Clementi Youth Sparks
Introduction
Clementi Youth Sparks is one of the eight Regular Volunteering Programmes in CSC. We work closely with Students Care Service (Clementi) to provide support as volunteers to youths.
Students Care Service (Clementi) is a voluntary social work organization founded in 1976. It is registered with the Registry of Societies (ROS) and Commissioner of Charities (COC). It is also affiliated to the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and part-funded by Community Chest.
SCS (Clementi) provides social work and educational psychology services to students and their families so as to allow every student to reach their maximum potential in their teenage years. The target group is mostly teenage students in upper primary to secondary school level.
NUS Volunteers and Social Workers in Clementi Youth Sparks during CNY 2011
Currently, NUS volunteers are involved in 2 main programmes in Clementi Youth Sparks:
1. Youth Mentorship Programme (YMP)
Youth Mentorship June Holiday Outing 2010
Mentorship is a year-long programme where volunteers will be paired with a youth mentee to provide companionship, leadership as well as assistance in the mentee’s academic work.
Volunteers will take up the role of mentors and act as role-models to the youths, allowing the mentees to feel appreciated and respected as an individual. Our main aim is to establish friendship ties between mentors and mentees so that mentees can learn from the mentors how to make the right decisions in life and take up responsibilities to shine as a young adult in time to come.
The programme will be on halt during the examinations period for both the youths and the volunteers. The session includes an hour of academic coaching and an hour of interactive time where mentors and mentees can engage themselves in boardgames or other activities like pool, soccer, dance, etc.
Day: Tuesday
Time: 7pm – 9pm
2. Youth Clubhouse Programme (YCP)
Youths enjoying themselves at the Youth Clubhouse on one of the Fridays!
The Youth Clubhouse is a fun-filled place for youths to hang out after school hours. A unique feature that is different from other youths’ drop-in centre is the operation of a café with the sales of food and drinks.
Volunteers will be involved in the operation of the café as well as engaging the youths in different activities in our clubhouse. (E.g. Boardgames, Pool, Wii, Table-tennis, Jamming Studio, etc) The main aim of this drop-in café is to build a strong sense of trust between the volunteers and the youths through the interaction in the activities so that volunteers can be both a friend and a role-model to the youths.
Day: Friday
Time: 230pm – 530pm
Come Join Us!
Where:
Students Care Service (Clementi)
Blk 329 Clementi Ave 2
#01-248
(A 5 minutes’ walk from Clementi MRT station)
Contact:
Volunteer’s thoughts:
- Han Liang
- Qi Yuan
- Sun Ningrui - Youth Mentorship Head
- Gan Xiu Yi - Youth Clubhouse Head
- Chua Hui Min - Secretary/Treasurer
- Tan Kai Min Welfare Head
- Cheryl Pong Shi Hui - Publicity Head
I joined Clementi Students Care Service because I always have a passion for volunteering and this RVP provides a unique volunteering experience. To be a volunteer in Clementi SCS, we underwent two days of training where we get to understand more about the youths and learn how to better interact with them. The training allowed us to deal with different situations in our interaction with them in the clubhouse. We also get to befriend other like-minded volunteers in the process.
As a volunteer in the clubhouse, we not only assist in the operation of the clubhouse but also befriend the youths and serve as role model for them. In the clubhouse, we interact with the youths in a relaxing setting where we can play Wii, pool, table soccer, table tennis and a myriad of board games together. Through our interaction with the youths, we can understand their problems and provide guidance for them. Having been in the programme for one year, I have befriended numerous friends in the clubhouse and enjoyed my time there.
I joined Clementi Students Care Service (SCS) as a volunteer in 2010 as I wanted to try regular volunteer work, as my previous volunteering experiences have been one-off in nature. Working and interacting with youths also makes me feel young at heart! In the year-long ‘mentorship programme’ that I am in, each mentor (an undergraduate from NUS) is paired with a mentee who is identified to require guidance and assistance not just in his/her studies but also in his/her overall development as a person. I was fortunate to be paired to a Primary 5 boy named Ridwan. Every Tuesday night, I would go down to the Clementi SCS Centre, spending one hour mentoring him in his studies, and the next one hour in activities such as sports, board games, etc with Ridwan and other mentors/mentees.
“A good example is the best sermon” – this is what I learnt through the Clementi SCS experience. In order to influence youths to behave in an acceptable way, it is important for the mentors ourselves to practise what we preach – ‘lecturing’ without ‘displaying’ is definitely not the way to go. Other than extending a helping hand to youths, the programme has also allowed me to build friendships with other like-minded mentors who share similar interests as me. I have also gained a sense of satisfaction seeing how Ridwan has developed as an individual and become more confident than he was one year ago. Overall, a positive volunteering experience!