Issue 16 : Community Work in the Future
Issue 16 : Community Work in the Future
PAGE 96
Pre-Panel Discussion
1 . Do the youths feel that there is a need for Community Work in the Tamil community ?
• The youths feel that Community Work is necessary in the Tamil community , as they felt that more could be done in certain aspects : Education , Financial Difficulties , Domestic Violence , Gang Involvements and Alcoholism .
• Although there are many youths interested in doing community work , not many of them know how to do it or where to start .
• Youths also claim that it is difficult to find like-minded individuals with the same ideology , similar skill sets and the passion to serve the same target group / beneficiary .
• Also , some youths feel that there are not enough Tamil organisations embarking on community projects for the Tamil community , thus there are very few avenues for them to volunteer at . Individual organisations such as SINDA , Narpani Paeravai might not have the resources to run such projects alone , so the youths felt that they could form hybrids within the community .
• They also feel that schools should be giving more exposure to students with regards to learning more about the different beneficiaries in the community .
2 . What are some of the reasons cited by youths for not feeling for or engaging in community work for the Tamil community ?
• Most youths , who do not engage in community work , cited time crunch as a major issue in view of their academic workload and co-curricular activities . However , other youths feel that time can be made for volunteering as long as good time management is upheld .
• Community work is not a priority for some of the youths . They do not fully understand the purpose of community work and the type of benefits that can be reaped .
• Although some youths express their desire to uplift the Tamil community , other youths felt that community work should not be restricted to a specific community . All races should be included .
• Some youths feel that community work should be performed based on needs in a vulnerable group e . g . elderly , people with special needs instead of being carried out within races . However , other youths feel that the vulnerable groups within our society can relate better to someone of their own race , making it easier for them to accept help .
3 . What are the youth ’ s opinions on emotive-based volunteering and skills-based volunteering ?
• Skills-based volunteering can bring a lot of benefits for the beneficiary ; however , a thorough needs analysis is first required , so that there is a proper match between volunteers and beneficiaries . For instance , the ‘ Know the Law Now ’ book engaged youths well-versed with translation from English to Tamil to translate the book , to bring Singapore ’ s common law in a simplified fashion to those who do not read or understand English .
• Skills-based volunteering can become a challenge when the fields become too specialised . For instance , in SINDA Step Tuition , good teaching skills regardless of whether the tutor is MOE certified will allow the tutor to teach and benefit the students . However , if we would like to improve the health of diabetic / cancer patients , it may become too difficult to find volunteers with the relevant skills .
• Emotive-based volunteering is also very important as there is an esteem issue within the Tamil community , where they tend to refuse help from others . Thus , it is crucial that volunteers know how to approach these beneficiaries and render the service they require .