Project Acknowledgement - "The Blessing in Our Stars"

Project Acknowledgement is a project intended to get the student populace to recognize the efforts and contributions made by the non-teaching staff. The theme for this year's event is "The Blessing in Our Stars". A series of activities have been conducted within a period of two weeks (from end August to early September) to engage the student body in expressing their appreciation for the non-teaching staff through various means. 

               Hand-written cards of appreciation done by student body for the non-teaching staff

                                 Students meticulously penning down their thoughts of gratitude


As part of the Project Acknowledgement task force (PATF), I learnt a very important lesson which was to be able to adapt to changes. At the later part of our project, we experienced some major changes to our plans and as a task force, we had to respond quickly to the unheralded changes before the event kicks off in just a couple of weeks. We had to figure out how to reduce the workload for PATF without losing the impact and importance we wanted to achieve - which was for the student body to appreciate the non-teaching staff.

Another lesson I learnt through PATF was the importance of finding a balance between making the project appealing to the audience (in order to garner their participation) and to have purpose of this project well-conserved.

On the day of the project's implementation, PATF struggled to keep track with the participation of the entire student cohort. This has taught us that when dealing with a massive number of participants, there is no guarantee that everyone will adhere to our instructions. Henceforth, we must always have backup plans in place beforehand in preparation for unforeseen circumstances.

Nur Aqilah
5th Saints Advocate

JC1 Service Learning Day - Lumos

JC1 Service Learning Day is a day where the entire college of students is mobilized to be involved in community engagement programs outside of the campus. Held on teacher's day every year, Saints gain a better insight of society's needs through various activities such as the "Big Sweep" - an event initiated by the Metropolitan Youth Men's Christian Association.  

"Big Sweep" is a meaningful program which aims to improve the living conditions of the destitute, elderly and needy families by cleaning and refurbishing their homes, making their homes a much better place to live in. 

   
                                                          Batch photo with the elderly 

JC 1 SL Day was a really good experience for me, from the planning to the event itself. One very important lesson I learnt was the need to communicate with clarity when working as a team as miscommunication can happen easily and this would lead to many other complications. It was heartwarming to see the JC ones participating in the activity and taking care of the elderly during the event itself. Some of them felt reluctant to come but many of them felt blessed by the event after, which made me feel really happy.

Rachael Ng
5th Saints Advocate

                                         
                                                                    The 5th Advocates

Service Learning Day was successful despite some crisis that we faced on the day itself.

The performance was one of the things that turned out pretty well despite majority of the performers being from Advocates itself. However, the preparation for the performance was a bit rushing due to time constraints. We could have attracted more external performers so as to minimize our workload in preparation for both SL day and the performance at the same time. Better publicity for performance should be expected for next year’s SL day in order to attract more participants.

Unfortunately, during the sing-along session with the elderly - our main target audience, it turned out that they were not responding well to this program that was specially tailored for them. As a result, they were not entirely engaged and were "left out" when the Saints were singing together, linking their arms. The Advocates reacted quickly to this situation and tried to interact with the elderly and encouraged them to join in the singing of National Day songs. Upon reflecting on this matter, i felt that  more could have been done to prevent this from happening. One possibility is to include Chinese songs in the sing-along. This problem should be raised next year so that this project can be of a greater success. 

Vincent Setiawan

5th Saints Advocate 

Hair for Hope 2014

Back for the 12th consecutive year, Hair for Hope 2014 is a signature fundraising event under the Children's Cancer Foundation. It is the only head-shaving event in Singapore which serves to raise funds and awareness of children cancer. In the month of July this year, students from our college together with those from Raffles Junior College, have collaborated to participate in this event, where the latter was the hosting college in which the event had taken place. 

Through this event, participants shave their heads for a purpose - to express their empathy, and at the same time, show their support for children who had lost their hair in the process of undergoing cancer treatments (e.g. Chemotherapy). It was heart-warming to see many Saints volunteering themselves to have their heads shaved in support for children with cancer. What was even more surprising were the handful of courageous girls who stepped out of their comfort zone to participate in this event, breaking the stereotype that only males would be willing to have their heads shaved. 

Narthana Anandan

5th Saints Advocate

Local CIP in June

While some of the Advocates departed Singapore for Batam for their overseas community involvement program (CIP) the remaining few of the Advocates were too, involved in local CIP from 9-11 June and on 13 June.

The first day of local CIP was interviewing the migrant workers in the Potong Pasir area. I was glad to see some of them showing their positive attitude towards Singapore. Before this activity, I always thought migrant workers disliked Singaporeans as they may have been judged and looked down upon. However, the workers we met said that Singapore is a great place with good food and good people. It was also very inspiring to learn about their plans after finishing their work in Singapore; one of the common plans we heard of was to start up a business back in their homeland. This shows how ambitious and determined they are in the pursuit of the dreams. 

On the second day, we helped out at Soup Kitchen with the organization known as Willing Hearts. It was such a fulfilling and heart-warming experience. It was definitely tiring to work for 6 hours straight in an uncomfortable place. However, it was so touching to see many people from different walks of life come together for a common cause. I was very lucky to experience this with such wonderful friends too.

The third day of local CIP was such a great adventure, hiking from Hort Park to Vivo City. In addition to the amazing time i had with the advocates, we were lucky to see such beautiful sceneries as we trekked. We practiced our teamwork in searching for the correct directions while exploring the area. It was a shame that not all of the participants of local CIP could come for this event, but nevertheless it was a fun experience with amazing friends. 

By Ilma
5th Saints Advocate

OCIP trip to Batam, Indonesia (cont.5)

Day 6

In the morning, when we reached the orphanage, the kids were expecting us again with their unforgettable smiles. One of the kids, Wahyu, immediately came over to greet us excitedly. We then remembered that today is our last day and we will not see the kids anymore.

One of the kids was really happy when we arrived

 We then set off to prepare for our construction work. We started by first hacking and removing the soil in order to level the ground in front of the house. It was hard work but every single one of us contributed. We split into two different groups, one in charge of hacking the ground, while the other is in charge of removing the soil. The latter formed a human chain to increase the efficiency, which proved that teamwork does play an important role in our everyday lives.

Hacking and removing the soii

Passing buckets of soil

Pouring the soil to the nearby area

In the afternoon, we went to visit the orphanage, where most of them live. One of the orphanage kids, Pikki, led us around the orphanage, and showed us their living quarters. The condition that they were living in was beyond our disbelief. The way they dispose their waste is very unhygienic and may pose a threat to the people living in the orphanage. Pikki also showed us many other places, such as the rehabilitation centre, the prayer rooms, and their own rooms. The room was clearly not properly kept clean and unsuitable for children to live in. At that moment, our heart went out to them, and we realized how hard their lives have been. Pikki also mentioned to us that there was a thunderstorm yesterday, and that one of the roof has collapsed. The trees were also uprooted and the place was in a mess.

After lunch, we went back to building the wall until 3.30pm. When we finished our building, we felt a sense of accomplishment and felt satisfied that we had done something for the community over there in Batam. The feeling we felt was indescribable, and there really was a stark contrast to when we first started building it. After that, we went in for one last dance together with the children. It was then where we realized how hard it would be to part with them. It was an enjoyable experience where everyone had fun, and we knew that we could not get it anywhere else. We said our goodbyes and well wishes. Some of them asked if we were going to come back, and many of us had to fight back our tears, and put a strong front until we left.

Passing the bricks to build the wall

Builiding the wall using cement and bricks

We learnt many lessons today while building and bonding with the children. We learn to persevere as the hacking of the ground was really tough and we took a lot of time to level the ground properly. From leaving the kids, we learn to let go of our bonds with them. The feelings are inevitable, but we learn to be strong when a challenge confronts us. There really is no other way about doing it, except to do the best you can.

Dancing 'Waka Waka' with the kids

One of the kids was crying when we were about to leave

The 5th Saints Advocate and the kids at the orphanage 

We plan to gain inspiration from this OCIP trip and bring across the message to the students in SAJC. One way that we came up with was actually to have a simulation of the conditions that we saw in Batam. This is to allow the students in SAJC to better understand the hardships that they have to go through, and learn to appreciate the life that we have right now.

Sharing our inspirations during debrief

 Overall, this OCIP had been a meaningful experience and one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. We gained a lot of meaningful lessons while at the same time strengthening the friendship within the FIFTH. We will apply what we learnt in this OCIP in our Advocates’ journey so as to become a better servant leaders and community builders.

The end of our project

By Chua Perh Nian, Stanley Ivan Alexander and Vincent Setiawan

5th Saints Advocate

OCIP trip to Batam, Indonesia (cont.4)

Day 5

We set off to the orphanage after our breakfast. When we reached the orphanage, the children were already there waiting. We continued our construction work of leveling the rest of ground. The construction work was not an easy job as it required lots of physical strength to mix the cement with sand and the mental strength to keep on going.

Mixing the cement

Leveling the floor

After leveling the ground, we went around the village for a tour while waiting for the cement to dry. We realized that the structure of the houses around the orphanage is very similar to the land properties in Singapore except that it is not as well furnished. There was a provision shop and we bought some food there such as crackers and iced green tea which only cost 10 cents in Singapore.

Walking around the village

Sitting in front of the provision shop 

The kids in the village

Afternoon. We had the opportunity to interview one of the core staff of the orphanage. He shared about how the orphanage was purely non-profit and how he was inspired by a religious professor. They had come a long way from overcoming challenges both internally and externally-management of the students as well as resistance from the neighbouring village regarding the setting up of the orphanage. The calamity and humbleness of the assistant manager, coupled with his determination and perseverance of expanding the orphanage, were heartwarming and  touching for all of us. He also mentioned about his hopes for the children as well as the immediate plans for the orphanage. The emphasis on providing a solid education for the children was something that caught my attention as it reflected his selflessness and his unwavering dedication to the social cause of providing basic needs for those that are less advantaged in society.

The assistant manager of the orphanage

After the interview we continued with the building. We learnt how to construct the wall using bricks and cement. What struck us was the creativity of the workers in using the system of strings to ensure that the wall would be correctly leveled. It was simple yet extremely effective. This made us realize how simple but innovative ideas could have a large impact.

Constructing the wall with bricks and cement

Carrying the extra cement to the bridge

Sarah, one of the kids in the village

Our debrief session is about whether or not overseas CIP trip is more or less meaningful than local CIP trip. We had a discussion in a form of debate with proposition and opposition. Through this session, we learn that OCIP trips do have their benefits and limitations. The session also allows us to see the different perspectives and explore and reason how the differing opinions could come to fruition.

Discussion in the form of debating

Sitting in a circle for discussion during debrief

By Claudia Lim Jo-Ee, Ye Jingxuan and Nur Aqilah

5th Saints Advocate

OCIP trip to Batam, Indonesia (cont.3)

Day 4

Today marks the fourth day of the Fifth Saints’ Advocate OCIP trip! Yay!

Firstly, in the morning we leveled the floor. Next, we played with the children before lunch. During lunch break, we had a chat with one of the adults who stayed in the orphanage. Soon, I was off for the colouring lessons with the children and my CCA mates.

During the building session, when we leveled the floor, the work was hard. However, teamwork, cheering from the other Advocates and Teachers were the real morale boost to the others and I who were working under the hot sun in the morning!

Making cement to level the floor

Passing buckets of cements to plaster the floor  

Plastering the floor

When we were playing the games with the children in the morning, I realized that the children were respectful to us. The older boys there were really polite and gentle in their gestures and despite our communication barriers, we managed to communicate smoothly, regarding rules and regulations of volleyball and captain’s ball.

Moreover, I realised that the children cared for each other and always kept a lookout for each other despite the large age gap. There was a kid crying. A teenager stopped what he was doing and went to comfort him.

Playing an Indonesian traditional game

After that, we had lunch. It was a simple meal but we had a great time with the company of everyone. We had a chat with one of the residents. We learnt that he had been smoking since he was ten. Later, we found out that because cigarettes are cheap in Indonesia. Thus, there is mass advertising of smoking which leads to the popularity of smoking in Indonesia.

We also managed to chat with Sarah, one of the children living in the village nearby. She mentioned that she wanted to be a doctor in order to earn money to build houses and a swimming pool for her mother, sister and herself. She also mentioned that poor people cannot have a house. It is a wonder that a child at the age of six can have such deep thoughts. It makes us wonder whether children are truly as innocent and as ignorant as they seem.

In the middle of the photo: Sarah

After the chatting session, we had some free time to play with the children. Some Advocates chose to sleep as they were too exhausted. However, I decided to play with the children. Playing with the children reminded of my own childhood. It made me think back on all of my memories and I became nostalgic.  Moreover, the enthusiasm of the children was really infectious and I felt my weariness turned into enthusiasm as I continued to play with them.

I also learnt from these children how to be more open and welcoming to people, especially those whom I have recently met. Unlike me who would not be so warm to an acquaintance, the children were very warm and welcoming to us.  If such small children could be so friendly, why couldn’t I? Thus, I told myself that when I return to Singapore, I will be more welcoming to the new people I meet.

During lesson time, it was obvious that some children shared their things with others willingly while some did not. It was a good opportunity to understand their different personalities. However, most children were friendly to one another and were not hesitant in correcting each others’ mistakes.

I hope after this OCIP trip, I will appreciate the construction workers and kindergarten teachers as I had experienced what it is like to do their work. In addition, I hope that I will be more grateful to my parents as they care a lot for me.

By Narthana Anandan and Yurun Lin

5th Saints Advocate