Project Weave (Singapore) is spearheaded by a group of youth volunteers who are passionate towards the cause of mental healthcare community partners.
Inspired by individuals who has mental health issues and their volunteering experiences with mental health organisations, Project Weave (Singapore) aims to do their part in empowering and motivating persons with mental health issues (PMHI) through their recovery, and eventually into social re-integration. It also aims to bridge the gap between members of the public and PMHI by gradually eradicating the society’s stigma towards mental health issues.
To get the ball rolling, Project Weave (Singapore) organised its first social activity, Camp Yakin 2017, with the clients from Club HEAL on 16 May 2017 at Aloha Loyang. Club HEAL (Hope, Empowerment, Acceptance & Love), a social service organisation, aims to assist and empower persons with mental illness to regain confidence in themselves and others in their journey towards community reintegration.
The team chose Yakin as the name and theme of the camp, as it means “confidence” in Malay. The camp aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Instill confidence in volunteers to interact with PMHI, by equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience;
- Boost the self-confidence of participants and their existing skills, through a series of camp activities;
- Reduce society’s stigma towards PMHI by inviting members of the public to volunteer in the camp’s activities;
- Provide a fun and casual platform for participants and volunteers to interact and forge supportive relationships; and
- Promote two-way communication where participants and volunteers learn positive and productive life skills (e.g. problem-solving skills, teamwork) from one another and apply them during camp activities.
A total of 53 PMHIs and youths attended the camp.
The Highlights
Theme Games
The games revolved round a Malay folklore and participants were divided into three ‘nations’. Similar to the gameplay of the reality show “The Amazing Race”, participants have to work together as a team to overcome various obstacles. In the Grand Finale of the game, all teams came together to ‘defeat’ the villain in the story.
The games definitely brought a sense of camaraderie and achievement among the participants, because they ‘defeated’ the villain together as a team. The planning team hoped that this confidence that they gained would spillover to overcome the challenges in their daily lives.
In addition to the games, the camp was also jam-packed with other activities such as motivational talks, sharing sessions, and a mass cooking session where lunch was prepared by the participants themselves!
The Memories
Reflection #1 – The Challenges
Catering to a Group of Various Ages
During the planning stage, one of the main challenges was how to cater the programme to a wide range of people with varying ages. After much discussion, the team has decided on a healthy mix of laid-back activities such as puzzle games and station games which were held indoors, as well as more active games such as The Amazing Race.
Safety and well-being were the main priorities and therefore, there was allocation of more time during and between activities, so that participants had time to rest in-between. The team also ensured that the participants brought along their own water bottles during games. Adequate water stations were also provided for all participants to refill their water bottles, ensuring everyone was well-hydrated. Facilitators (our volunteers) were also attached to each group to ensure their well-being. For older participants, their caregivers were also with them during the camp.
Unexpected Setbacks
During the mass cooking session, the preparation and cooking time took longer than expected as there was a stove malfunction, leaving only one stove that was usable; the three teams also had to each prepare a dish.
Despite the tight schedule because of the participants’ busing arrangements, all three teams managed to pull through by using the barbecue pits as stoves to cook the food.
Interaction with participants
Some of the volunteers had no prior experience in interacting with PMHI. There were also limited time before the commencement of camp to educate them on ways to interact with PMHI.
A day before the camp, the planning team conducted an education session with the volunteers, to share with them more information about mental illness and challenges that PMHI may face. This helped to keep everyone informed and being more mindful when they interact with the participants.
Reflection #2 – The Takeaways
The planning team conducted an online survey for participants after the camp, but it is still on-going as the Centre would have to approach non-technology savvy participants and manually complete the survey.
Nevertheless, there were 13 responses (from both staff and clients of Club HEAL that attended our camp). A majority of them were very happy with the camp experience, and feedback that the quality of self-confidence was instilled in them the most during the camp.
As such, the planning team felt that the camp has fully met its objectives.
Post Project
The planning team produceed a short film to increase the public’s exposure to mental health, and this is in line with Project Weave (Singapore) aim to reduce society’s stigma against mental illness.
The short film is entitled “Daun Dalam Daging”. It revolves around the cryptic Sofia (Hayyu Nariah). Her uncertainties brought her to Adam (Syazrul Surahim), a therapist, who torches onto her puzzles. The duo’s desire to match the puzzle pieces seems to be hindered by the presence of Sofia’s temperamental brother, Solihin (Hanif Ramli).
Watch the film below (in Malay language with English subtitles):
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