing the lessons, they will feel that they are closer to the society, and realise that there are actually people who are concerned enough, willing to set aside time for them.

Like what many advertisements love to put, "a smile can make a difference", and I hope that with the two proposals we have come up will be a brushstroke of colour on the grey, barren canvas their lives have become.

***

Through the projects in Ngee Ann Polytechnics, I am able to know more about different organisations and their services.

The first time I went to AWWA, I did not really expect much. However, after subsequent sessions and interactions with the workers and the elderly there, we find that even as youths, we can contribute and play a part even in an elderly setting place.

Activities like befriending and even playing games can actually make the elderly there happy the whole day.

Although it is tough to hold a game session and talking to elderly who speak different dialects, I find myself enjoying with them and feel that the time spent is worthwhile.

Their Story...

2008-08-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

The journey began when the 4 of them were asked to find a community partner to work with for out ITABS and WRICOM project. At first, the 4 members faced many obstacles finding an organization to work with. However, thankfully, after a couple of tries, they managed to hook up with the Asian Women Welfare Association (AWWA) Community Home for the Elderly.

The Home provides accommodation for Singaporeans aged over 60 who are on public assistance or have no family or means of financial support. MORE >>

The group started with asking the organization questions about them which were related to Information Technology (IT) since they were embarking on their ITABS project. They were introduced to the place and thereby coming upon the room which changed their lives - an isolated, cluttered room which, surprisingly, contained 2 computer units, coupled with a wide range of devices.

However, the computers were not fixed up properly and the room was utterly disorganized. This group thought that it would be a waste of resources and space to leave this room at this state.

Thus, they proposed to set up a computer lab for the elderly.

Why?

Not only will it not waste the materials in the room, it is also a good chance for the elderly to pick up new skills, valuable in the 21st century. Additionally, this gives the senior citizens at the home another past time to participate in when they are feeling bored.

Undoubtedly, the person-in-charge, Julia, agreed immediately. She even recommended a volunteer IT expert to assist them with their proposal. Things went on smoothly with the help given by AWWA.

The computer room was duely cleared up and made into a conducive environment for IT lessons. You can see the difference before and after!

Soon, our computer lessons will commence.

They continued to work closely with AWWA.

One day, Julia passed them the activities schedule for the elderly. Member Cassie spotted a slot reserved for English lesson, and it stated there that volunteers were needed. Being rather interested with the idea of becoming a teacher, they went to enquire more about the English lessons only to realize that the lessons were stopped months ago due to the lack of manpower to teach.

After much consideration and thoughts, they came up with their second proposal - to bring back the English lessons. It was a tough call; they were not sure whether they had time to fully immerse themselves into this project, but on the other hand, Julia know that a few senior citizens had mentioned that they were quite sad that it was cancelled and a couple of others wanted to take up a new activity.

This entire thing had led to a new chapter in their lives when they stumbled upon it while trying to work on their projects. They had unknowingly put in time and effort with AWWA.

Their future plans (slated to start in end-August) include, firstly, teaching simple IT and computer skills to the senior citizens in the Home. And secondly, transforming to English teachers for a day to pass on some basic conversational English to the people who signed up.

Snapshots

2008-08-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Some photos snapped by our handy-dandy camera...

For more photos, visit HERE (:

Links/Tagboard

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Credits & Resources ♥

Fonts: Action Jackson, Pea Alisa, SF Movie Poster, Ventura Edding
Brushes:

Layout Copyrighted (c) 2008 Strawberries, all rights reserved.

A blog specially for NP School of Humanities, project CYA.

For more information, feel free to contact anyone of us.

Cassie jyi_gwen@hotmail.com
Pearlyn icy-illusions@hotmail.com
Huifang huifang-@hotmail.com

Tagboard ♥

Tagboard will be up soon! Sorry for the inconvenience :(