– Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, author and motivational speaker
There are many issues that the community is facing. And only when we take the effort to find out more and keep ourselves up-to-date, can we be part of the solution and change can happen, to truly build a community that cares.
MPs propose agency for needy kids
A specialised children's agency and beefed-up counselling resources were among the proposals raised by MPs on 14 October to help vulnerable individuals and ensure that they get the support they need amid the current crisis and beyond. Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang GRC)...
Fund to help residents and raise mental health awareness
Institute of Technical Education second-year student Joel Ho spent four hours every day from March to September delivering food by bike to ease his family's financial stress after his father, a newspaper vendor, suffered a pay cut when the pandemic hit. Earning $30 to...
Women with special needs train to work in childcare sector
In 2011, as a 19-year-old freshman pursuing a marketing degree at the Singapore Institute of Management, Gloria was looking forward to four years of university. But she went into a coma after collapsing at her church. Despite a slim chance of survival, Gloria defied...
Move to meet mental health needs is timely
President Halimah Yacob welcomed the Government's move to convene the COVID-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce, calling the national response timely and absolutely necessary. This comes as the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted people's lives, with many losing their jobs or...
He left a life of crime to set up a social enterprise
For a couple of years now, Mr Anil David has been praying for a meaty government contract because it would be a ringing endorsement of his social enterprise Agape Connecting People - a contact centre founded by an ex-offender and which employs other ex-offenders,...
Filling tummies and cheering hearts in trying times
Indonesian Natalia Tjahja found herself cooking for the first time in her life in April, when the coronavirus struck Indonesia and her helper had to return to her village to evade the partial lockdown in Jakarta. Learning from Youtube videos, Ms Tjahja, who ran a...
Task force to tackle mental health needs amid pandemic
A new inter-agency task force has been convened by the Government to provide a coordinated national response to the mental health needs of Singaporeans arising from the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on 10 October at the World Health Organisation's virtual event, The...
More seek help for mental health issues amid pandemic
More people in Singapore have been seeking help for mental health issues amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The Straits Times spoke to more than a dozen mental health clinicians and service providers from the public, private and community sectors. Most of them said there has...
NLB launches subscription service for children’s books
The National Library Board (NLB) is launching a subscription service that delivers to customers eight curated English children's books a month. Up to 200 children from low-income families will get the subscription free, as part of a partnership with The Straits Times...
Educator now more equipped to teach dyslexic kids
In the five years she worked as a freelance drama educator, Ms Aisha Shaik often came across students with learning difficulties who would struggle to participate in her class. Her teaching experience piqued her interest in educating students outside mainstream...
Partners pledge to cut food waste and use of disposables
Close to 100 partners, including hotels, food and beverage outlets, and schools, have pledged to reduce food wastage and the use of disposables as part of a National Environment Agency (NEA) campaign that was launched on Monday. This is almost double the number from...
SIT fund helps needy undergrads tide over COVID-19 fallout
Undergraduate Nur Syazwan Syamsuddin's life hit a rough patch in April when he and his parents tested positive for COVID-19. Then, his mother lost her teaching job at a pre-school which closed down while she was in hospital. To make ends meet, he and his two younger...
Life in plastic, far from fantastic
Four artfully lit pedestals in the ArtScience Museum new exhibition hold curated objects. Instead of artworks, however, the displays offer up a pile of flip-flops and small buckets of straws, among other things. The items are just some of the plastic trash picked up...
Law to allay concerns over food donations
A law could be passed in Singapore that could allay business concerns about liability issues from the donation of unsold food. Mr Louis Ng, an MP for Nee Soon GRC and chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee on Sustainability and the Environment, plans to...
Virtual walkathon aims to get community to step up
It is estimated that with every death caused by suicide, at least six other individuals are affected by the aftermath. It is thus important to offer support for those struggling with mental wellness, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, said President Halimah...
Peer support key for mental health recovery
COVID-19 has been a stressful period for many, but it is even more difficult for those with mental health issues, said President Halimah Yacob on 11 September. She was speaking at the official opening of a new activity hub under Psalt Care, a charity dedicated to...
Former actor opens up on suicide bid in video
When he was 16, Mr Matthew Wong-Stewart, known on social media as Fish, found himself struggling with mental health issues and tried to take his own life. But a message from a friend made him take a step back. He realised that he "had so much more to look forward to",...
Nine farms offered grants in push to grow local
Nine urban farms have been offered a total of $39.4 million by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) as part of efforts to support the growth of local agri-food enterprises and ramp up local food production over the next six to 24 months. The amount was made available...
Youth and mentors stay connected during COVID-19
As the older child with a brother who is in Primary 2, secondary school student Ayumi Tan does not have an older sibling to guide and advise her. The Secondary 1 student at West Spring Secondary School rarely has the chance to chat with her parents, who work long...
Making the arts more inclusive
Theatre practitioner Peter Sau, 44, would like to see a restaging of Romeo And Juliet where Juliet is in a wheelchair, Romeo has a stump for his arm and the nurse has Down syndrome. "I'd like to see how these different characters can be embodied and performed by...
