Metropolitan YMCA Big Sweep

Metropolitan YMCA Big Sweep is a monthly project that Saints Advocates are involved as the whole CCA. In MY Big Sweep, the main objective is interaction with the elderly. This is very essential for Advocates because when we understand more about the community, we will know the need of people and help them in a more meaningful way.

10 May 2014

This week's Big Sweep was especially a pleasant surprise for all of us.

The conversation flowed well from the start all the way to the end, and fortunately our auntie opened up and told us many details beyond the superficial. 

A cheerful photo captures the smiles of auntie and Carine from 5th Advocate

Last session, we learned about who she was (a blind craftsman, a believer and an altruist), and this time, we got to know what she had endured before she could become who she was today. And so she began to paint us a mental picture of her life and the people she encountered. What struck me the most was how she still believed in the act of giving after all that the struggles and agony had been through.  Personally, I felt a tinge of shame. This is so as I would not have been courageous enough to do what she did if I was in her position. Her strong will to be herself regardless of difficult circumstances was a great learning point for us all.

The whole group with auntie and her friend

An aspect we can try to improve on for the next session is to talk more about ourselves in order to spark a two-way relationship instead of a passive give-and-take. We have tried to improve on this by narrowing the topics that we can talk about, which are our school problems and studies as well as personal struggles (if any) so that she could probably give us some valuable advices in the process, and this would serve to better engage both parties in a conversation. 

Photo of another group - Narthana (from 5th Advocate) was very engaged in the story of auntie

The 5th Saints Advocate in our first Big Sweep

By Dinh Hai Bao Lien

5th Saints Advocate