Smu guide (community serv) PDF

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community service e-briefing guidebook

Centre for Social Responsibility 2017

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” Leo Rosten American writer, political scientist, teacher and humourist

CENTRE FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (C4SR) C4SR oversees the community service initiatives of SMU students, and guides and mentors you to undertake projects that are meaningful and sustainable. The Centre also provides insights into best practices in community engagement and social responsibility initiatives. You can email to [email protected] for any queries on community service. Please refer also to Part 9 for contact details of the C4SR staff.

CONTENTS Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6.

Part 7. Part 8. Part 9.

Community Service and You Begin with the End: A Reflective Mind Inspiring Community Service Journeys Embarking on your Community Service Elements of Community Service International Volunteerism: Serving Communities beyond Singapore OnTRAC II Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Centre for Social Responsibility (C4SR) Contact Details

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Part 1:

Community Service & You COMMUNITY SERVICE AT SMU Social responsibility is a prized attribute of SMU students. Preparing our students to be responsible citizens who demonstrate leadership and integrity is an important aspect of SMU’s holistic education. That is why since the inception of the University, all undergraduates are required to complete a minimum of 80 hours of community service as part of their graduation requirement.

Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize 1952

ONE THING I KNOW: THE ONLY ONES AMONG YOU WHO WILL BE REALLY HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO WILL HAVE SOUGHT AND FOUND HOW TO SERVE.

Community service is integral to the global classroom. These experiences are important in preparing students beyond knowledge. While grades tell of the intellectual capability, discipline and perseverance, employers look for evidence of leadership, initiative, creativity, compassion and passion. In many ways, serving society gives opportunity to exercise and demonstrate just that. But beyond just demonstrating your capability, when you find an area to serve that is close to your own passion, transformation happens within. Many students, in their reflection of their service, realise that they have become responsible and active citizens, demonstrating compassion, leadership and integrity, advocating and taking action to meet needs for the communities they live and work in.

Juris Doctor (JD) students and Law undergraduates Students enrolled in the LLB programme have to serve 80 hours and for those enrolled in the JD programme, 50 hours. For Law students (LLB and JD) these hours can be spent: 1. doing 80 hours (for LLB students) / 50 hours (for JD students) of Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE) approved pro bono work. OR

Concert organist, theologian, doctor to the poor in Africa, founder of a leprosarium at Lamarene

2. doing the mandatory minimum of 20 hours of SILE approved pro bono work and the remaining hours spent in community service work offered by C4SR. These pro bono hours will be counted after the completion of Term 2, Year one. Pro bono hours committed prior to the aforementioned period will not count towards the graduation requirement. It must be noted that this is a graduation requirement and hence students who do not comply with this requirement will not graduate till compliance is achieved. Please refer to the SMU Pro Bono Centre’s website, or email [email protected] for more information.

START EARLY ON YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE Your community service involvement may be undertaken any time during your course of study, but as your seniors will tell you, it’s best to start as early as possible. Starting early not only gives you sufficient time to complete the required hours, it also means you have ample opportunities to find a cause that you are passionate about, and possibly one that you can continue to serve beyond the 80-hour requirement. 2

Part 2:

Begin with the End: A Reflective Mind COMMUNITY SERVICE REFLECTION REPORT Let’s begin with the end. A reflection report marks the closure of the minimum community service involvment. It covers the service a student has rendered for each community service project. This is an opportunity for each student to reflect upon their experience, asking:

1. How were you impressed and challenged by the community service project? 2. What did you learn about yourself in the process? 3. How has your outlook on volunteerism been shaped?

CONTENTS OF THE REPORT •

Information about Host Organisation

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Brief Description of the Community Service Project’s Goals and Objectives

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Brief Description of Responsibilities and Activities Undertaken

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Key Learning Points (Needs/ Problems and Actions Taken to Meet Those Needs)

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What Did You Learn in the Process? (About Yourself, Your Values, and Outlook on Volunteerism)

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Feedback on the Host Organisation and Your Volunteering Experience

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Your Beneficiaries

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Career Plan (Future Plans, if Any, to Contribute to Same Organisation or Cause)

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Skills You Feel You Need to Develop That Were Highlighted Through This Experience

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Part 2:

Begin with the End: A Reflective Mind SUBMISSION DATE FOR THE REPORT Submit one report through OASIS within one month after completing the first 80 hours (50 hours for JD). An auto-generated email will be sent to prompt you to submit your Community Service Report via OASIS . For multiple projects, submit only one report for the project that has the most number of hours completed. In OASIS, click on “Careers & Comm Service” tab, followed by “Community Service”, “Report Submission” and “Participation and Grading Details” to complete the reflection report. Senior students have found it helpful to write a report immediately after the community service experience. A student who allocates time for experiential reflection benefits the most from this report.

EVALUATION AND GRADING You will be graded based on your reflection report and the performance appraisal form submitted by the Host Organisation/ Project Leader at the end of your community service project(s). It is a “Pass/ Fail” grade and will be reflected in your degree transcript. You can check your Community Service grade in OASIS at the end of the semester after you have submitted your community service reflection report via OASIS > Self-Service Apps > Participation and Grading.

FILING FOR GRADUATION Once you are eligible to file for graduation in your final year, there are important points to take note of for non-coursework requirements such as Community Service: •

Your Community Service status does not affect the eligibility to file for graduation, meaning students can still file for graduation even if their Community Service is still outstanding. However, it will affect students’ eligibility to graduate ultimately.

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After filing for graduation, students must ensure that they complete their Community Service and that their Community Service report has been graded as Pass in OASIS, in order to be considered for graduation. In the event that you have completed Community Service but the Degree Progress Report shows otherwise (i.e. component marked “X”), please check with C4SR.

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Students will ONLY be considered for graduation after Community Service have been graded in the system by the following expected deadlines for all 7 graduation terms:

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Students not cleared for graduation in the term that they have filed for graduation will be pushed to the next available term for graduation consideration (students need not re-file for graduation).

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Only students graduated in Term 1, Term 2, Modified Term 2 and Term 3A can attend Commencement in the same academic year.

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Graduates in Modified Term 3A, Term 3B and Modified Term 3B can only attend Commencement in the following academic year.

The policies and procedures on graduation (by Office of Registrar) can be found at OASIS > ACADEMICS > Graduation. 4

Part 3:

Inspiring Community Service Journeys

The projects featured in the following pages are examples of community service engagements by SMU students. BE INSPIRED, PUSH THE BOUNDARIES, AND CONTINUE PUSHING TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT.

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Part 3:

Inspiring Community

Environment

Service Journeys REEF ALERT Since its inception in 2004, Reef Alert has championed reef conservation efforts and promoted good diving practices to divers around the world. Each year, the project team will go through about 3 months of intensive training. This consist of theory lessons on diving proficiency and data collection methods, field sessions in Singapore and facilitated discussion forums for the team to gain a greater understanding of the environmental issues impacting the world. Data collected by the team are reviewed by the marine biologists or local researchers to ensure scientific integrity of the survey findings, and are subjected to scientific reporting and publication by the partner organisations. The project team has been returning to the Malapascua Island, Philippines, to aid the lead researcher with extensive data collection of the sea floor (reef mapping), shark census survey, planting of camera to observe the fish life and behaviour, as well as reaching out to the school on Malapascua to share about conservation with the students. The project site was declared as Philippines’ first Shark and Ray Sanctuary by Daanbantayan Mayor Augusto Corro in 2015. This has resulted in an expansion of the protected area to nearly 600ha, and catching and trading of all shark and ray species within these waters is now officially prohibited.

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Part 3:

Poverty, Society and Community Building

Inspiring Community Service Journeys

PROJECT AGAPE: KASHGAR Project Agape: Kashgar is an initiative that stems from the successful endeavours of previous batches of Project Agape: Tashkurgan, which have brought about significant cultural preservation, economic and educational benefits to the locals in Tashkurgan, which is located in Kashgar. In Project Agape: Tashkurgan 3, the participants visited the Kashgar Teachers College (KTC) for an exchange with the college. The highly successful exchange with KTC has resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between KTC and SMU, to hold the SMU-Kashgar English Festival from 2014. Project Agape: Kashgar, focused on the English Festival not only for the students of KTC, but to younger students in Kashgar’s elementary and high schools as well. Refurbishment of the Kyrgyz Cultural Centre in Kashgar City was carried

out too. The aim is to aid the community in the preservation of their traditional Kyrgyz culture which is under the threat of the inevitable social changes (urbanization and influx of Han Chinese) especially as China grows.

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SMU PENDEZA Initiated in 2011, SMU Pendeza is an Overseas Community Service Project (OCSP) to Meru, Kenya to help an orphanage of 180 girls, by developing educational programmes and creating a social enterprise model. The first project team furnished the orphanage with a library and an IT laboratory, and its’ primary school with desks, blackboards and noticeboards. In 2011, SMU Pendeza was selected out of 450 entries as one of ten international finalists for ‘Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to change the world’, a joint initiative by UN Women Singapore and MasterCard to help empower disadvantaged women and girls. The project has also been regularly supported by the Shirin Fozdar Programme for its innovative ideas. Subsequent project teams are helping the orphanage with the construction

of a secondary school, general improvements in facilities, interactive activities to nurture the girls’ soft skills and development of a social enterprise. ”Pendeza” stands for “a cause to love” in Swahili, Kenya’s national language.

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Part 3:

Poverty, Society and Community Building

Inspiring Community Service Journeys

starringSMU Since its inception in 2007, starringSMU has been the largest and longest running Community Service Project in SMU, and has impacted over 10,000 people in the community over the past ten years. In 2016, the project team raised more than $24,000 for one of its beneficiary organisations, ‘My Buona Vista Place’, a one-stop centre for social welfare programmes reaching out to over 20,000 residents. The funds were raised through a 2-day charity car wash. Annually, the starringSMU volunteers organise various activities to engage and befriend the children and elderly from non-profit organisations such as Sunlove Home, SWAMI Home, Faith Acts, Thye Hua Kwan Senior Activity Centres and KitsforKids.

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Part 3:

Education, Children and the Next Generation

Inspiring Community Service Journeys

Kidleidoscope Initiated in 2013, Kidleidoscope engages primary and secondary youths through skills such as Tie-Dye, Silkscreen printing and other craft activities. The project partnered the following youth organisations in 2016 – Children-At-Risk Empowerment Association (CARE), Stag Match, and Calvary Community Care. During the Finale at City Square Mall, the Kidleidoscope team showcased the creations from the beneficiaries on stage via a fashion show, modelled by the student volunteers. A mini carnival with games and food booths both for the public and the beneficiaries to enjoy was also organised.

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SUNBEAM READERS Sunbeam Place is a home for abused and neglected children in need of safety and protection or whose parents are unable to provide proper care. The programme, “Sunbeam Readers”, seeks to inspire, and educate the children (aged 9-11) through storytelling, a book club, and other reading-related activities. In the process, the programme aims to inspire the children to be more creative, and to improve their grasp of the English language to enable them to excel in school. Activities are held fortnightly.

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Part 3:

Special Needs and the Elderly

Inspiring Community Service Journeys

INSPIRAR Initiated in 2008, this project provides a platform for SMU students to actively engage and befriend the elderly. Various activities are organised to foster interaction between the youth and the elderly and at the same time, promote active aging and a healthy lifestyle in today’s greying society. In 2011, the project team first developed a “Sit Exercise” routine that the elderly could perform while seated, which was both convenient and not too strenuous for them. In 2012, the students partnered Pfizer Singapore to organise a wellness screening for over 300 underprivileged elderly, followed by a vaccination to armour them with protection against pneumococcal disease. The 2016 team developed a simple ‘towelstretching’ exercise for the elderly and also organised a retro-themed carnival at Kolam Ayer Community Club for the elderly beneficiaries.

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PROJECT XIN YUAN Project Xin Yuan (PXY) started in 2008 and worked with underprivileged students in China. In 2011, PXY ventured to work with the handicapped students of Guangzhou English Training Centre for the Handicapped (GETCH) and Guangdong Peiying Vocational school. In 2012, they started a new initiative – PXY Laptop Bursary Programme. Five laptops were provided to GETCH to be loaned to needy students at their discretion to facilitate their learning. The 2016 project team continued the efforts of the previous years’ teams. They taught English, covering a range of subjects the students have expressed

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interest in such as Business Management, Marketing, Presentation Skills, Leadership and Team Building as well as Music and Cultural Exchange.

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Part 3:

Livelihood & Social Enterprise

Inspiring Community Service Journeys

PROJECT GAZAAB Project Gazaab, started in 2009, aims to alleviate poverty by helping the poor start their own micro-enterprises. Through conducting business competitions in high schools, they equip students with business knowledge and inspire them to start-up sustainable micro-enterprises. In 2009 and 2010, the project teams constructed libraries as well for the schools in Nepal in a bid to provide students with a permanent source of knowledge. In 2011, Project Gazaab hit a major milestone, being the first project in SMU to inspire others to take the model and replicate it in other locations. Two teams of capable leaders inspired by the Gazaab cause helped to expand the project to 3 Chapters – Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh in India, and Nepal. Another three projects

were organised in 2012 to Maharashtra and Mewat in India and to Nepal. In 2013, Project Gazaab expanded to Thailand and Indonesia.

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PROJECT VIKASA Project Vikasa aims to help disadvantaged women build a good foundation to move towards financial independence. The 2015 pioneer team worked with 2 groups of women under the Gudri Women Empowerment Project of I-India, an NGO based in Jaipur, India, that looks into sustainable livelihood through fashion and crafts products and skills empowerment. For the more mature and experienced women who take on the role of mentoring other women, the Vikasa team helped set up an e-commerce business website for the women’s products and sharpened their IT and website management skills. With the younger women, the focus was on increasing financial literacy, nurturing financially sound decisionmaking in their personal life, and honing their basic IT and business communication skills. The purpose is to enable and inspire these young women to start

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building their knowledge base, confidence and motivation in becoming small business owners in the near future.

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Part 3:

Inspiring Community Service Journeys

Healthcare and Sports

WESTERN CIRCUIT SAILING REGATTA Jointly organised by the SMU Sailing Club and Raffles Marina, the Western Circuit Sailing Regatta gives sailors with disabilities from Sailability Singapore the opportunity to experience a full-fledged local regatta. Sailability Singapore is a non-profit organisation, which through sailing, helps to enrich the lives of people with any disability, the elderly, and the financially and socially disadvantaged.

SMU students from the Sailing Club help these sailors with tasks like rigging and recovery of boats. They also help to raise funds for Sailability Singapore through various activities such as a charity car wash and an auction during the regatta.

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VOLUNTEERING WITH IMH Students visit the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to conduct activities and interact with the patients. The students attend workshops conducted by nurses and senior volunteers to learn more about the needs of the patients and how to work with them. Volunteers play a vital role in normalising the lives of the patients by helping them to feel that they are not forgotten an...