As part of Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS)’s youth wing (MINDS MYG), 61 volunteers from NTU Welfare Services Club Regular Service Project (Intellectually Disabled) organised the MINDS MYG Family Day on 7 December 2019. Featuring talks, activities and performances, this was the first time MYG Family Day was held at NTU’s South Spine and the event attracted a total of 388 participants!
MINDS MYG Family Day served as one of the few events where beneficiaries, caregivers and volunteers from the youth wing’s various portfolios can come together and promote the integration of persons with intellectual disabilities. In conjunction with The Singapore Bicentennial celebrations, the event was themed Back to the Past, with stations featuring popular childhood games from the 80s and 90s as well as an arts & craft area for participants to make their own capteh (traditional shuttlecock).
Beneficiaries, in particular, enjoyed action games such as live-sized Aeroplane chess and Pacman, as it allowed for movement and teamwork amongst the participants. The games were tailored with items made larger to cater to beneficiaries with low dexterity or poor vision. Student clubs from Nanyang Polytechnic also performed various traditional dances to entertain the participants – both the Silat (Malay Martial Arts Club) and Chinese Dance (Chinese Cultural Group) were well-received.
To shed some light on the lives of caregivers and beneficiaries, MINDS Caregiver Support Services (CSSC) also prepared various talks and activities, in collaboration with Special Needs Trust Co. and Singapore Hospice Council. The talks served to inform and better equip caregivers on how to better plan for their care recipient’s future and the various options available to them.
The event received positive feedback for its inclusion of caregivers in its programme – previous years’ editions did not include any activities for them – as well as provided a platform for new and current volunteers to interact with the service users.
Watch the project highlights below:
The event was a fun and enriching experience. An incredible amount of planning and effort went into designing the games and making the props. Throughout the process, I also manage to meet people from the other projects in MINDS MYG and form new connections. Most importantly, it gives me a sense of fulfilment upon seeing the service users enjoying all the games and programs that we have painstakingly prepared for them. Low Chang Hong, Programme Committee Member
About NTU Welfare Services Club
Founded in 1985, Welfare Services Club (WSC) is a non-academic constituent club in NTU which provides an umbrella of voluntary activities and social work to all students. Besides growing from strength to strength in membership, WSC has also undergone incredible expansions in its activities to reach out to more service users every year. Currently, it runs 9 Regular Service Projects (RSPs) serving the Deaf, Elderly, Children of Low-income Families, Children with Chronic or Terminal Diseases, Intellectually Disabled, People with Mental Health Issues, Physically Challenged, Visually Handicapped and Youths-at-risk, which comprises volunteers engaging these service users weekly at various locations.
WSC also runs 5 Special Projects and 4 Supporting Committees. The Special Projects include Camp OutReach, Challenge ur Limits, Ignite Change, Overseas Volunteering Expedition and Volunteer Management and they provide additional support to service users both locally and overseas. The Supporting Committees include Finance, Growth & Opportunities!, Internal Relations and Publicity and Publications and they provide operational support to WSC. Volunteers engaged in Special Projects and Supporting Committees gain invaluable skills in entrepreneurship, events management, planning, coordination and many more.
