While at home during this circuit breaker period, Miss Moh Jin Yin, 19, wanted to find a way to encourage others to raise funds for non-profit organisations supporting those affected by COVID-19.
On April 17, five teenagers launched Project Circuit, a website where students taking their A-Level examinations this year can register for free tuition lessons from former junior college students — as long as they “pay it forward” with a donation of at least S$20 to a charity or non-profit organisation.
However, Miss Moh said that making a donation is encouraged and not strictly enforced as some students could come from low income families.
Each 45-minute tuition session is conducted online either through tutoring tool Bramble or video conferencing platforms Zoom and Skype.
Two weeks after they launched, Project Circuit had about 20 students sign up. So far, they have raised around S$700 for charity. Including other individuals who have contacted them, there are now 30 tutors.
Ms Catherine Kausikan, 19, another member of the founding quintet, said, “We know that studying for A-Levels is a tough and stressful time… add on the circuit breaker and we couldn’t really fathom how our juniors could cope with the workload,” said Miss Kausikan.
Raffles Institution student Wong Shao Yi, 18, said she made a donation to Touch Community Services and felt more relaxed that someone close to her age was tutoring her in general paper.
“It was almost like asking a friend to help you with your schoolwork,” she said.
Project Circuit is hoping to recruit more students and tutors, and has expanded its services to include advice on university applications.
Miss Loh said that Project Circuit could still be used to support charities even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
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Source: TODAYOnline, 30 April 2020