We all love our families and our friends. We do what is best for them and hope to see them grow. We share our joys with them, comfort them when they are sad and assist them whenever they are in need. Transpose this up one level. That is what community work is all about.
Community work has always been advocated by the government. Youths, working adults and even the man on the street are all encouraged to do their bit for the very community they live in. No matter how tiny and insignificant the contribution may seem, it shows the individual’s desire to play his part within the community and his contribution certainly goes a long way in helping the community.
Since the beginning of time, Man has learnt to live together in communities. In the beginning, it was just a tribe. Responsibilities were relatively simple. The men would hunt and gather food from the wilderness while the women would stay at home to do the household chores and look after the children. Slowly, more complex communities evolved. There was a social hierarchy, consisting of the dominant monarch, the nobles and aristocrats, the scholars and officials, and the lowly commoners and peasants. Gradually, as people became more advanced, cities saw a government. The people were divided into the upper class, the middle class and the lower class.
However, even though the structure of these communities changed over time, there was one thing they had in common. It was the purpose of the community. Communities constantly sought progress and advancement. In order to do this, everyone had to play their part in the community. They had to contribute.
What would happen if today, there were no longer charitable organizations to care for the needy, no more homes for the aged, and no more orphanages for abandoned children? I cannot bear to imagine.
I am not supporting altruism. Rather, I am advocating public-spiritedness. It does not take a lot for you to do your part in the community. Borrowing a quote from the movie “Evan Almighty”, God tells Evan Baxter to change the world by doing “one act of random kindness at a time”. Likewise, you can do the same too. A simple gesture like holding the door for somebody else or offering assistance to the elderly is sufficient. Slowly, each small act of kindness cultivates a sense of selflessness in you and eventually, community work will come naturally.
When we engage in community work, we bring joy to others. The elderly, the disabled, the orphaned, the needy are all just examples of groups of people we can offer our services to. From the article itself, we see how a simple gesture of acceptance “awoke something in the drifting, restless teenager”. Imagine how much impact community work can make.
Just like a jigsaw puzzle, each individual in a community is crucial for it to function properly. One missing piece would render the puzzle incomplete. Let’s not be that missing piece.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Article for Term 3
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_250147.html
June 21, 2008
Once a thug, he's now 'son' to the elderly
Chance encounter at senior citizens' corner in his teens leads to life of volunteering
By April Chong
AT 15, Tommy Yu was a neighbourhood thug.
He turned up one evening at a senior citizens' corner in Redhill where he lived, intending to pick a fight over the loud music the old folk were enjoying.
Instead, the boy, who had picked up smoking and dropped out of school at 11, ended up befriending the old folk.
Today, nearly 30 years down the road, he is still looking out for them. He runs a charity which looks after their welfare, and even picks up the tab for the funerals of those without family.
Of his first encounter with the old folk, MrYu, now 43, said: 'I was there to look for trouble.'
But an elderly man welcomed him and invited him to take a seat among his group of friends.
That simple gesture of acceptance awoke something in the drifting, restless teenager.
When a pair of youths turned up shortly after that, also bent on picking a fight over the noise, Mr Yu said he found himself standing up to them and saying: 'If you want to find trouble, look for me instead. How can you bully the elderly?'
In the following days, he became a frequent visitor of his new friends and stopped loitering in the neighbourhood coffee shops.
Laughing, he said: 'I did not know what volunteering was about.'
But he rallied his friends to 'volunteer' at the senior citizens' corner anyway. They talked to the old folk and kept trouble-makers away.
From a poor family himself, the young man did not earn much, only about $200 a month from odd jobs.
But he forked out what he could, especially for funerals for old folk with no family.
'Everyone looked down on me. But there, I felt I could actually do something,' he said.
In 1986, at 21, he named his group Love And Unity.
Trips to orphanages and senior citizens' homes to spruce up the premises and take them gifts of food burnt a hole in their pockets.
'We could not do much because we had no money. Spending $300 on each visit set us back by three months,' he said.
MrYu registered the group as a society only in 2004.
It has 30 active volunteers who organise festival celebrations and outings for old folk.
His volunteer work has since expanded to other neighbourhoods in Redhill and Jalan Bukit Ho Swee.
Today, he spends no less than three evenings a week, making visits in his beat-up pickup to look in on the almost 200 old folk there.
If any of them fails to turn up at the void deck, he goes to their home to look them up.
He now handles about 22 funerals a year for them, as well as for unclaimed bodies from homes and hospitals.
He does not just pay for these last rites. He also plays the role of a 'son' and performs 'filial duties' during the annual Qing Ming festival.
At last count, MrYu has more than 80 'mums' and 'dads' to whom he pays his respects every year.
He now runs a modest Chinese flag-printing company and has a family with three children to look after, but he still mans a 24-hour hotline for old folk under the Love And Unity Volunteers Establishment.
He cannot afford to hire someone to do this, he said. 'Whatever donations I get now are barely enough for the funeral arrangements.'
But he will not stop his volunteer work any time soon.
'I will not stop until the day I die myself. I want to do what I can while I can,' he said.
June 21, 2008
Once a thug, he's now 'son' to the elderly
Chance encounter at senior citizens' corner in his teens leads to life of volunteering
By April Chong
AT 15, Tommy Yu was a neighbourhood thug.
He turned up one evening at a senior citizens' corner in Redhill where he lived, intending to pick a fight over the loud music the old folk were enjoying.
Instead, the boy, who had picked up smoking and dropped out of school at 11, ended up befriending the old folk.
Today, nearly 30 years down the road, he is still looking out for them. He runs a charity which looks after their welfare, and even picks up the tab for the funerals of those without family.
Of his first encounter with the old folk, MrYu, now 43, said: 'I was there to look for trouble.'
But an elderly man welcomed him and invited him to take a seat among his group of friends.
That simple gesture of acceptance awoke something in the drifting, restless teenager.
When a pair of youths turned up shortly after that, also bent on picking a fight over the noise, Mr Yu said he found himself standing up to them and saying: 'If you want to find trouble, look for me instead. How can you bully the elderly?'
In the following days, he became a frequent visitor of his new friends and stopped loitering in the neighbourhood coffee shops.
Laughing, he said: 'I did not know what volunteering was about.'
But he rallied his friends to 'volunteer' at the senior citizens' corner anyway. They talked to the old folk and kept trouble-makers away.
From a poor family himself, the young man did not earn much, only about $200 a month from odd jobs.
But he forked out what he could, especially for funerals for old folk with no family.
'Everyone looked down on me. But there, I felt I could actually do something,' he said.
In 1986, at 21, he named his group Love And Unity.
Trips to orphanages and senior citizens' homes to spruce up the premises and take them gifts of food burnt a hole in their pockets.
'We could not do much because we had no money. Spending $300 on each visit set us back by three months,' he said.
MrYu registered the group as a society only in 2004.
It has 30 active volunteers who organise festival celebrations and outings for old folk.
His volunteer work has since expanded to other neighbourhoods in Redhill and Jalan Bukit Ho Swee.
Today, he spends no less than three evenings a week, making visits in his beat-up pickup to look in on the almost 200 old folk there.
If any of them fails to turn up at the void deck, he goes to their home to look them up.
He now handles about 22 funerals a year for them, as well as for unclaimed bodies from homes and hospitals.
He does not just pay for these last rites. He also plays the role of a 'son' and performs 'filial duties' during the annual Qing Ming festival.
At last count, MrYu has more than 80 'mums' and 'dads' to whom he pays his respects every year.
He now runs a modest Chinese flag-printing company and has a family with three children to look after, but he still mans a 24-hour hotline for old folk under the Love And Unity Volunteers Establishment.
He cannot afford to hire someone to do this, he said. 'Whatever donations I get now are barely enough for the funeral arrangements.'
But he will not stop his volunteer work any time soon.
'I will not stop until the day I die myself. I want to do what I can while I can,' he said.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Commentary for Term 2
Today, states and countries are increasingly moving towards democratization. Personally, I believe that democracy does not create stability but rather gives rise to even more openings in the country’s security.
Democracy allows for everybody’s, including the minority’s, views to be considered before effecting change on policies or making decisions through direct or indirect means ie. Representative and consensual. Therefore, everyone will feel satisfied with any change to a certain degree and there will be no conflict between different groups. This in turn creates social and political stability, and thereafter economic stability. In Singapore, bills and decisions are first debated in parliament before they are enacted.
Democracy also promotes egalitarianism due to unrestricted expression of opinions. When equality is ensured, everyone will be self-sufficient and vices such as theft will not exist. Due to equal status, people will be able to live in harmony instead of constantly competing against each other. Therefore, there will be social and political stability. One example close to the point would be welfare states, where the people’s needs are constantly being looked after by their respective elected governments.
A democratic government would also be “indebted” to the people as they were the ones who put them into power through their votes. Therefore, the government would have greater sense of responsibility towards the people. This would drive them to do more for the people and place them as the first priority. The Singaporean government, for example, is constantly improving the quality of life for their citizens by implement various schemes like the Workfare bonus scheme.
On the flipside, democracy seeks to find the best possible solution to accommodate the needs and views of everybody. As such, the resultant policies would be less restrictive and effective as compared to policies in other systems like the authoritarian-capitalist system. These weaker policies would inadvertently affect the country’s economic, social and political stability. An appropriate example would be India. Although the country remains Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the country is gradually experiencing economic and social decline.
Besides that, democracy may also give rise to misguided ideas or beliefs. As democracy works on the basis of popular belief, common views shared by the people would be perpetuated by means such as media propaganda. Sometimes, these views may be false or incorrect and may be targeted at certain groups, leading to social conflict and societal instability. One such example would be the racism in democratic United States in the twentieth century which resulted in a protracted civil war between the blacks and the whites.
Democracy is solely based on reaching a consensus amongst the people and will prove ineffective in the long term. Policies, consensually agreed upon by the people, would be less productive for the country. Human nature, in the presence of egalitarianism, may manifest in the form of greed for both the people and the leadership, making either party susceptible to initiating social or political instability. Furthermore, bandwagon may mislead the people into false thinking. Therefore, democracy does not create stability.
Democracy allows for everybody’s, including the minority’s, views to be considered before effecting change on policies or making decisions through direct or indirect means ie. Representative and consensual. Therefore, everyone will feel satisfied with any change to a certain degree and there will be no conflict between different groups. This in turn creates social and political stability, and thereafter economic stability. In Singapore, bills and decisions are first debated in parliament before they are enacted.
Democracy also promotes egalitarianism due to unrestricted expression of opinions. When equality is ensured, everyone will be self-sufficient and vices such as theft will not exist. Due to equal status, people will be able to live in harmony instead of constantly competing against each other. Therefore, there will be social and political stability. One example close to the point would be welfare states, where the people’s needs are constantly being looked after by their respective elected governments.
A democratic government would also be “indebted” to the people as they were the ones who put them into power through their votes. Therefore, the government would have greater sense of responsibility towards the people. This would drive them to do more for the people and place them as the first priority. The Singaporean government, for example, is constantly improving the quality of life for their citizens by implement various schemes like the Workfare bonus scheme.
On the flipside, democracy seeks to find the best possible solution to accommodate the needs and views of everybody. As such, the resultant policies would be less restrictive and effective as compared to policies in other systems like the authoritarian-capitalist system. These weaker policies would inadvertently affect the country’s economic, social and political stability. An appropriate example would be India. Although the country remains Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the country is gradually experiencing economic and social decline.
Besides that, democracy may also give rise to misguided ideas or beliefs. As democracy works on the basis of popular belief, common views shared by the people would be perpetuated by means such as media propaganda. Sometimes, these views may be false or incorrect and may be targeted at certain groups, leading to social conflict and societal instability. One such example would be the racism in democratic United States in the twentieth century which resulted in a protracted civil war between the blacks and the whites.
Democracy is solely based on reaching a consensus amongst the people and will prove ineffective in the long term. Policies, consensually agreed upon by the people, would be less productive for the country. Human nature, in the presence of egalitarianism, may manifest in the form of greed for both the people and the leadership, making either party susceptible to initiating social or political instability. Furthermore, bandwagon may mislead the people into false thinking. Therefore, democracy does not create stability.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Commentary for Term 1
Commentary on the issue of juvenile delinquency
In Singapore, there have been an increasing number of youths staying out late at night and getting involved in juvenile crimes. This has become a cause of worry for the police, which implemented past 11pm checks on groups of youth in 2006. Initially, this initiative seemed to be working its wonders but after a year, the problem arose again.
The incident being reported in this article is littering by a seventeen-year-old teenage girl. What if it were more serious crimes such as a gang fight or robbery? What would become of the victims and the offenders?
Imagine you are born into a broken family. Your father is drunkard who slaps you and your mother whenever he returns home drunk, reeking of beer. How would you feel? Would you even want to come home?
If it were me, I would rather run away from home.
There are many families who are in circumstances similar to the scenario above. Their parents either have to work extremely hard to provide for the well-being of the family or they may simply be unconcerned about their child. As a result, the children are neglected and they resort to other means to fulfill their own emotional needs. Some cut themselves to relieve themselves of the emotional pain while others find comfort in their friends.
The situation starts getting dangerous in the latter. While friends are supposed to be an avenue for them to share their pain, some youths unfortunately fall into bad company. Most often, this bad company show themselves as genial and trustworthy at first, but later start to instigate their friends to engage in illegal activities which include smoking, gambling, gang fights etc. The victims, in order to fill the void in their heart, turn to this bad company and follow them in their doings so as to gain acceptance in the group, even if it is against their will or conscience.
It is commonly said that the period of transition from childhood to adulthood is when one is most vulnerable to external influence. This is precisely why the government places a very heavy emphasis on building up a child’s moral values and character in primary school. Once the child becomes a teenager, there is hardly any control the parents have over him or her anymore. Of course, parents may resort to threats and punishments to exert control over their child, but will this do the child any good? Ultimately, the child has to be responsible for his or her own actions as it is his or her own personal choice to do what he or her wants.
Indeed, it is a very demanding task for parents to discipline and communicate with their children, especially if the parents are estranged or if the child is very rebellious. We, on our part, should do our best to cooperate with our parents to lighten their burden of raising us. Only then, would the rate of juvenile delinquency drop.
‘It takes two hands to clap’. Will you?
Article for Term 1
http://www.straitstimes.com/Gen+Y/Story/STIStory_207376.html?sunwMethod=GET
Dear Parents, Your child was found loitering
Growing number of youths found by police in public places past 11pm and reported to parents
By Alex Liam
ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
SIXTEEN-year-old Wu Jin Lian likes to hang out late at night. Void decks near her home in Tampines are her usual haunts and she chats with friends there into the wee hours.
The problem? Teens like her are easy prey for trouble-makers - either in falling victim to a crime or being roped in to commit one.
Prompted by concerns such as these, police have written to Jin Lian's parents informing them of her night-owl antics.
The letter to Mum and Dad from the cops is the result of a police initiative launched two years ago in which youngsters under 17 who are found loitering in public places after 11pm by patrolling officers can be reported to their parents.
It raised a fuss at the time, with some people worrying that police were assuming parents' responsibilities, and that it might make teens overly mistrustful of the police.
In the case of Jin Lian. her parents have received two such letters.
Police initiative aimed at preventing crime
MOST police checks on loitering youngsters are carried out in public areas that are popular teen hang-outs such as void decks, playgrounds and parks.These checks are carried out from 11pm to dawn. Not every group or teenager is approached.
... more
It doesn't seem to have made her any more mistrustful of the police, though. If anything, she seems indifferent, telling GenY: 'It was just a simple matter of taking down my particulars and after that, they let me go. I still continue to stay out late.'
Two years after the scheme kicked off, the teenager is among a growing number of youngsters being flagged this way.
Last year, the police sent out about 1,200 warning letters to parents about their teens loitering late at night. This is double the 675 notes sent out in 2006 when the scheme was introduced.
But it may not yet be cause for alarm. Police say the reason for the increase is not necessarily more youths staying out late.
The big jump might have come from greater vigilance by the police, said Assistant Superintendent Lim Tung Li, a media relations officer in the Singapore Police Force.
Exact figures were not available but repeat offenders are apparently rare.
Indeed, the patrols and warning letters seemed to pay off initially: Youth arrests - of kids aged seven to 19 - fell by 34 per cent in the first six months of last year.
But perhaps in the way die-hard late-nighters like Jin Lian shrug off the letters, the effect wore off later in the year, as annual figures hardly showed any dip. Youth arrests fell just 1 per cent for the whole of 2007.
Jin Lian is not typical of late-night loitering youngsters, though, as three out of four who are stopped are males. And while the scheme hasn't jolted her, other teens and parents are still giving it the thumbs-up.
Most of the 30 teens GenY spoke to said that it not only prevents youth from getting into trouble but it also keeps the streets safe for those who want to have some good clean fun. They agreed that patrolling keeps youths in check and pre-empts problems.
Student Alex Lee, 16, said: 'If you are insistent on not telling your parents that you're going out, it pretty much means you're doing something inappropriate.'
Student Ian Ho, 16, echoed that, saying: 'The curfew rule doesn't quite bother me, as long as my parents know where I am.'
As for parents, Mr Simon Lim, 49, a senior property officer, said that his 15-year-old son Jeremy is more willing to return home before 11pm since the ruling was implemented.
'It's a great way to ensure children keep track of time when they are out with friends,' he said.
Another who likes the scheme is administrative assistant Lau Siew Yee, 48. She said that she has a busy schedule which doesn't allow her to keep close tabs on her 16-year-old daughter Jasmine.
Ms Lau revealed that she is often unaware of her daughter's whereabouts and said she is all for late-night checks, adding: 'I hope that my daughter will become more responsible and call me whenever she is staying out late.'
How It Began
Harking back to when the scheme started, ASP Lim pointed out that in 2006, youths accounted for 22 per cent of overall arrests.
This was 'worrisome' as it was more than the proportion of youths in the national demography, he said. Youths make up 16 per cent of the population currently. Last year, they accounted for 21 per cent of arrests.
The police said the response of youths when approached by them varies, but most try to explain why they are out and are by and large cooperative.
Still, not all youths like the late-night checks, with some telling GenY they felt that the police were attempting to control them.
'I believe I do not pose a danger to others or that my being out late is a danger to myself,' said student Zuo Le Le, 16.
But it is not just being up to no good that is a concern, said Dr Carol Balhetchet, a youth counsellor with Teen Challenge and director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society.
She is all for the post-11pm checks, saying that students who hang out till 1 or 2am are likely to not get enough sleep and end up failing their exams.
However, she added: 'But there's always a time for work and play - I'm okay with youths staying out a little later on weekends.'
alexliam@sph.com.sg
Dear Parents, Your child was found loitering
Growing number of youths found by police in public places past 11pm and reported to parents
By Alex Liam
ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
SIXTEEN-year-old Wu Jin Lian likes to hang out late at night. Void decks near her home in Tampines are her usual haunts and she chats with friends there into the wee hours.
The problem? Teens like her are easy prey for trouble-makers - either in falling victim to a crime or being roped in to commit one.
Prompted by concerns such as these, police have written to Jin Lian's parents informing them of her night-owl antics.
The letter to Mum and Dad from the cops is the result of a police initiative launched two years ago in which youngsters under 17 who are found loitering in public places after 11pm by patrolling officers can be reported to their parents.
It raised a fuss at the time, with some people worrying that police were assuming parents' responsibilities, and that it might make teens overly mistrustful of the police.
In the case of Jin Lian. her parents have received two such letters.
Police initiative aimed at preventing crime
MOST police checks on loitering youngsters are carried out in public areas that are popular teen hang-outs such as void decks, playgrounds and parks.These checks are carried out from 11pm to dawn. Not every group or teenager is approached.
... more
It doesn't seem to have made her any more mistrustful of the police, though. If anything, she seems indifferent, telling GenY: 'It was just a simple matter of taking down my particulars and after that, they let me go. I still continue to stay out late.'
Two years after the scheme kicked off, the teenager is among a growing number of youngsters being flagged this way.
Last year, the police sent out about 1,200 warning letters to parents about their teens loitering late at night. This is double the 675 notes sent out in 2006 when the scheme was introduced.
But it may not yet be cause for alarm. Police say the reason for the increase is not necessarily more youths staying out late.
The big jump might have come from greater vigilance by the police, said Assistant Superintendent Lim Tung Li, a media relations officer in the Singapore Police Force.
Exact figures were not available but repeat offenders are apparently rare.
Indeed, the patrols and warning letters seemed to pay off initially: Youth arrests - of kids aged seven to 19 - fell by 34 per cent in the first six months of last year.
But perhaps in the way die-hard late-nighters like Jin Lian shrug off the letters, the effect wore off later in the year, as annual figures hardly showed any dip. Youth arrests fell just 1 per cent for the whole of 2007.
Jin Lian is not typical of late-night loitering youngsters, though, as three out of four who are stopped are males. And while the scheme hasn't jolted her, other teens and parents are still giving it the thumbs-up.
Most of the 30 teens GenY spoke to said that it not only prevents youth from getting into trouble but it also keeps the streets safe for those who want to have some good clean fun. They agreed that patrolling keeps youths in check and pre-empts problems.
Student Alex Lee, 16, said: 'If you are insistent on not telling your parents that you're going out, it pretty much means you're doing something inappropriate.'
Student Ian Ho, 16, echoed that, saying: 'The curfew rule doesn't quite bother me, as long as my parents know where I am.'
As for parents, Mr Simon Lim, 49, a senior property officer, said that his 15-year-old son Jeremy is more willing to return home before 11pm since the ruling was implemented.
'It's a great way to ensure children keep track of time when they are out with friends,' he said.
Another who likes the scheme is administrative assistant Lau Siew Yee, 48. She said that she has a busy schedule which doesn't allow her to keep close tabs on her 16-year-old daughter Jasmine.
Ms Lau revealed that she is often unaware of her daughter's whereabouts and said she is all for late-night checks, adding: 'I hope that my daughter will become more responsible and call me whenever she is staying out late.'
How It Began
Harking back to when the scheme started, ASP Lim pointed out that in 2006, youths accounted for 22 per cent of overall arrests.
This was 'worrisome' as it was more than the proportion of youths in the national demography, he said. Youths make up 16 per cent of the population currently. Last year, they accounted for 21 per cent of arrests.
The police said the response of youths when approached by them varies, but most try to explain why they are out and are by and large cooperative.
Still, not all youths like the late-night checks, with some telling GenY they felt that the police were attempting to control them.
'I believe I do not pose a danger to others or that my being out late is a danger to myself,' said student Zuo Le Le, 16.
But it is not just being up to no good that is a concern, said Dr Carol Balhetchet, a youth counsellor with Teen Challenge and director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society.
She is all for the post-11pm checks, saying that students who hang out till 1 or 2am are likely to not get enough sleep and end up failing their exams.
However, she added: 'But there's always a time for work and play - I'm okay with youths staying out a little later on weekends.'
alexliam@sph.com.sg
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
