Working with the Community

Possible Areas of Collaboration

• Food Collection Drive and Distribution

• Wish List Drive

• Newspaper Collection

• Neighbourhood Clean-Ups

• Home Visits

• Home Cleaning

• Performances

• Festival Celebrations (Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali, Christmas)

• Hunger Awareness Programme (World Vision)

• Neighbourhood Mural Painting

Partnering Organisations

1. Serangoon Moral Family Service Centre

2. Food from the Heart

3. Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA)

4. Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC)

5. Yayasan Mendaki

6. Singapore Red Cross

7. Singapore Association of Mental Health

8. Mercy Relief

9. Asian Women’s Welfare Association

Past Projects Ideas

Health Mapping Exercise 2009

On Saturday morning, 31st October 2009, Nanyang Junior College was given the honour of collaborating with the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) and running this Health Mapping Project for two consecutive years. The aim of the exercise was to conduct health surveys of the residents, as well as to collate data on the residents’ blood pressure count, height, weight and waist circumference.

During this Health Mapping Exercise, a group of 70 NYJC students, gathered at the void deck of block 406, Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, to conduct a free health screening for the low income residents of that block as their service-learning project. This group of students comprises students mainly from three classes, i.e. 0907, 0909 and 0921, as well as six students in the organising committee.

The volunteers were separated into thirteen groups, with three groups stationed at the void deck to service the walk-ins, and the rest being allocated to different units to conduct door-to-door health screenings. Overall, NYJC managed to reach the target of conducting health checks for at least 30% of the residents living in that block.

Project Adopt-a-Wish 2010

More than 1000 students from Nanyang Junior College had the opportunity to give back to the community when they participated in Project Adopt-A-Wish 2011. Project Adopt-A-Wish was organised by the Service-Learning CCAs in the college, and the response received for the project in 2011 was astounding, with more than half of the student population signing up as volunteers. Over 300 one-room-flat households under the organisation Lions Befrienders, benefitted from this initiative.

Student volunteers and facilitators involved in this project made two visits to each household. The first visit was to survey the needs of the elderly residents of these flats. Our students were warmly welcomed by the elderly, as they are often home alone and have no one to talk to. Through interaction with the elderly, the volunteers not only brought warmth and joy into their hearts, but also helped to improve their lives by buying necessities that the elderly lack in their homes. The items were given to the elderly during the second visit. It was a good learning experience for some volunteers who realized that some of the elderly residents were living in apartments without basic home appliances or necessities such as refrigerators, mattresses or even proper food.

The project not only provided a platform for Nanyang JC students to make a difference in the lives of the elderly, but also deepened their understanding of the problems faced by the less fortunate in society. The smiles on the faces of the elderly whom we helped served as the best reward for the time and effort that we put into this project.

Handball Service-Learning Project 2014

On an afternoon in 15 November 2014, Nanyang Junior College Handball team had their very first sports club CCA based service-learning project. This project was a joint effort with Braddell Heights Community Club in organising a carnival for the residents in Braddell Heights Zone ‘B’. The team was tasked to facilitate the events with many of our team members taking charge of the different game booths that were set up in the carnival. They were also given the opportunity to set up a booth to showcase their CCA. After much consideration on the interests of the participants, who were mainly young children, we decided to come up with a simple activity of shooting balls into a premade structure. This activity was adapted from the idea of shooting ball into the goalpost in a Handball game. The event went well despite the rain at the end of the event.

This project was a meaningful one as it had not only brought joy to the residents who attended the carnival, but also provided an opportunity for the team to engage in bonding. With this shared experience, our team could play better on court as we can communicate more effectively. All in all, this event was a great success.

Student Reflections

The student volunteers who took part in Health Mapping Exercise 2009 have this to say, “The project was meaningful as we were able to gain first-hand encounters with people who are less well off, and as well as those who are living in poor conditions. After this S-L experience, we are reminded of how fortunate we are and that we should better appreciate what we have in life.

Another student volunteer remarked, “Overall, it was a successful project, and hopefully there will be many more similar opportunities for NYJCians to tap upon to serve the community. “

Foong Jia Wen (CT 1035) shares some thoughts on the Adopt-A-Wish Project, “Through interaction with the elderly, the volunteers not only brought warmth and joy into their hearts, but also helped improve their lives by buying necessities that the elderly lack in their homes. The items were given to the elderly during the second visit. It was a shocking realization for some volunteers that some of the elderly were living in apartments without refrigerators, mattresses or even proper foods, as these items are considered as basics in most homes.” Foong Jia Wen, CT 1035

Team Reflection on Handball Service-Learning Project 2015, “This project was a meaningful one as it had not only brought joy to the residents who attended the carnival, but also provided an opportunity for us to be more bonded. Due to this shared experience, our team could play better on court as we learnt how to communicate more effectively. All in all, this event was a great success.”

Joey Tan (CCA, Handball), “Overall, I felt that this handball S-L project is extremely significant and beneficial because we were able to interact, raise awareness and transmit what we know about handball to the residents and at the same time, gaining valuable knowledge from this unforgettable experience.