Residential College kick-starts community activities

Students of Ridge View Residential College provide service to the community from the heart (Photos: Koh Jiyao, Faculty of Engineering)

Students of Ridge View Residential College (RVRC), one of NUS' newest Residential Colleges, rose bright and early one Sunday morning in February for a worthy cause. Gathering at Chai Chee Avenue, the students embarked on RVRC's first community project to refurbish 18 homes of the elderly residents. 

Initiated and organised by RVRC students, a total of 112 participants from the Residential College worked with the People's Association and Southeast Community Development Council in this spring-cleaning community project before the Lunar New Year. 

Even though the RVRC students were involved only in the physical task of cleaning the units and applying fresh coats of paint, they actually gained from an educational perspective. They reflected that the interaction and stories shared by the tenants had greatly deepened their understanding of the plight of the elderly and needy.

Claurence Lee, a Year 1 Faculty of Science student who led the project, shared his vision: "My team and I are glad to have this opportunity to engage the RVRC community in a project that shows care and concern to those who are less privileged in our community. He highlighted that the spring-cleaning effort represented the beginning of a series of activities. This is in line with the College's aim of inspiring students from various disciplines to work together on small-scale yet meaningful studies that provide real-life solutions.

Participating students painting the homes of the beneficiaries

"Sustainability is one of our College's fundamental values, said Gina Chew, a Year 1 participant from the Faculty of Arts and Social Science. "This project is about taking the first step towards a long-term measure in addressing the needs of the elderly who require help and care.

She added: "We hope to raise awareness about social issues like this and prompt others to join efforts to remedy them. It's not just a one-off thing. It has a long-term, cumulative effect and everyone needs to pitch in.

Singapore's Minister of Manpower Mr Tan Chuan Jin, who is the Member of Parliament for Kembangan-Chai Chee, commended the students for their efforts: "This project is a good opportunity to learn about community service and at the same time, show love, care and respect for the less privileged among us.

By Nicholas Tan, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences