Nanyang Technological University

The Kisan Union, Co-Founder

In my second year of university, I met my fellow co-founder through Enactus NTU and together we co-founded a social enterprise called The Kisan Union.

Kisan is based in rural India and its purpose is to bridge the last mile information gap, by bringing essential information, services and products to the doorstep of every villager where these may not be easily accessible. The product is a kiosk hardware device powered by solar energy. It provides basic Internet and Intranet services and more importantly, access to e-governance services, bill payments and other services. Due to its versatility as a kiosk, it can be adapted to provide other services such as banking and telemedicine. The solution is more than just a kiosk hardware device — it is an opportunity to empower the poor financially. The kiosk is run by an operator, which means that each kiosk will create 1 new job.

I was actively involved in the fundraising aspect of the social enterprise, given my limited knowledge of what is happening on the ground. I have helped and led the team to win over $30,000 in funding and we are currently operational in Andhra Pradesh, with 2 employees. Pitching competitions won and other funding secured:  

Kisan is also featured in multiple press releases:

Conjunct Consulting, Associate Consultant
I volunteered as an associate consultant at Conjunct Consulting to provide pro-bono consultancy services for non-profit organisations and social enterprises in Singapore in the areas of financial sustainability, human capital development, operations management, impact assessment and strategic planning. I worked in a team of 6 to develop a high-level brand strategy and internal branding collateral for a leading cancer support organization in Singapore.

Other activities:

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Growing up in a low-income family, I always believed in the power of education, determination and hard work. I was always driven by the need to change my family’s lives for the better.

As a student from the normal academic stream studying in NTU, I believe it’s my responsibility to give back to the community. To give an opportunity and a voice to youths; who like me, would not have had the opportunity to have their dreams come to fruition. I strongly believe in providing educational support and equal opportunities to all.

Temporary Academic Assistance (TAA) (Apr 2020 – present)
www.instagram.com/TAASingapore
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/university-students-volunteer-tuition-covid-19-hbl-12642366

When the Singapore government announced school closures in favor of Home-Based Learning (HBL), it took me back to the time when I was in secondary school. I recalled the countless times I required additional help from my teachers after school.

I recognized that the amount of aid I could offer as an individual was limited to a handful of students. This problem inspired me to establish an initiative called Temporary Academic Assistance (TAA).

TAA is a community-driven initiative whose aim is to alleviate both students’ and educators’ stress in these difficult times. Volunteers simply need to contribute a minimum of 30 minutes to help clarify concepts and topics students might have trouble with understanding.

To date, more than 1,000 volunteers ranging from students, educators and professionals have signed up. Collectively, the volunteers have promised over 1,300 volunteering hours. Almost 100 students have benefitted from this initiative. TAA is also currently in discussion with various NGO’s to ensure that low-income students will receive support, even after the HBL measures have lifted.

Access Singapore (June 2019 – Present)
https://www.access-sg.co

Access Singapore is a ground-up organisation that provides career exposure opportunities to low-income secondary school students from the normal academic streams. With 4 quarterly programs, students will experience – Access Insights, Access Externships and Access Mentorships.

As one of the directors of the programs team, we have developed an enriching program based on MOE’s Education and Career Guidance (ECG). We have successfully completed 2 pilot runs and have impacted a total of 46 students from 6 secondary schools. We have also partnered with a total of 15 corporate partners such as PWC, NYC, GIC and more for the Access Insights and Externships.

The First Step (Jan 2019 – Jan 2019)
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/disconnnect-between-qualities-valued-by-fresh-graduates-11186268

With the same beliefs of equal opportunity for all, The First Step (TFS) was established. I was involved with TFS during my term as a Welfare Executive (Student Life) in the NTU Students’ Union (NTUSU). As an organising committee member of this project, we aimed to spark a national conversation with regards to hiring practices.

TFS is Singapore’s first inter-varsity students’ union-led conference on the topic of employment strategies and practices. The conference serves as a platform for undergraduates across Singapore to exchange ideas regarding the holistic assessment of graduates during the hiring process.  The Patron and Guest of Honour of the conference was Minister for Education, Mr Ong Ye Kung accompanied by a total of 300 CEOs and human resource leads.

Other Projects:
NTUSU Integrated Career Opportunities Network (ICON) (July 2019 – Present)
To continue championing career-related equal opportunity issues, I am currently the co-chairperson of ICON. We are currently working on a joint-internship platform to help students affected by the Covid-19 situation.

Project Yêu (June 2018 – June 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRawE2Q9UOI&feature=youtu.be

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I am passionate about volunteering in diverse fields, ranging from Education, the Environment to Social Causes like Mental Health.

My volunteering journey started in 2010, after I visited a young boy with Cerebral Palsy at an orphanage in Malacca. I left the orphanage with a heavy heart, feeling like there was so much more that could be done. Since then, I have always been on the lookout for volunteering opportunities, both locally and abroad. I have participated in humanitarian efforts in Cambodia as well as Service Learning Projects in Sichuan.

As a freshman in NTU, I was exposed to numerous volunteering opportunities during the orientation camps - including visits to old folks home and food donation drives. It made me realize the abundance of opportunities there were to contribute back to society as an undergraduate student.

1. Education  

NBS-Sichuan Service Learning Project [2017-2018]
During my freshman year, I volunteered as Business Manager for the NBS Sichuan Service Learning project, an annual collaboration with Shuangdong-Nanyang Primary School in Sichuan Province. Together, our team managed to raise $8,500 in revenue through careful planning and execution of fundraising events. During our summer break, we flew over to Sichuan for two weeks to teach the students English. While we could only be there for a short period, it was heartening to bond with the students and watch them gain a newfound interest and appreciation for the language.

Welfare Services Club (Youth) Regular Service Project @ Boy’s Town [2018-2020]
The following semester, I joined the Welfare Services Club Youth Committee to volunteer at Boys Town. Boy’s Town is a Charity based in Singapore which helps Children and Youth in need. Every Monday after school, our team will travel to Boy’s Town to provide 1-1 tuition services for the students residing there. On top of academic assistance, we also provide them with a listening ear and advice on how to cope with school. Having personally benefited from peer tutoring in the past, I was keen to give back to the younger generation.

2. Environment 

La Mer Blue Heart [2019]
During my internship with Estee Lauder Companies, I participated in their annual beach cleaning initiative. Witnessing a group of like-minded people collectively clean up a trash-ridden beach in a day inspired me to do more for the environment.


Love Our Wetlands Waiheke [2019]
During my student exchange programme in New Zealand, I volunteered for their local causes in the form of the Love Our Wetlands Waiheke initiative. The project, led and guided by local experts, works toward the ecological restoration and protection of 4 significant wetland habitats and surrounding environments on Waiheke Island. Our team collectively planted over 300 trees around the island. 

3. Social Causes   

Mental Health 2019
As part of my Undergraduate Research Programme on Campus (URECA) programme, I participated in a poster exhibition and competition. My exhibition on the topic of eating disorders - titled “Beauty Comes in All Shapes and Sizes: But Only Thinness Sells?” - won all three awards in the Social Science category. I was grateful for the opportunity to share my own struggles, and glad that many students who were there reached out to thank me for raising awareness about this rather taboo topic in Asian societies.

After the competition, I took it on my own to share this experience on the Internet. With the power of social media, these posts received a collective reach of over 50,000 people and lots of positive feedback from those struggling with eating disorders. Suffice to say, this journey in combating the stigma of mental health is far from over, but it is one I will continue to play my part in.

YWCA Empowering Mums Project [2020]
In my final year as an undergraduate student, I participated in the annual Empowering Mums project dedicated to empowering mothers from low-income families to improve their employability from a holistic view. Together with my mentor and several make-up artists, we helped to provide makeover services to 13 mothers to leave a positive impression on their future employers at their graduation ceremony.

My experiences have taught me not to underestimate the mark a single footprint can leave. As much as I have done my best to leave footprints of kindness wherever I go, I have also received so much in return from these diverse groups of beneficiaries. Empathy is something that cannot be learnt from the textbooks, and I am glad that NBS has provided me with such a holistic learning experience.

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Growing up, I have been an avid believer of giving back to the society. With my humble background, I intend to amalgamate both passion for helping the environment and people through volunteering and active participation in events.

Primary & Secondary School Adventures
Inspired by the occasional trips my late-grandma and I made to pick up litter by the beaches, my pursuit for a green environment commenced. As an active member of the Green Club in Primary school, I learnt a lot about the nature and how much our small action impacts the planet. Whilst on that journey, I was exposed to numerous opportunities to give back to the various communities in our society. One of which that I vividly recall was the NKF Fundraising activities, which kickstarted my passion for volunteering. Through Project Vibrant Colors 2009, a semester long program, I guided my team across volunteering sessions with Metta Home for the disabled, Red-Cross and other innovative fund-raising events. This gave me an opportunity to learn more about myself.  

Tertiary & Working Adventures
I took this passion for volunteering off-shore, as a 2013 Serve Batam Community Service-Trip leader with Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Aside from literally laying the bricks for one of schools to build the foundation of their kitchen, we immersed in a cultural exchange activity where we taught the children English and how to brush their teeth. The week-long trip humbled us much more and fueled the volunteering spirits in us.  

As I ventured onto full-time employment in 2016, I was given an opportunity lead my associates in a food-pack distribution event with Red-Cross. One of the most memorable conversations with a beneficiary was when he told me to wait, as he got dressed and styled his hair to receive the food-pack. The smile he had in that moment was heartwarming.

With my pursuit for further education in NTU, I was blessed with opportunities to directly interact with beneficiaries from MINDS through the Welfare Service Club (WSC) since 2017. An incident that brought tears to my eyes was when a beneficiary whom I have not seen in a year, hugged me and even remembered my name. It highlighted to me the lasting-impact of our interactions and how long of a way it goes.  

Some Achievements
In 2018, my team and I emerged in the Top 2 for a Market Behavior module’s case project that was tasked around the innovative use of an alternate form of environmentally-plastic. The motivating factor for the team was that it was an excellent platform to save the environment through application of concepts taught in school. We even came up with a prototype, advertisement video and tested the practicality of our idea.

Driven by that energy in 2020, my team of 3 placed as the National Semi-finalists for L'Oréal Brandstorm which was themed around the innovative ways to reduce and eliminate the use of plastic in packaging. It forced us to think innovatively yet sustainably. With the guidance of Prof Elison Lim and Prof Lewis, we made our pitches to the judges.

In more recent times this 2020, I have commenced a #SupportWithLove initiative, by my brand #HamBrand, which was aimed at assisting people who are affected by the Covid-19 situation. Through online-tutoring services, guiding people with the various applications for grants they may qualify for, and doing their grocery shopping for them (prior to the Circuit-Breaker), it gave me an opportunity to give back to the society.

I believe initiatives & actions which starts from our hearts leaves its impact.

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When I first entered NTU, I had the privilege of meeting seniors who introduced me to the myriad volunteering opportunities that I can explore. As someone who did not have much exposure to volunteerism before, I was intrigued at how fulfilling one small favour for a beneficiary can invoke boundless joy within them. As I ventured into different disciplines of volunteerism, I realised that I had developed a passion for it, allowing me to foster a better understanding of the needs of others and have a better appreciation the projects that I undertake.

Throughout my journey in NTU, I managed to observe the dedication and conviction of various leaders in the projects that they served. These leaders had inspired me to become more confident in voicing out my opinions on the social issues that are prevalent in the community, be it in a local setting or overseas. As I gradually took up leadership roles in projects that sought to alleviate social issues, I found like-minded individuals whom I had the privilege of working alongside with for many of my projects.

I believe that as we dive deeper into community service, it is important to connect with caregivers and beneficiaries. This would allow an individual to build on virtues such as empathy, patience and modesty, thereby enhancing life skills that are essential in our daily lives. At the same time, we should consider empowering our peers and youths today as to seek out new opportunities in volunteerism. These empowered individuals may eventually join us as changemakers and in turn, the visibility of community service will continue to improve in Singapore.

Volunteering Experiences
These were the projects and avenues that I had utilised to explore social issues as a volunteer:

Rotaract Club of NTU
My passion for volunteerism was ignited when I first joined this club. During the first two years in NTU, I participated in Project PYAW which sought to improve the lives of the children in a school in Myanmar by enriching their education and equipping them with essential life skills.
Subsequently, I took up the role of a President of the club in AY2019/20. The club comprises 7 divisions which either tackles issues on different aspects of community service or providing a platform for members to nurture their individual skills. Together with my Board of Directors, we managed to carry out projects that alleviated social issues for janitors, migrant workers, elderly and displaced children in the local community.

Project PYAW
Project PYAW is an annual project that allows students from NTU to embark on an Overseas Community Involvement Programme to enhance the educational resources and infrastructure of school in a local village of Myanmar. 
When I first joined my peers and seniors in this project, I did not know what to expect because I had no prior experience in community service. As such, the preparations I had made before we commenced on our project was primarily based on the needs and support that I had wanted as a child.

It was only when I immersed myself in the spirit of giving during the trip that I realised that there is so much more that we can help the school with. Because of the sustainable efforts in developing the school over the years, we were able to provide the students with suitable enrichment programmes and tailor the teaching materials to cater to their needs in the subsequent year. Going forward, the leaders of the project can consider how the curriculum can be restructured to provide more meaningful sessions with the students.

Huat Ah Huat
This event was a pioneer initiative that aimed to encourage volunteerism within NTU through the invitation of over 120 elderly participants across 5 senior day care centres under NTUC Health. Through this event, the seniors were exposed to active ageing programmes and most importantly, commemorate Chinese New Year together with their beloved friends and caregivers.

NTU Welfare Services Club, Deaf Community
The Regular Service Project for the Deaf Community (RSPDC) is a portfolio under the Welfare Services Club that conducts weekly tuition programmes for deaf children and holds around three events that seek to raise awareness about the deaf community while allowing the participants to immerse themselves in fun-filled activities.

As a member of the club, I was able to pick up the basics of sign language and had the chance of conversing with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who could only communicate through signing. Over the course of the year, I was assigned to tutor a Secondary 4 student who has hard-of-hearing and was exposed to the difficulties in learning that he had. Together with my peers, we also got to engage the public through song signing performances during the festive period of December and conduct two events – Sparkz and HiSg – that strengthen ties between us and the deaf culture.

Beyond Social Services
Over the past 2 years, I had worked with Beyond Social Services to help low-income families through two different projects. As these families are usually only able to afford their children’s basic education, for the first project, my team and I provided a learning journey opportunity for a few primary school children at the Singapore Science Centre. The second project had me providing food hampers to a few families residing in Lengkok Bahru together with a team known as WhatTheBro during the festive period of Chinese New Year.

Kids’ World 2018
Kids’ World 2018 was a 4-day event prepared by the Volunteer Management Committee of the Welfare Services Club. It was an annual event that exposes underprivileged children to the Singapore community while picking up valuable skills through various enrichment workshops.
Being a volunteer of the event, I was able to participate in the various programmes and activities, which led me to have meaningful conversations and exchanges with a few children. I also managed to establish the link between the less privileged children in Myanmar and Singapore, allowing me to better empathise and provide better aid for each group in the future.

I do hope that both incoming and current students of NTU can spend more time to find out how they can play their part in serving the community. In NTU, there are many avenues for students to actively engage with the community such as through the activities in the multitude of clubs and student initiatives. The various activities undertaken by the nominees of this award show us the diverse social issues that each of us can seek to address. Just by making one small contribution, we can improve the life of one more person. 

“Success in volunteerism is not determined by how great the implementations were, but in how deeply you had touched the lives of others”
– Khwang Jun De

Additional Links:
https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/seeingbeyondourselves/2018/12/11/project-pyaw/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClRZbioIHQqfU39zTekywHw

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What is social responsibility? Four years ago, I had no idea – this was too complex a concept to think about. I am glad, however, that the experiences I amassed throughout my journey in university had given me a simple answer to this question.  

Welfare Services Club – Overseas Volunteering Expedition (OVE)

I joined the NTU Welfare Services Club’s OVE committee during my freshman year. The motivation was simple – inspired by past overseas CIP experiences, I hoped to bring joy to people from another part of the world, while also experiencing their meaning of happiness. This OVE journey took us on a 14-day trip to Prey Veng, Cambodia, in collaboration with Operation Hope Foundation (OHF). In Prey Veng, we constructed two homes and interacted with children at Hope Village Prey Veng, a children’s home affiliated with OHF. But beyond these things that we did, it was what we felt that truly inspired – the feeling of pride when 2 families moved into their new homes; the feeling of joy at seeing smiles on the faces of little Messi-s and Ronaldo-s, as they enjoy themselves in a mini sports carnival; and most importantly, the feeling of gratitude at what we have back home.

I had learnt much from the trip, and I was eager for more – this motivated me to take up a second year in OVE, this time round stepping up as the financial controller and one of four senior members in the team. On the back of our first experience, we wanted to do more – in particular, we moved to tackle two major criticisms concerning OCIPs.

First, the impact issue – the impact of OCIPs are limited and unsustainable; our “learning” far surpasses our “service”. In response, we looked at means to inject sustainability into our cause. This culminated in our initiatives to affix mosquito nets on windows of children’s bedrooms at Hope Village to improve sleeping conditions; and to share simple financial management tips to older children. More importantly, this represented a significant step in instilling the mindset of “sustainability” in future OVE batches.

Second, why channel resources overseas when we have communities in need back home? We see OCIPs as a means to inculcate the spirit of volunteerism, and ultimately commit to local volunteering back home. To that end, we kickstarted regular volunteering sessions at the Metta Home for the Disabled, as part of our year-long buildup to the main expedition. This goes a long way in establishing Singapore as a caring society – one that leaves no man behind, one that bands together in the face of challenges.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside like-minded individuals in OVE - it had been an incredible journey.

Serving the “unconventional” way

To me, serving goes beyond the traditionally popular notions of volunteering. In fact, I have grasped opportunities to include service as part of my student life.

During my internship at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), I partook in organizing the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2019. As part of our nation’s push toward sustainability and green finance, SFF 2019 included an inaugural sustainability, finance and tech segment to create mindshare amongst participants about the urgency of climate change and the role of finance in this battle. The experience was eye-opening: from curating content to inviting global leaders and experts to speak at this stage, I am proud to have contributed. And this creates an impact that is wholly different from OVE - while indirect and not instantly felt, it is impacting lives at a broader level, for the long term.

And finally, back in school - NBS, the community that educated us, developed us, prepared us for our future. Thus, I have always tried to give back, and I am not alone on this journey. Together with like-minded friends, we tried many things – expanding avenues for academic help, trying to improving student life. Some initiatives were successful; others failed. But at the end of the day, we are proud to have contributed to a more vibrant, sharing culture in our school. The message here is simple: never, never forget our roots.

What is social responsibility? To me, being socially responsible means giving my best and doing my all to uplift the lives of those around me – those whom I can impact. It is with this belief that I’ve always tried, in my own small ways, to contribute to society; and looking back, I am happy to have left my personal legacy. 

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I was exposed to volunteering since my secondary school days where I had the opportunity to serve as a peer tutor for students who needed academic help at Kent Ridge Secondary School. Throughout my secondary school and Junior College days, I participated in several adhoc volunteering events, including visits to SWAMI Home and Ren Ci Hospital. I was involved in planning activities like mini performances and arts and crafts to engage the elderly.

After entering NTU, I made the commitment to volunteer actively and regularly.

Welfare Services Club – RSP (Operation Hope)
I decided to join RSP Operation Hope in my first year and stayed on throughout my university life as I wanted to make a conscious effort to volunteer regularly and I cared deeply for the plight of children with chronic illnesses, which turned out to be an important turning point in my life.

As a member, I took part in the planning of annual events with partner organisations like Club Rainbow (Singapore) and Viriya Community Services such as Viriya Community Services’ Christmas Carnival where I helped to come up with carnival games to engage the children and acted as a befriender or station master at these events.

As a regular volunteer, I served as a Play Personnel weekly under Children’s Cancer Foundation from 2017 to 2019 where I engaged cancer patients through games or crafts activities at National University Hospital. Through these interactions, I hoped to provide emotional support by acting as a trusted friend that they can look up to, serving to bring some joy to their lives.

From 2019 to 2020, I volunteered regularly under Club Rainbow (Singapore) at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Under Club Rainbow (Singapore), I served as a Befriender Tutor for children with chronic illnesses and sought to expand new programs like an early childhood education program for the beneficiaries. I would willingly volunteer my time whenever the opportunity arises. Throughout my experiences, I sought to put a smile on the face of every child I worked with, to give them strength amidst the tough times and to help relieve their parents of their tiring duty for a little while. Seeing the determination of these children has taught me to appreciate the things I have and to always stay strong and remain positive.

In my 2nd Year, I served as the Financial Secretary, managing the club’s finances to ensure the smooth running of all activities. In my 4th Year, I served as the Vice-Chairperson (External) where I assisted in the expansion of volunteering opportunities under KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and led the club in activities alongside the Chairperson. I helped to oversee events like Build-a-Bear sessions where we taught members how to handsew bears as gifts for our beneficiaries and Social Impact Week where we set up a booth to raise awareness on children with chronic illnesses, correcting misconceptions and helping NTU students gain a better understanding on what these children face. I also worked with external organisations such as Club Rainbow (Singapore) and Viriya Community Services to organize annual events like Club Rainbow’s Caregivers’ Appreciation Day and Whispering Hearts Year-End Celebration. These events served to celebrate the efforts and successes of these families and give them an enjoyable memory.

Welfare Services Club – RSP (Intellectually Disabled)

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Neo Hui Min

Creating change starts with us. My volunteering causes change in accordance with my life experiences - mainly because I, or someone close to me, have personally witnessed the problem(s) that come close to my heart. This ranges from peer tutoring, befriending elderlies at various health organisations, initiating various projects like school-wide environmental initiative to singing Christmas carols at concert hall to raise funds for charity organisations.

What further affirmed my desire to step up efforts in raising a caring and active society was an event I attended two years ago. I am grateful to be invited by Bank of Singapore to hear former US president Obama speak at a private event in 2018. In the event, Mr Obama shared his values, beliefs, and his interest in promoting change and development in society. What inspired me most was this – “Our success is when we can make the world into a better place. It is not just by wishing, but by having a vision to make it happen.”  Upholding a vision to pay it forward, some initiatives that I have taken are as follow:

Leveraging my passion in music and art, I participated in a nationwide hospital project entitled Artwards at Yishun Community Hospital since 2016.  Through organising weekly art workshops, the team would tap into a myriad of creative tools and create a safe, imaginative space for the patients to share their ideas, feelings, and experiences. Then, we engage patients in making art products through painting, drawing and origami. This programme is meaningful as we facilitate therapeutic artistic expression that enhances patients’ mental and physical well-being. At the same time, the session provides a platform for the patients to express themselves freely through arts, thus alleviating their loneliness and pain. The ongoing project has engaged over 300 volunteers and 3000 participants weekly. Apart from this, I have volunteered for other programmes, such as Music Infusion, to get patients reminisce about happy memories acquainted with the songs. Amid the challenges of an ageing population, I hope to play my part in promoting active ageing through music and visual arts.  

Besides, I have been a volunteer at National Kidney Foundation since 2019. My role is to provide the patients a listening ear and engage them in games and activities. 

During the Covid-19 period, I was a volunteer in-charge, where I led different groups in a meal distribution initiative under Touch to homebound senior citizens, who usually live alone. Volunteers would go door-to-door to deliver lunch and dinner to meet the daily needs of senior citizens.

One of my overseas community service trips was to Angel Charity Home, an orphanage in Malacca. As a team, we helped in repainting, taught Arts & Crafts, as well as chaperoned the children on outings. Till now, I could still remember the children’s smiles and am deeply gratified by their palpable sense of gratitude and contagious positive spirit. My other overseas volunteer opportunities in boys’ home and nursing home in Malaysia and China respectively have also made me more appreciative for all the privileges I have enjoyed. In future, I aspire to continue to positively impact my community.

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I first began my volunteering journey in 2013, when I was still in Junior College and my Co-Curriculum Activity (CCA) -Guitar Ensemble- embarked on a Community Involvement Project with the Young Men’s Christian Associations (YMCA) to teach the special needs adults (buddies) basic guitar skills. From then onwards, did I found my passion in volunteering and decided to continue benefitting more buddies as I believe that even the smallest actions from us can make an impact on them.

I always believed that we should not choose whom we help and have since then, tried to volunteer with buddies of all needs. On a more personal note, close friends have frequently asked me if it was because of my older brother, whom is a special-needs, that ignited my passion in volunteering. While my older brother had taught me to have lots of patience and might partially have contributed to this volunteering spirit of mine, I think the main driver keeping me going is seeing the buddies growing and empowered from our guidance. A simple thank you from them really warms the heart and reaffirm me to keep contributing back to them.

Till date, I have befriended buddies from various needs – Special needs, Elderly, Visually handicapped, Deaf, Underprivileged children, Migrant workers- and is hoping to have the opportunity soon to befriend friends with mental health conditions. My volunteering journey will be listed chronologically below and I do hope it will inspire more people to join me in giving back to the society.

2013-2015: YMCA- Y Guitar: Teaching buddies from Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) basic guitar skills and guiding them to become more confident with themselves by bringing them for small scale performances such as performing during YMCA Y Proms event. Although the program subsequently got terminated due to manpower issues, the experience at Y Guitar has inspired me to continue to other programs as well.

2015- 2017: YMCA- Y Food for Love (Y FOL): Teaching underprivileged children basic baking skills and bringing them out for occasional outings. As these children do not have much opportunities to be exposed to new skills and to visit places that they might not have the opportunities to do so with their families, we frequently have to come up with new ideas to ensure the children are constantly exposed to new things to maximise their learning exposures.

2016-2018: Healthserve- Healthserve is a Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) that aims to provide aid for migrant workers whom have encountered difficulties (e.g. injured during work) in Singapore and are unable to seek help from anyone else. These workers are usually unfairly treated by their employers and are helpless on their own in a foreign land. While I am not professionally trained to give any form of legal, medical or social help, I believe that my befriending with them was a form of comfort for most of them as well as I feel that it is important that they know that there are still people caring for them in their times of need. Together with my peers, we frequently organise activities and events for them as well to keep them engage as they are unable to return to work and is usually unoccupied on most days.

2016-2019: YMCA- Y Camp: An overnight 3D2N camp that was previously held every quarter year for buddies from various VWOs. I started out as a member in June 2016 Y Camp as a programs & logistics committee member for the camp and it has given me the opportunity to work with many like-minded volunteers. Over a span of 6 months, lots of planning and meetings were required to organise a camp so that we were able to plan a smooth-sailing camp for the buddies. Planning an event is never easy, much less an overnight camp for buddies of varying needs but it has no doubt taught me lots of resilience and to view things from various perspectives as I took on various roles including Group Leader, First Aider and also the Main Committee during my journey of planning for numerous Y Camps.

2017: Overseas CIP @ Laos with Home of Light (HOL)- Over at HOL, we befriended the visually-handicapped children and taught them basic guitar skills, art and crafts, computer skills and built a library for them as well with sensory cues such as 3D-walls that guide the children around the place. After we return from Laos, we embarked on a local CIP here, teaching the Visually handicapped some basic cooking skills with enhanced safety measures put in place.

2017-present: YMCA-Y Outing: As part of the Core Volunteers Group (CVG) of Y Outing, we had to plan for monthly (now every two months) outings for our adult buddies at APSN whom are out in the workforce currently and joins us back for our activities to keep themselves engaged and experience new activities as well that they might not have the opportunity to do so back at home. We plan various types of activities from outdoor hiking to baking to bowling to even soap making (if sponsored) that really broaden the buddies’ exposure to the world. Besides work, our buddies rarely have the opportunities to do any other activities and are usually looking forward to the activities that we planned for them. It brings me great joy to see them thoroughly enjoying themselves each time.

2017-present: NTU Welfare Services Club (Deaf Community)- I started learning sign language after watching the 2016 National Day where they incorporated sign language into the celebration and thought that it would be a good skill to learn. After matriculating into NTU, I found out about the WSC (Deaf Community) portfolio and decided to join it to befriend the Deaf and to put what I learnt to good use as well. I started off as a member whom gives regular tuition to a deaf primary school student and my portfolio frequently have various events that raise awareness for the Deaf (from children to older adults) and chance for us to befriend and empower the Deaf. In my second year in NTU and my portfolio, I progressed on to be the Chairperson of WSC (Deaf Community) as I strongly believe in the cause that we serve and wish to contribute back even more by guiding the next batch of juniors to empower the Deaf together and influence more people to feel the same way. Although I have stepped down now, I return regularly to help out and hope to still be able to influence the new batch of juniors to feel the same way that I feel for the Deaf Community.

2019-present: NTU Welfare Services Club (Publicity and Publication)- For my final year in NTU, I hope to have the opportunity to learn new skills and yet be exposed to various groups of buddies. Hence, I joined as a member in the WSC PnP team to learn photography skills and cover events for the entire WSC. This way, I am also able to learn from various volunteers by observing their interactions with the buddies and capturing the beautiful memories forged with their buddies.

My volunteering journey have certainly been fruitful as I got to befriend many buddies and not only teach them lots of skills but most importantly, empower them to be a better self. Volunteering should not be seen as a one-way relationship: you giving your time and effort to someone less fortunate to help them but rather it should be seen as an interaction and relationship between both parties. I can certainly say that I have learnt a lot more from the buddies, whom are always optimistic and resilient despite the difficulties they face, and also from selfless volunteers whom dedicate their time and effort to give the very best experience to their buddies.

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