Dear Team
As we knocked on a door, we were told by a resident that she could not talk to us. We thanked her nonetheless and moved on. A few minutes later, our volunteer Rui En knocked on the same door as she did not realise that we had done so. This time the door opened and the interview proceeded smoothly. Rui En being a familiar face on local television was immediately trusted by this resident who was also very pleased to have a celebrity calling on her. Rui En is now on a filming break and together with members of her fan club, she has been joining our colleagues and volunteers from the Tanglin Police Division to invite residents to help us look out for the children in their neighbourhood.
Whenever we collaborate with others or pool our resources the work always seems easier. Collaborations often create a different energy that keeps our work fresh. However, the most important reason for collaborations is that those in need are better supported and better connected to the community. Many disadvantaged people tend to keep their problems to themselves even though they may already be served in some way by a social service agency. Some feel that they have already troubled the agency in one way and it is embarrassing to approach them again. Hence, the agency who does not hear from the service-user in between scheduled visits would assume that no news is good news. The stability in a disadvantaged person’s life often changes overnight as they are usually coping with several problems at one time. It is really difficult for one agency to be with the service-user on a daily basis. As familiarity breeds contempt it may not be wise either. As such, when different agencies are working together for service-users collaboratively the chances of them falling through the cracks are reduced.
When a school counsellor visited her 12 year old student’s home, she met a police officer who was there because her student’s younger siblings were found loitering in the neighbourhood. Immediately, she realised that her student’s problems were more than what she could manage alone. She called for a meeting which we attended and there we met Life Community Services, another youth serving agency as well as the father of the children. We learned that Life Community Services have been ‘friends’ of the children for the past 2 years and they have been supporting the family with food and other necessities. It was comforting to know that we had partners right from the start and we proceeded to link the family to child care and other services within their community. Should ever these children get into any difficulties in the future, many members of their community will be concerned.
However, we hope that when many members of their community are concerned for them, these children will run into less difficulties.
Enjoy your weekend.
Gerard
Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean. – Ryunosuke Satoro
Gerard Ee
Executive Director
BEYOND SOCIAL SERVICES
14th October 2011.
See also: Beyond Door Knocking, by Rui En.
