For this segment, we are consolidating the learning objectives from SI Wing and the Soci Society.
What SI aims to achieve
We aim to introduce the essence of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) framework to our participants. Essentially, this framework recognizes that communities have assets and strengths to share and tap on, instead of viewing them as negative and in need of help. This is an important shift of perspective that we feel value-adds community engagement.
Key takeways:
- The Community contains Assets - recognizing the assets within a neighbourhood.
- Forget Us Not Campaign is an initiative driven by the local community.
- Wellness Kampung is an initiative driven by the government, supported by the local community through volunteers running the daily operations of the centre.
- Neighbourhood - Shop spaces, staffs, residents and more
- Importance of Connectors - bridging assets together to form a network
- This event allowed us to bring the elderly, students and Forget Us Not campaign together, to learn about dementia together.
- Question to ask about Community Engagement - What is CE to you?
- Unsporting participants - How do we manage such participants?
- How can CE benefit the community we are interacting with? For the students, CE provides a learning platform that broaden our perspectives but what about the elderly? What do they gain from the session with us?
- Being a drop-in centre, participation in this activity is voluntary. Participants are already more incline to participate and engage. What about those who are uninterested/unaware of activities such as this? How can we reach out to such people?
For SI Wing, we wanted to introduce the ethos of the ABCD framework and also to develop the concept of CE that each individual CAPTain has in their mind and we hope that the participants took away some semblance of ABCD and also strengthened their understanding of what CE meant to them. We recognize that the definition of CE could be different for everyone and it is perfectly fine.
What Soci Society aims to achieve (imo)
- Invisible work - Caregivers. The video, with the grandma getting lost after buying breakfast for the grandchild, shown during the sharing depict the hidden work that the caregivers (often the immediate family) do. We hope that people recognize that dementia does not only affect the PWD but it also affects the community around him or her. The point is to recognize that dementia is a concern that requires the support and help from the entire community, and this even extends to us, the wider community to play a part.
- Sense of self - Self Differentiation. When our own memories fail us, are we still us? What defines self? This point probes whether a person is defined by his own perspective. Could a PWD still remain as himself, with his memory regressing?
- Perspectives imposed by others. Who defines PWDs? As individuals who interact with PWDs, how would we define them? Could we still view them as the person we used to know or someone new entirely? The point is to recognize that an identity could be impose by external factors. Once we have defined the PWD with our perspective, this will narrow our opinion/thoughts about him/her.
Ultimately, this is discourse that will surface sooner or later as the population in Singapore ages. I am definitely not representative of Soci Society, do head to their blog at https://www.nussocisoc.org/single-post/2018/03/20/Definding-my-Self to read their perspective on the matter.
Once again, thank you all participants, facils from NUS Sociology Society and CAPT, the various organizations involved for making this event a success.
"Today's moments are tomorrow's memories."
~ Benson
