Learning Journey to Simei Care Centre

On 15 November 2013, the 4th Saints Advocate had a Learning Journey trip to Simei Care Centre, which is a rehabilitation center for people with mental disorders. This was a meaningful and eye-opening learning journey as we had the opportunity to understand more about these people, and the mental illnesses that make them patients. From this experience, we also learnt to open our hearts and to remove our own stigmas that we unknowingly had concerning these patients.

4th Saints Advocate, visiting Simei Care Centre, filled with excitement!

My takeaways from the trip to Simei Care Centre:

1. I learnt that we are susceptible to such mental illnesses too and a substantial number of in-patients used to be professionals and very accomplished in their career or studies. They have the capabilities of normal people and most importantly, they are normal people, the same as you and I. In line with this, we should respect them and not discriminate against them.  Stress can get to us and we might also be victims of mental illnesses, which is why even as we have no right to judge them, we should care for them and help them recover. (Plus, we should try to control our stress level!)

2. It is difficult for them to get back to society/the workforce due to the social stigma. It is difficult to find jobs but nevertheless many of them try their best, and some do manage to become independent and rebuild their lives. A lot of them have the ability and skill to work, if only given a chance. I think if ever I become an employer, I will surely not discriminate against such applicants and I will give them a chance to prove themselves.

3. Their handicrafts are important to them for earning a living, and is also done to enable them for better recovery and to remain active. It is with great effort that they hand-make most of the items in the MOSES Gift Shop. Therefore, buying these items encourages them and also helps them sustain a living. Hence for us, we should do our best in selling their items during Friendship Week, and also share the message of their plight (the social discrimination that presses down on them, instead of the social encouragement that should be helping them up). Even if the items are quite expensive, it is also with great expense that they were able to craft these items.

4. SIMEI Care Centre is a meaningful VWO because it helps these patients settle back to society. It helps cure these people and believes in them. That's why, now whenever I advocate for SCC, I will do it with more compassion and drive.

-Lynn Monique Co, 4th Saints Advocate

Donation Drive for Haiyan Typhoon Survivors

From 13 – 15 November 2013, the Saints Advocate planned and executed a money collection drive to help the Haiyan Typhoon survivors. The typhoon indeed caused tremendous destruction to the lives of people in the Philippines. With the heart to help and the courage to gather the school in the donation drive, we successfully collected over $2500 in one day. All of the funds went directly to Mercy Relief to buy necessities for the survivors. The Saints Advocate would like to thank the school, teachers and students who have played significant roles in achieving this success.

Upon seeing the images and videos about the Haiyan typhoon, what struck me the most were pictures of the homeless, the orphaned and the dying who had lost their homes, their family, and had everything taken by the deadly typhoon. While they are desperately struggling to survive in the Philippines, we are leading comfortable sheltered lives here in Singapore. If all our wealth and capability meant anything in the face of such a natural disaster, it would be that we have the ability to help our neighbours in the times of need. 

One of our CCA teachers-in-charge brought up an opportunity to work with Mercy Relief. Within a short duration of two nights, we planned our fund collection including getting the donation cans from Mercy Relief and engaging the teachers and students in SAJC in the donation. Given the fact that the collection was held during the last week of school, there was no time for us to hesitate or procrastinate. This was the first time I volunteered myself to make the announcement in front of the entire school. Though I often have stage fright, this time I was not scared and nervous because I knew that this would be the only chance to reach out to the students. I am thankful that the responses from the students were very positive and encouraging. 

This donation drive is one of the only ways we as students can help better the lives of the survivors. I hope that the amount we raised can bring joy to the survivors’ lives. Though we cannot bring back what they have lost, I do believe that our effort will tell them that they are not alone in the wake of the natural disaster, where everything has been laid waste to, our desire to help still stands. This intangible support, I hope, will give them strength to overcome the difficulties they are facing. 

Carrying out the donation drive in school

I am also very grateful to have the chance to work in this emergency task force where everyone has to be disciplined and on task all the time. I learnt the procedures of fund raising and have pushed myself forward to advocate for the less fortunate in the Philippines. Confidence and a deep sense of compassion are the most important lessons I have learnt.

-Do Khanh Vy 13S17, 4th Saints Advocate

Project Acknowledgement: Behind the Scenes

From 22 August to 5 September 2013, our Saints Advocates have organised various events to engage the students in appreciating the Non-teaching staff (NTS) in our school. With the theme “Behind the scene” and catchphrase “Catch them in Action”, we hoped that the student population would realise the paramount importance of the NTS’ job even if we may not see them frequently.

Project Acknowledgement task-force

I felt that Project Acknowledgement had been a really eye opening and unforgettable experience.  I felt that I’ve learned so much from this project. Before this, I thought this project was rather small scale as it was conducted in school, however after this experience; I’ve learned that it was a really important project! The success of whether the NTS got acknowledged or not, lay in our hands. So I really wanted our project to be different but yet delivered the same message as the previous years.

I feel that our project had some pretty strong points. Such as that we came up with our project’s theme, and what tasks we were gonna carry out on our very first meeting, and basically the whole outline of the project was already formed. Thus, we were able to draft a proposal. We also had a lot of time to search for ways to encourage the student body to interact and acknowledge the NTS.

Our Project Acknowledgement poster! :)

We also faced many difficulties during this journey. One, we could not get many Saints to participate in the photo competition. In the end, our fellow advocates had to help us out instead. Due to the lack of participation, our team proposed a plan to help encourage more Saints to take pictures. We made foam flowers for the NTS and encouraged Saints to give the flower to a certain EAS and at the same time, we would take a photo! This thus helped increase the number of photos we had significantly. The NTS were also very happy with the flowers they received even though it was such a small gift. Second,  our box of post-its went missing on the third day of collection and it contained about half of the school’s contribution of the post-it notes. We didn’t expect the box to disappear and had to spend a lot of time finding for the box. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to find it so we had to act fast and find an alternative way. We learned that we should not leave such important materials left unattended. We should have collected the post-it notes at the end of each day.

We found it easier and more effective to ask Saints to write notes to the NTS on the spot as we were able to get the notes almost immediately and need not spend time to constantly remind them to hand in their notes. Some also choose to ignore and this made communicating with them really hard. I’ve also learned that we need to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. I felt we did not really plan well enough and planned for situations in which there was little participation. Thus this needs to be taken into account for any of my future projects. Communication is also very important to ensure that everyone does their assigned tasks.

We also need to learn to adapt our plans to different situations and the most important thing is to be prepared! Have extra materials ready and be ready for any changes along the way. We also need to have good time management as our deadlines for some of our things were not met. And this caused us to rush into some of it. We must always plan ahead and ensure that we are always ready to accomplish our tasks.

Foam flowers specially made for the NTS

It was a very enriching experience and I’ve learned to communicate with the NTS of the school and learned many skills that I can use for my future projects.

-Rebecca Nicole David, 4th Saints Advocate

Local Community Involvement Programme

From 10-12 June 2013, 4^th Advocates had a 3-day local CIP which was filled with meaningful activities including cleaning the school and elderly home as well as serving at Willing Hearts. At first, we were disappointed with the cancellation of our OCIP. However, people usually say that it is really no point if you serve strangers but you have no heart for your own community. With that in mind, the local CIP ended with great joy and fulfillment as we can pay back to the society where we currently live in. 

Serving, no matter where you are, always gives you the same feeling: Peace and love. 

Local CIP was an exhausting yet enriching experience. On the first day, I was given the responsibility to lead the Advocates to clean the school. Honestly, it was quite difficult to estimate how long it would take to clean each venue (CC, LTs, chemistry labs). At first, I thought it would not take so long to clean the area and thought that we might be able to finish our duty ahead of schedule. However, it turned out that cleaning the school was laborious and we did not manage to clean some rooms (AVA and furniture store), partly because many Advocates did not turn up on the day itself. As I cleaned the chemistry labs, I realised there were only 3-4 staffs in charge of cleaning all the chemistry labs. The labs were dirty and there were bits and pieces of broken glasses scattered on the floor. This was because many students irresponsibly swept the glass pieces under the tables when they broke some apparatus instead of throwing them to the proper dustbin. Therefore, from this experience, I have learned to be more responsible and considerate towards the cleaning staffs. I promise myself to pick up litters if I see any in school. When doing experiments in science labs, I would clean the tables/floor properly if I spill any chemicals or break any apparatus. Lastly, I would also greet any of the staffs when I see them as I realised that simple acts of acknowledgement could motivate them and brighten their day.

On the second day, I was really glad that I finally had the opportunity to clean someone’s house and chat with him/her. I was even more glad to know that the auntie whose house my group cleaned could speak English fluently. This allowed me to get to know her, despite some difficulties to keep the conversation going. From the conversation, I came to realise that many elderly here are indeed lonely. It is really a pity to see that they have to live independently at such a fragile age. Coming from a country where ageing population is not a huge threat, I could not imagine myself having to live alone when I grow old. Therefore, I promise to be more enthusiastic in doing the Big Sweep project, despite the exhaustion after long hours in school. I realised my presence could really bring her joy and ease her loneliness, at least for a day. I will also try to think of what questions to ask before visiting the auntie to keep the conversation going.

-Bonaventura Kevin, 4th Saints Advocate

Our 4th Saints Advocate serving and learning together at Willing Hearts

Day three was the walk in Pulau Ubin. It was my first time getting my feet on that little green island and I had no idea what to expect. Minutes into the trip I was greeted by a bite by a mosquito and a fright from a stray dog. It was both tiring yet enchanting to walk 3.3km and admire the wilderness. I was glad that such a place still existed in Singapore amongst our concrete jungles as it enabled me to appreciate nature and bask in the atmosphere of the early Kampong days. It reminded me of the heartwarming Kampong spirit!

Appreciating nature and spending time together as an Advocate family in Pulau Ubin :)

-Lim Yen Theme, 4th Saints Advocate

Presentation of Photo Montage to Simei Care Centre (Community Builder Week)

During our Community Building Week, the Saints Advocate worked to raise awareness for people with mental illness, and for the work of Simei Care Centre as a psychiatric rehabilitation centre. They then organised for willing students to take photos while holding hands, in the likeness of Simei Care Centre's logo. This school-wide effort was organised into a photo montage and presented to Simei Care Centre on 14th June 2013, with the words "Persevere! Fight On!".

It was the second time that I had been to Simei Care Centre (SCC), but this was the first time that I had the chance to interact with a few of the residents there. At first look, many of them seemed a little quiet and unfriendly, but during the presentation of the frame, I could see that they were very touched and happy that there were students who were willing to support them and learn to understand and accept them. Most of them had smiles on their faces and when we brought the frame on stage, and many of them came forward to take a closer look. It was very heart-warming to know that Saints Advocate had made an impact on these residents. Even though the impact was small, bringing a smile to their faces was enough to make me smile as well. I had the chance to speak to one or two of the residents and they were really very happy that so many people were aware of the work that they did. When Justin and Siao Yen, the staff at SCC, thanked us for all the hard work, all I could think of was how it had been such a pleasure to have worked with SCC over the past year. It is also great to know that there are such selfless individuals who are doing their best to help those people who may be a little different from us assimilate back into society. The work that they do is a lesson to all of us, that as long as you have the heart to do it, anything is possible. I was very happy that I had the chance to present this token of appreciation to SCC and to share in their happiness. I hope that all of them are encouraged by this and I also hope that we will continue to work with SCC in the near future. :)

-Rosabel Tay, 3rd Saints Advocate

Rosabel expressing SAJC and Saints Advocate's support for the Simei Care Centre patients 
and the work that SCC is committed to doing

Presenting the photo montage to SCC

Community Builder Week

From 29 April to 3 May 2013, the 3rd and 4rd Saints Advocate organised Community Builder Week to raise awareness among the students of the privilege they currently enjoy and encourage them to help those less fortunate in the community. During the week, there were many activities conducted, including collection of can tabs, photo taking and exhibition. Besides that, the Advocates also gave out various freebies to students, ranging from foam roses, encouraging messages on sticky notes to balloons to bring smiles to their faces. The week was ended off with a Service Learning Convention, where SL Representatives from each class gathered and had a hands-on experience of giving out small gifts to people around Potong Pasir to simply brighten up their day. Community Builder Week was after all a good reminder to all of us to be more aware of the needs of the community.

Community Builder Week is the first activity that I was in charge of. Through this priceless experience, I have learnt how to work in team with people I did not really know before and maintain effective communication with them. In this event, I was in charge of the exhibition. Initially, even though the seniors had already come up with all the plans, they were still open for suggestions from us. This, hence, allowed us to voice out our ideas to improve the exhibition. I was quite excited for the Community Builder Week in the beginning as it was my first time organising a school-wide project in SAJC.

During the preparation, I had the opportunity to go out and buy materials used for exhibition with my other task force members. As we wanted to display the models of two children from Singapore and third world country in the exhibition, we decided to buy 2 mannequins to make the models look realistic. Unfortunately, the seniors came to tell us later that we should not have spent so much money on the mannequins only although it looked nice. It made us feel quite guilty and sad about that.

Moreover, Community Builder Week project has actually taken a lot of my time. For the whole two weeks after school, we prepared the materials, set up the boards and exhibition. During the week itself, most of our breaks were occupied. It had also affected my studies a little bit because I had a very little time to complete my homework and it drained a lot of my energy. In the future, should there be another project that requires all advocates to be on duties during breaks, I would suggest that we have shifts only for half of our breaks so that we can use the other half to have lunch and/or studies. However, this has also taught me to manage my time well and effectively.

Freebies given out to students during the week

After all, despite all the problems faced, I am glad to say that Community Builder Week has been successful, judging from the fact that many SAJC students have responded quite well to our project. They were excited to take photos with our photo frame to show support to Simei Care Centre. They liked our gifts such as paper roses, ribbons, balloons and hair clips. Some of them were interested in our projects, asking us the objectives of our project and asking how they can support Autism. It was indeed a good experience with Saints Advocate.

SL Representatives listening attentively to the speaker during the Service Learning Convention

-Natasha Ratanapan, 4th Saints Advocate

The 4th Saints Advocate Inauguration

The 26^th April 2013 marked the official birthday of the 4^th Saints Advocate. Proud and excited, yet nervous and worried, every one of us experienced an amalgamation of feelings when we were up on stage, receiving our responsibilities. It was indeed our honor to be the first batch to be recognized in school as a leadership CCA. We did nothing much for our CCA, and yet, we were bestowed upon with many privileges. Therefore, the 4^th Advocates would like to send zillion thanks to our seniors and all teachers, who have fought so hard for our positions today. The ceremony was not only for the 4^th batch but also for all who call ourselves Advocates. To all seniors, please rest assured that you are always in our hearts and minds as we proudly pledged to “inherit your will as our own” and we will continue your legacy. 

From now onwards, let us wake up every morning and say to ourselves: “I am a Saints Advocate”. 

4th Saints Advocate reciting the pledge with pride and gusto

With the badge hanging proudly on our uniforms, it is a symbol of servitude and responsibility. As student leaders of the school, there will be certain expectations on us and we are expected to live up to the name of a Saints Advocate. However, rather than just meeting the expectations set upon us, we should be aiming for more; we should be doing our very best each day to exceed the expectations. But, we do not do so because we are expected to be role models. We do so because we are role models. We are role models with a common desire to serve the community, to help those in need.

Receiving the badges of the school from our seniors

People don’t know how much you care, until you show them how much you care. My goal is that we will really go all out to help the community throughout our advocate journey, for example making the best of our time when we are doing our Big Sweep; to get to know the people whose house we would be cleaning, to forge friendships with them to show them that we care about them. In doing so, I hope that the entire 4^th advocates would share their experiences with their friends and let the school know what we stand for and hopefully, be supportive of us. 

Small steps can be taken to reach this goal, like maybe a simple SMS every time before the Big Sweep; to remind us why we are doing this project. We’re not there to just clean houses, but we’re there to be with the people. We are there because we are passionate to serve them regardless of how busy we are. 

The EXCO could work together in reminding everyone of our vision and identity over the course of our journey, because that is what we stand for. With this in mind, let our purpose and vision be known to the school, hoping that students will be likeminded with the same purpose and goal: to serve the community to the best we can.

“A life not lived for others is not a life” – Mother Teresa 

-Evan Mok, 4th Saints Advocate