
Two sessions of fundraisers were co-organised by the mentors and mentees to raise funds for their Service Learning project to bless the community with gift packs. The project concept involved the sale of hand-made bracelets and a bracelet ‘buffet’ that customers can choose from to make DIY (do-it-yourself) bracelets. The fundraisers provided platforms for mentees to be more proactive and undertake more ownership where some mentees walked around the canteen to publicise and initiate mobile sales of the bracelets.
To instil a sense of ownership and in empowering the mentees, the profits made were channelled to purchase food and necessities for the chosen groups of beneficiaries such as cleaners, migrant workers and the elderly. The objective of the event was to encourage a sense of responsibility towards the hidden communities in their neighbourhood through intentional appreciation. Therefore, the planning phase included discussions to identify the hidden communities and their real needs. On the actual day, 11 mentees and their mentors distributed a total of 33 gift packs around their school vicinity at Hougang.
One highlight of the event would be to witness the mentees step out of their comfort zone to approach the chosen beneficiaries through partnership and affirmation from their mentors. Mentors also displayed comfortability in providing a safe space for their mentees to be challenged and nurtured whether in success or failure during distribution of gift packs to the public.
“Many of the mentees who we initially thought would not take well to the activity proved to be up to the task, requiring little push from the mentors, and genuinely surprised us. Also, due to the SL process focusing on individual mentor-mentee interactions, most, if not all, of the mentors and mentees have gotten much closer.”
– Daniel Yip, 26, James Cook University, M.Y Mentoring Mentor
“In my opinion, I feel that most of them did truly enjoyed the Service Learning program. Although some of them might be too shy to take the first step, some might be clueless of what to do, others might “act tough” and pretend that they do not like it but at the end of the day, it was heart-warming to see them try their best to fulfil what was tasked for the day.”
– Cynthia Ku, 22, James Cook University, M.Y Mentoring Mentor
As Cynthia reflected on her mentee’s growth through the programme, she shared too about her journey on leadership.
“After being part of the SL team, I’ve actually learnt the importance of having a leader. I used to feel that having a leader is unnecessary because apart from having someone to be responsible in everything that’s going on (which is not really the best thing), there’s really nothing great about being one, especially since it kind of make members feel that you are “higher” than them and all the weird feelings. However, after this program, I truly understand the importance of having a leader and I’m glad I did.
I learnt that the leader sets the pace and mood of the whole team. While it is true that democracy should be practiced among teams, a leader can still lead without having to be “higher” than anyone. With a leader, it helps not only to motivate the members but also engulf a sense of responsibility in everyone because he or she takes ownership of the whole project and that is truly very important.”
– Cynthia Ku, 22, James Cook University, M.Y Mentoring Mentor
Information
Date:
Thursday
Time:
3pm – 5pm
Venue:
Guangyang Secondary School and Yuying Secondary School
What you can do:
- Be a mentor Assist in programme coordination
- Sponsor training so more mentors can be trained
- Share your life stories as an invited speaker, on career choices, decision-making, perseverance, resilience, and how to achieve life goals.
Join us today either as a participant or a volunteer!