A showcase of community leadership
NUS undergraduates shared their research findings and recommendations on social and community issues affecting Singapore with Mr Ong Ye Kung, Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, at the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme Symposium on 21 April.
The first presentation by Kenneth Ler Yong Qin, Year 3 Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), Business School and University Scholars Programme (USP) and Afiqah Nur Fitri Bte Suhaiemi, Year 4 FASS and USP students, highlighted the need for social agencies to focus on the developmental needs of children of ex-offenders. For instance, these youths should be given more opportunities to interact with society, make new friends, and participate more actively in school to create positive experiences.
Another presentation, “Creating conversations: ABCD of block mapping”, by students Tan Kwan Boon, Year 3 FASS and Amanda Kee, Year 3 FASS and USP, focused on an asset-based development framework to build on a community’s strengths to promote stronger family and community bonding. Their project involved interviewing and mapping the aspirations as well as needs of residents in the Jurong Spring area.
Former Social Work Department Head, Associate Professorial Fellow Mrs Ann Wee was among the audience which included leaders and staff of local social service organisations
Year 4 FASS and USP student Siti Adriana Binte Muhamad Rasip’s research on lower-income Malay/Muslim households’ views on the social assistance efforts by Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs) identified some commonly held perceptions. Some of these perceptions include difficulty in getting social assistance due to highly stringent requirements and social assistance that is not quite meeting the community’s needs, which had not taken into consideration MMOs’ perspectives.
Year 2 medical undergraduate Keith Low Sheng Hng drew on his own observation of his grandmother’s adverse reaction to medications for her chronic medical conditions. He highlighted the dangers of polypharmacy — the consumption of multiple drugs — that could lead to serious medical emergencies or even death. He recommended reducing the prevalence of polypharmacy through concerted efforts by the healthcare institution, patient and caregiver.
Using the framework of social return on investment, Year 4 Science and USP student Elson Ng Yan Da, and Year 4 FASS student Chan Sze How evaluated the social impact of programmes run by non-profit organisations Bizlink Centre and Brahm Centre. Their analyses show that the programmes run by both organisations produce social impact that significantly exceeds the operational cost.
During a lively dialogue session with the presenters and audience, Mr Ong commended NUS for initiating such a programme where students can learn, research and immerse themselves in local social issues. “A university like NUS, no matter how high you are in the international ranking, you are a national university — while you can compete with any foreign university, you have to operate, learn and research in the context of Singapore, the context of our immediate region and the context of the problems we are facing,” he said.
NUS’ Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme, which started in 2011, seeks to nurture undergraduates to be intellectually engaged in social and community issues by working with social service organisations in Singapore.
Mr Ong finding out more about the community projects undertaken by students during a tour of the exhibition booths
