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

Residential Stay 2013

From  6^th to 18^th March 2013, the 4^th Advocates had an honor to be the first leadership CCA in our school to participate in the residential camp at Saints Andrew’s Hall. This 12-day-stay marked the beginning of our journey as Advocates and from there, we were equipped with valuable lessons. The camp ended off with an amazing Team Building Camp, brought to us by our 3^rd Advocates Seniors.

We are very thankful for the opportunity as we could get to know each other better and build strong rapport among our CCA mates. Indeed, it was a wonderful practice for us to get used to juggling study and commitment in our CCA. At the end of the camp, we became more prepared and certain about the future. Although there will undeniably be challenges awaiting for us, we are more than ready to surpass all as we embark on this journey altogether, united as one.

4th Saints Advocates arriving at the hostel, filled with joy and excitement :)

Activity: Finding a need in the community

Today we went around the Potong Pasir area to interact with the people living in the community, in hope that we can better find out their need so as to improve their wellbeing and allow them to live more happily.

It was an eye opener for me, mostly because of the fact that all along, I haven’t really been very observant. Whenever I walk past the HDB flats while walking to the MRT, I never really stop to look at the condition of the flats, much less question how I can improve the lives of those living here. That being said, when I actually made a conscious effort to learn more about the lives of those living here, I was struck by the fact that real problems actually do exist and not just on television programmes.

The 3 most important take-aways I have from today’s activities are:

• I must learn to be more observant and aware of the things and people around me instead of being so self-centered. Instead of gluing my eyes to my phone or engaging in meaningless conversations, I should try looking out for possible improvements that can be implemented in the community (not just Potong Pasir) so that I can improve the lives of my fellow Singaporeans.
• It is pointless to propose a solution, improvement or a new idea if one is not even aware of the real needs of the society; what I think may be the most important needs for that particular community could very well be wrong because I do not have any experience of living in that community, unlike those who have actually experienced it first hand.
• As Advocates, it is important that we acknowledge that there is always room for improvement. No matter how new or well refurbished an estate looks, there is always flaws, which can be improved. What is most important is that we put ourselves in the shoes of the residents and try to think of ideas to make their lives easier and happier.

Activity: Love Through Tissues

Today we embarked on a mini SL project, “Love thru tissues”, where we had to decide in groups how to spread love with simple items like tissues. Initially, my group was pretty stunned because we had a lack of creative ideas. However, we soon managed to come up with a decent idea – to show appreciation to the people around the hall, especially those that might have been forgotten. To do that, we each wrote short, encouraging messages on post-its and after that went around the hall to pass them to those whom we wanted to bring some joy to.

The first person I passed the tissue to was the security guards, who ever so willingly stays up every day without fail, ensuring the security and safety of those living in the hall, making sure that strangers are not allowed in and allowing us to live such that we wouldn’t have to be worried of strangers lurking around. It is indeed a hard chore, but they do it so willingly every day. What touched me the most was that they never failed to greet me each time I walked past, saying a simple greeting. Perhaps sometimes we take it for granted and so I felt that it was a simple way of saying a heartfelt thanks.

Then we went on to pass it to the General Office administrative member, a teacher and those preparing food in the canteen. They all had one thing in common- they were blessed and thankful for a little small gift, such as a tissue. Although it probably does not mean much to many of us, such little actions can indeed go a long way for these people who have served so willingly and selflessly. Perhaps sometimes we forget about them but today, I am reminded of how much they have done for us. It touched my heart knowing that such a simple act can actually make them so happy, that it could brighten up their night after a long day at work, that just a simple “thank you” could light up their eyes and make their night, that a simple, heartfelt action, be it big or small, can give them hope and a reason to preserve on when the going gets tough. Hopefully, the aunties and uncles will know that every little action that they do for us will never go unremembered or forgotten. I would also like to make it a point to have a heart of gratitude, to not forget to be thankful and appreciative of those around me and to always share and spread joy to those in my life.

Spreading words of encouragement to people around the hall :)

Activity: Basic Vietnamese Crash Course

Today we had a Basic Vietnamese Crash Course, so that when we go to Vietnam in June, we would be able to communicate basic Vietnamese with the locals there. Initially I was a little apprehensive because I thought I wouldn’t be able to learn it well, since I thought it was hard to learn. However, I was pleasantly surprised because those who were teaching us were very friendly and patient. More importantly, I also learned about the Vietnamese culture which is so different yet so similar to the Chinese culture. For example, in Vietnam, the oldest person at the dining table starts eating first before the rest can eat, just like what the Chinese culture has taught me. However, the Vietnamese culture is different because when greeting elderly, we must fold our arms and bow, but folding our arms can be a bit rude to the Chinese. Overall, it was a meaningful and well-spent night of learning new words and even a very popular song, which apparently all the Vietnamese know.

Advocates, guided by our Vietnamese friends, trying to pronounce
a few Vietnamese phrases correctly

Activity: Cultural Awareness Workshop

This morning we had a cultural awareness workshop. I learnt that all cultures are valid and that this is the lens through which we should view the world. It should not merely be tolerance, but acceptance of other cultures. This means that we should not tolerate the differences between different cultures to prevent conflict but rather genuinely accept and embrace the differences that make each culture so unique and different from the others. One question that has been stuck in my head is how Singapore is constantly promoting racial harmony. However, are Singaporeans merely practicing racial tolerance or are we walking towards racial acceptance?

Besides that, I have also learnt that every culture is actually very similar, but we choose to pick out their differences so that we can stereotype the different cultures. But what we fail to realize sometimes is that we are all actually human. Remove the practices and different languages that we speak, we all have the same bone structure. That being said, all cultures deserve the basic respect and should not be deemed as inferior. To me, no culture should be more superior to another and this is what needs to be taught to everyone. Just like how every human being deserves respect, so does every culture.

Activity: Photo Essay Session

This evening we had a very interesting photo essay session, where we learned how to take impactful photos. Although quite technical, I have learned some new skills, like subject placement and how we should place the subject of a photo at any one of the intersections because it would better balance the picture as compared to placing the center of interest in the center of the picture.

After that we were also given a task to gather in groups and come up with a photo essay, which my group mates and I had fun doing. We took pictures of people during morning worship, soccer practice and a bird’s eye view of people in the canteen, while consciously trying to place our subject in an intersection. It was fun coming up with a description as well because indeed, pictures speak a thousand words.

I think this workshop would be very useful when we go to Vietnam in June because we can take better pictures of the kids there, who have so little yet find so much joy and contentment with all that they have. Having seen the sample photo essay of the children in Cambodia, I am excited to go to Vietnam and take pictures so that I can make one too and consolidate all the memories forged there.

Activity: Project Management Workshop

Today we had a project management workshop, where I learned a lot of new things, like the stages of a project- forming, storming, norming and lastly performing. I also realized that it is okay and normal to have conflicting views and opinions during the (brain)storming stage, but what matters the most is that we respect our teammate’s opinions and not put it down. We should also be rationale and think through all the given suggestions before coming to consensus and deciding on the best.

We were also given the anagram of a great community project player, and I have learnt that a good team player is one that knows how to listen to what everyone has to say, is creative and not afraid to express his idea’s and more importantly, someone that has a passion for the community. Besides that it is also important to know each group member so that together as a team, we can plan and execute a project better.

Study time after every workshop

Activity: Sharing session by 1^st and 2^nd Advocates

Tonight we had a very inspiring sharing from the 1^st and 2^nd Saints Advocates seniors about their journey during their time in the CCA and how they have grown from it. Through their sharing session, I am inspired because they have shared how much they have grown and learned from the CCA, not just from the 2 years but even after that, where they planned a student-initiated trip back to Vietnam to continue serving even after they have left Advocates.

They also shared the challenges that they faced and how they overcame it, which is useful because it kind of prepares me for the challenges that I might face. They shared that they had the support and encouragement of the fellow Advocates as well as how they persevered right to the end. I think I have a lot to learn from them. After hearing their sharing about their two years in the CCA, I am excited to see what is in store for me! At the same time, I know the importance of good time management as well as co-operation with my fellow Advocates, in order to make my two years as an Advocate a meaningful and memorable one.


-Nicolette Chen, 4th Saints Advocate