It's the start of something new~ This Youth Day, we channel the wide-eyed hope and excitement exuded by OGs Troy & Gabriella at the precipice of a fresh relationship and the dawn of new possibilities (and sequels) by introducing our own fresh blood: The newest Campus Chapter of Eunoia Junior College (EJC)!
The Campus Chapter was started as part of EJC's Community Involvement Programme, which gives students the opportunity to partner with charity organisations, volunteer and in the process hone their leadership skills. Only forming around 2 months ago, the students shared how the process of forming their group from scratch has been so far:
"It was quite interesting because we are all from different classes and we take different combinations - so it's interesting to meet people from different parts of school. We also have a common goal that we want to contribute in this area.
In terms of problems faced - even our problem is not so much a problem. Just a chance for us to learn. Even though we had seniors who had done something a bit similar [in terms of volunteering], they didn't set up a campus chapter."
The courage to try new things despite the uncertainty - that's what inspired us about the EJC chapter.
This alongside their passion to serve makes us confident of the great things the chapter will achieve on their journey to serve the community:
"One common goal which unifies us is that we really want to help people, especially people who are either in poverty or they have some mental/physical disability that causes them to be unable to declutter their houses themselves. We want to allow them to have a better living environment so that their home becomes a safe space for them, and they can actually invite others without feeling embarrassed by their living condition.
Some homeowners are actually willing to change, but they do not know who to approach for help. That's why its so important to help them - because in a way, we are kind of providing them hope to have a better future. For example, when you clean their houses, the homeowners start to feel more hopeful about their lives, instead of just living in a vicious cycle where everyday they stay in a messy home and feel dejected about life.
While we are just playing a small role in helping them, we think it's small actions like that which build up and matter, to change someone's life."
What a profound outlook on caring for the needy within our community. Where did such insights come from? Some members of the team have had some experience fundraising and advocating for a YMCA Youth for Causes project for vulnerable children and youth. Describing the experience as "eye-opening", they realised how meaningful it truly was to make a difference in the lives of the less-privileged, and to also glean new skills such as organising events which they would not have learnt in their regular school curriculum. This led them to continue serving the community by starting a new Habitat Campus Chapter in their school.
When asked how they thought they could cultivate a stronger sense of volunteerism in fellow youths, this was what the team had to say:
"It's about being a role model, it really shows in our actions. That's when people start to take notice - all you need is a few people coming together and that's when people will see the impact of it. Word of mouth too. Both these things go a long way. Seeing it online is one thing, but seeing your fellow peers do it is a lot more impactful because that means that you don't have to be special or anything to do it. All you need is the heart to do so."
We are so excited to see these young trailblazers make an impact not just on the homeowners they serve, but on their fellow peers as well! Thank you for the heart to serve and the passion to run with us on this journey to creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
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Interested to gather your friends to form your own Campus Chapter or youth group? Come get into a chat with us! Simply drop us an email at info@habitat.org.sg to kickstart your volunteering journey!