Student Leadership Residential Program (SLRP) 2016

                                                                                                         

The SLRP is a programme held in Saint Andrew’s Hall (SA Hall) for members of the Saints Advocate to learn more about their roles as student leaders. The Seventh Saints Advocate were fortunate to have an opportunity to bond together as a batch and experience staying in the SA Hall from 29^th March to 11^th February 2016 under the SLRP.

During the stay, we attended talks and workshops such as Positive Intentions Workshop and INtercultural Workshop These activities helped us to grow and nurture ourselves. We learnt important leadership skills and bonded as a Seventh Saints Advocate.

Here are some reflections from the Seventh, as well as pictures of our stay:

“SLRP on the whole has provided me with insights into a lot of things and along the way, I understood myself better and can better understand why I joined Saints Advocate.

To know the actual meaning of servant leadership through the workshop was interesting as I never knew about it until I came to SAJC. It is indeed a great set of philosophy as it helps everyone to grow and to become a better person. I will mould myself into a servant leader too, not because our school require us to do so, not our cca require us to do so, but because I think it will be a right choice.”

~ Valerie

A sketch of our hostel bedroom

“Although I have been staying in hostel for quite some time, having SLRP is a different experience.The programme taught me how to be caring to others. Moreover, I truly cherish the time that as a Seventh spent together. Due to our workload and academic commitment, we sometimes tend to neglect the quality time of gathering together. Thus, by sharing rooms or at least, staying in close proximity to each other, I was given the chance to know my friends better. In fact, after the programme had ended, I would miss the time when I had the chance to do so. The sessions and workshops held throughout the 2 weeks are very meaningful to me. They allowed much time for reflection that otherwise would have been very minimal when I had busy schedule.”

~ Stefanus

Example of what we learnt

“The 2 weeks stay for the Student Leaders Residential Programme (SLRP) has been an enriching stay, allowing me to learn many different skills and gain a lot of knowledge about things happening around me in the society as well as increased my self awareness”

~ Pamela

Group picture with the Sixth after Cross Country

 

“I feel that this SLRP allowed us to bond very well together as a CCA as a 7th. It allowed us to know each other a lot better because we see each other close to 24 hours everyday for about 2 weeks. I feel very privileged to be able to have this programme right after the Leadership Training Camp LTC and at the beginning of the year because then we would be able to interact with each other even before our projects start, allowing us to be able to coordinate better in the future.”

~ You Xuan

 

Group picture outside SA Hall on the last day of SLRP

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

Learning Journey to Joan Bowen Café – a Place where we DARE to CARE

Learning Journey to Joan Bowen Café – a Place where we DARE to CARE

We walked to the direction of SAS swimming pool and to our surprise, there was a European-look restaurant hidden there, Joan Bowen Café. From the outside, it looks like any other normal restaurant, but when we get to know the truth beyond its establishment, we were stunned, touched, and deeply inspired.

Here is the truth.

Joan (a girl on the left of the picrure) is a daughter with special needs of Mr. Khong Yoon Kay and Mrs. Jeanne Seah, the founders of Joan Bowen Café. The fact that their daughter cannot live a normal life and the fear for her future became an inspiration for them to care for the needy, make a difference guided by faith, and build this cafe.

All chidren who serve in Joan Bowen Café (including Joan) are needy children who have gone through series of skills training by proffesional chefs and personal trainers. At a glance, you would not realise that they are needy because they look and act just like us, but a little more soft-spoken.

Click here to know the background stories of each staff: http://www.joanbowen.com/staff.html

As if served by the needy was not surprising enough, the food they serve were amazing. They were prestigious restaurant standard, served beautifully, and tasted wonderful. We could not believe that they are made by the needy children. They actually have better cooking skills than most of us.

Below are some of the pictures of the menu which look exactly like how they serve it.

To see more menu, click this link : http://www.joanbowen.com/menu_starters.html

After this learning journey, I was deeply impressed by Joan Bowen Café and promised to myself that I will help the café and respect the needy even more. Sometimes, we looked at the needy with a closed eye, thinking that they deserve to be left out because they cannot perform things as well as us. However, we often overlook the potential within them that they are still human being with capacity who can shine if they are given a chance to.

Joan Bowen Café teaches me that to make a difference, everything must start from passion because there will be manifold of problems along the way and without genuine passion for the cause, we will be crumpled down. But persistence brings hope.

Before we left the café, I approached Mrs. J and told her, “ Your daughter is the luckiest daughter ever.” 
I meant it.


-Efrata

Learning Journey to Pathlight School

Special needs.

Whenever we hear this particular term, we often assume such people have disability and hence require charity. At the Student Leadership Dialogue at Pathlight School, this view was challenged.

Why is a person different?

What is autism                                                      

Seated in a state of the art auditorium complete with hi-tech equipment, one would not expect what was to come.

‘What is joy and meaning to you?’

This was what Ms Denise Phua, Chairperson of Autism Resource Centre and MP of Jalan Besar GRC, challenged us at the annual Student Leadership Dialogue at Pathlight School.

It was evident that a life of service and empowering others was hers. She shared her inspiring story of how learning that her son was diagnosed with autism compelled her to champion the autism cause. It was with this passion that enabled Pathlight to be born.

The fruits of her labour can be seen from the impressive architecture and state of the art technology at Pathlight to the planning and execution of education.

The programme at Pathlight is catered for children from the different autism spectrums, with both the academic track and vocational track in place so that the students could fully tap into their abilities.

Pathlight uses the same academic curriculum as mainstream primary and secondary schools, unlike many special needs schools. This was to empower students with a full-fledged education, such that they will be dignified because they do not deserve less simply due to special needs.

For the vocational training, Pathlight collaborates with Starbucks and Mr Bean allowing their students to pick up valuable life skills such as preparing and serving food. All these trainings are conducted within the Pathlight campus, with a quasi-cafeteria doubling up as their workstation.

As the dialogue closed, I asked her what are the problems that youth today face, with respect to serving the community. She simply replied – the same as everyone else: Time. It’s about making the seconds count.

This philosophy of hers extends to the entire school, displayed by staff and students alike.

The eager and earnest students of Pathlight School, who were wearing smiles all the time, served us refreshments that they had prepared themselves. I could really see the pride and joy they put into their work, something many of us could definitely learn from.

With that, I would like to end off with a quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, that summarizes what is the essence of what a person is.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes