The ALIVE! Programme is a local community programme that was birthed to see our youth cultivate good values as they SHARE their lives with others in the community; LIVE their lives to the fullest of their potential; and eventually, to be able to INVEST their lives into the lives of others less fortunate than themselves.

The three values of sharing, living and investing lives are in alignment with what our club believes in. The distinct difference between ALIVE! and other community programmes is that ALIVE! is a continuous one year programme with a group of youth, divided into three different phases: Share It!, Live It! And Invest It!  ALIVE! does not aim at building surface or ‘touch and go’ kind of impact with the youth we are working with. It is our hope and commitment that continuous interaction with the youth ensures close and consistent bonding with the volunteers. This would facilitate in the effectiveness of the youth in acquiring new skills and knowledge that would aid in developing their fullest.

WHAT IS ALIVE! DOING?

For the volunteers

Volunteers are given opportunities to plan, implement and evaluate programmes for the youth we are working with. Training workshops are conducted for our volunteers so as to equip them in their level of volunteer competence. The training workshops are either conducted by our volunteer co-coordinators or external professionals who are trained in a particular area. Some examples of the workshops we have conducted for the volunteers are Anger Management, Effective Interaction with boys, Service Learning and Effective Listening Skills.

Through the 3 phases, the boys get to learn different skills that will eventually form the cornerstone in helping them to be a change maker in the society. Each phase takes approximately 4 months.

Share it! Phase - Through informal camps, game sessions and outings, boys learnt about values of trust, openness, teamwork and unity.
Live it! Phase- A series of Interactive hands-on workshops were conducted to stir interest in Science amongst the boys.
Invest it! Phase- Here, the boys learnt the attitude of helping others and giving back to society in reciprocation of what they have learnt in ALIVE! from the earlier 2 phases. In this phase, boys planned together with the volunteers and organised an outing for a group of trainees from MINDS (West End). The boys were given the opportunities to lead and engage their friends as well

 

SHARE IT! PHASE

Through informal camps, game sessions and outings, boys learnt about values of trust, openness, teamwork and unity.

Hear the Heartbeat from one of our volunteers :

Campfire outing – successful concluding event to sharing phase?

"We are unique and yet share a common humanity."

This summed up nicely what I have felt for the recent campfire that I attended as a volunteer in the outing with boys from Grace Havens.  The theme of the campfire outing was "bullying".  It was meant to be experiential learning experience with the boys.  In the end, the campfire outing turned out great bonding session between the volunteers and the boys.

The preparation for this outing began about one to one-and-a-half months before.  A lot of preparation work was involved.  To quote from the remark from our great, tireless volunteer-leader, Boon Liong, 
"I was overwhelmed by the amount of preparation towards the camp until I saw this bunch of great volunteers".

I must comment that Boon Liong is an optimist and also very kind.  There are more occasions than I can count where I have been less than enthusiastic about this campfire outing.  Anyway, after much kudos, efforts, hard-work and cheering-on from Boon-Liong, the volunteers were in-time for a fun outing with the boys. 

In the end, getting a terrific bonding session between the boys and volunteers from this outing made it a good concluding event for the sharing phase of the GenActs ALIVE! Program. 

Yet, it is also hard to capture in words the sequence of events that lead to this good outing.  Great weather, good leading from Boon-Liong and Hazel, all-round contributions from the volunteers and most importantly, the participations of the boys as the stars of the outing, all added to make this outing a success.

So perhaps the best glimpse of this event can be seen from the following comments from some volunteers:

See Meng’s comment:
“I feel 15 again!"
Summed up the youthful fun and gaming experience that we had for the campfire.  Mingling with the boys made quite a few volunteers recalled their own school-days.  And everyone would agree that it is great to feel 15 again.

Another volunteer, Adrian, summarized the participation from the boys well enough in his own word, “Well, All in all, I think everyone had fun, the boys sounded a little 'xian' (boring) at first because they had played some of the games many times round, but at the end of the day, they were asking when the next visit would be...." 

His experience towards the end of the day is also shared by Siew Choo, “It was heartwarming to see that e boys opening up & making efforts to work together as a team, especially during the bbq time.”

Another volunteer, Magdalene, speaks of the moments where volunteers and the boys connect.
" I never thought I could "connect" with the boys since we are ages apart, but I am so glad the boys were able to share with me their lives over lunch that day."

From what Hazy Hazel (co-volunteer leader) described, lunch was definitely not the only time where the volunteers and boys connected
"Thankful that we had good weather that I even got a tan! =p My heart just melted literally when the boys, some of whom I did not catch up much with, actually bbq the food and kept feeding some of us with food :)  Really overjoyed when the boys gave comments like “It was a fun day"!!

Prepared by : George Ng (ALIVE! Volunteer)

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LIVE IT! PHASE

A series of Interactive hands-on workshops were conducted to stir interest in Science amongst the boys.

Paper aeroplane making

• Using different types of paper, we did up various forms of aeroplane. The boys were taught on different types of forces, surface area, and gravity.
• Quote of the day “Effective engineer”=> Boon liong’s aeroplane won the competition.
Balloon powered car
• Using balloons as a form of engine to move a car
• The boys were taught on friction, weight and surface area.
Science Centre Trip
• An “Amazing race” was conducted at the Science Centre where volunteers and boys compete against each other on their understanding of various Science principles.

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INVEST IT! PHASE

"A life is only truly change for the better when that life can bring about positive impact in others"

On the 20 May 2006, the impossible became the possible!

Yes, the boys from Grace Haven successfully organised an outing for a group of 20 trainees from Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS)! When the idea of doing a community service project was first suggested to the boys, they were apprehensive and expressed concerns about the possibility of carrying out such a project. With some encouragement and support, the boys were willing to give it a go!

Soon, various teams were formed. The boys divided themselves into various teams involving games, food and handicraft. Each boy played a part according to their interest and talent. The volunteers played a supporter role in aiding and encouraging the boys as they planned for the outing.

It was a first time for the boys and I am proud of their achievements and their willingness to bring good cheer to others despite the difficulties they each struggled with! The outing was a success and the trainees from MINDS enjoyed themselves very much. The trainees simply loved the windmills that were handmade by the boys!

I believe this outing is a memorable milestone for this group of boys, who know and experience for themselves that they too can make a difference in another persons’ life!

Prepared by : Hazel Chew (ALIVE! Volunteer)

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SUCCESS STORIES

“Isaac says- form 5 words with at least 10 letters in the least amount of time.” This is a common phase that was being recited almost every morning when my volunteer team was teaching English in Muhammadiyah’s Boys & Girls Orphanage, Meulaboh (Aceh). This “SHINE-A-LIFE” community service project with Generation ACTS Club Int’l (S) took place from 03 to 12 Nov 2006. For many of the volunteers including myself, it was our first overseas community service experience. Personally, it was a trip worthwhile and definitely memorable one!

Throughout the 10 days, I gained insight on the meaning of contentment and am amazed by the communal spirit and thirst for knowledge being displayed amongst the locals and students that we taught. Why do I say that? I remembered vividly in my mind the joy being displayed by one of the students when we affirmed him with an eraser that cost only $0.65 (SGD). This student was astonished as this simple, plastic eraser costs approximately 3,700 rupiah and to him, it was something precious to be given. When I saw that, I was wondering in my mind, would I be displaying the same amount of joy and contentment when I received a gift that costs only SGD $0.65?  I examined and learnt from this student that contentment comes when we do not attempt to compare and compete with one another about how much we have.

There was a change in the lives of the volunteers and students as we went through this programme together. For the students, I see how they took steps to want to converse with the volunteers in English and asked endless questions on how they can improve their English. Many times, our conversation will be filled with little Bahasa Indonesia that the volunteers speak. Despite the language barrier, we are able to connect with the students and I must say that we have a fun time learning Bahasa Indonesia from the students as well! Who says volunteering is always about giving? Well, I beg to differ on that! 

We also had our first hand experience when we were featured in the local newspapers, Serambi Press and our team leader Boon Liong was invited for an interview session over air at the Meulaboh’s radio station. All of us were excited when the locals actually sent smses asking questions about our programme and our stay in Meulaboh!

At the end of the 10 days programme, I must say that every volunteer has an unexplainable bonding with this group of students and certainly, each one of us brought back something with us to Singapore.  Here are some heartfelt thoughts from some of the volunteers:

“The image of these little girls and boys is still fresh in my memory and will stay there for many years to come. Tsunami-struck Meulaboh? Loved ones gone? Homes destroyed? Businesses lost? Shops gone?
Yes, but when you look at the faces of the people here, like these little ones, you find it hard to imagine what they have gone through....and even harder to imagine how they can still smile and get on with life. Is it because they are just children? Or is it because of their ability to find contentment in the little and simple pleasures of life?
We came to bless the people of Meulaboh with English lessons ....but they taught us lessons we can never pay to learn...one such lesson, is that of contentment” - Laura Hoi

“I think all of us left Meulaboh with something...we touched hearts and we gave the children there a glimpse of the world we had in Singapore, something some of them might never experience in their lifetime.”- Adrian Lim

Author: Hazel Chew

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