Battle Scars

Like a lot of you, I am a fighter; I fight for what I want. But more importantly, I am a dreamer. I dream. I dream of big things, I dream of better things, I dream of me being big, I dream of the world being my oyster, I dream of being the change that is in the world (thanks, Gandhi), I dream. And then I fight for my dreams. It seems almost idealistic to be fighting for this somewhat utopian like place that I dream of. And we all know that utopias don’t exist. But I choose to differ.

Bear with me.

If you are a Trybe volunteer, ask yourself, did you think you could do what you are doing if you hadn’t tried? There are so many things in life that you never knew you could accomplish until you did. For example, when you were 12, you could never in your wildest dreams comprehend that in a few years time you could be leading a Trybe session, or inspire a class of students, but if you are a Trybe volunteer, chances are, you already have.

Take me for example, I have always been an emotional and sentimental person, no one could have ever imagined that I could work with special needs, but I did, the whole of last summer, and going back for more this summer.

There are so many things in life that you never knew you could, until you do.

We live in a difficult world; I am not going to deny that. This is a world where we have to fight – very hard to be. But like they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (yes, cheesy I know, but true too, you can’t deny that). Each day is a battle and at the end of the day we kick off our battle armour and heave a sigh of relief because we’ve conquered yet another day. And sometimes we sit on our couches in front of a steaming bowl of noodles thinking, ‘I cannot do this anymore’, and we complain and whine, but when the dawn breaks we throw on that armour and we keep going. We keep going.

We find it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I do. And I am always scared that there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel and that this dark and cold tunnel goes on and on. But being scared is good. Us being scared is us giving the world a chance to reassure us that all is good. And at the end of it all, we pack up and we go home, bearing the scars of the battle that we so bravely fought.

Life throws things in our faces, that’s just the way it is. Last summer when I hit rock bottom I made a teary phone call to my mother, who very wisely told me: ‘You’ve got two choices, either you suck it up, and continue doing what you went out there to do, or you admit defeat and come home. Sure I will welcome you, and take you out for prata, but will you welcome yourself?’ That is the reason she is my mother. With that I hung up the phone and went on to have the best summer of my life.

Life throws things in our faces. We can duck and we can hide but it never stops coming. It is exciting, really. And the more battle scars you collect, the more stories you can tell when you are old and breaking apart.

So be very afraid each step on the way, but fight anyway. Because when that last battle is won and you collapse with extreme ecstasy, there will be a faded smile on your face that will touch the world. And that is how you will become the change that is in the world.
☺

I can do It! challenge at Yusof Ishak Secondary

Three straight days of early rise and shine for Hua Yi Secondary School and Yusof Ishak Secondary School was quite draining for someone who by nature was introverted and well not a high I. This experience presented me with a challenge and as Sam put it “I survived!”

At my final day at Yusof Ishak I was suddenly given the challenge to lead the ice breaker games by my lead facilitator Jaime. [Pause, with a tiny bit of apprehension] Ok, I was up for the challenge. Unfortunately, the combined class of 2E1 & 2E2 consisted of international students from China, Korea, Thailand, etc. A game of Tarzan,Jane & Gorilla started with inertia when the students seemed puzzled over my instructions due to the language/cultural barrier. They wondered why "Jane" in the game was a girly-act-cute portrayal when in reality; Jane was their popular male korean classmate who went around giving his friends hi-fives.

Unaware of the reason behind their shyness and standing there with mic in hand, I was thinking to myself "What in the world did I get myself into?” But of course, this being the “You Can Do It!” programme, I couldn’t stand in front thinking “I’m not cut up for this…” and try to encourage students to have the right attitude and achieve their dreams they have set for themselves right? One had to lead by example and eventually with a combined effort of the team of facilitators the game was complete. [Breathes a sigh of relieve] I persevered and went on to finish talking the students through the administration for the DISC profiling for which I am thankful that they responded well [Breathes a sigh of relieve…again].

The diamond in the rough for these three days of courses, was seeing the students respond to the program as they exclaim "Oh ya! That's me!! Haha" Or listening to them as they open up and share the problems they have in school, ask me fashion tips or simply wave goodbye at the end of the day.

I think the important lesson for both the students and the volunteers is being aware of why we respond the way we do. For example, I could have been discouraged when the students did not respond well to the game but understanding why they responded in that manner helped me to improve the way I gave instructions and tailor the approach to the personality/dynamics of the class. In the same way, the students now understand why their friends or parents react differently from them and not feel discouraged as easily when the response is not what they were expecting.

They say nothing in life is failure, You’d win some and You’ll loose.

-Adapted from song

This is a fact of life, one can’t always “win”. But being able to understand the context helps one to learn and improve.

YOU CAN DO IT,

Posted on behalf of Nicole Then

Hua Yi Sec School pursue your dreams!

The 2 days spent at Hua Yi Secondary marked the very first time I witnessed Trybe’s D2D programme come alive. I had been personally very encouraged to know through the Theory of Multiple Intelligences in school that I have my talents and my dreams are attainable, despite my average grades. Hence, it was a very privileged opportunity to be able to bring across the same message to these precious young people.

I was taken aback when Trybe gave me the opportunity to co-lead the session with 2E1 with Christina on the second day despite my inexperience. As I have never been a very confident public speaker, it resulted in an anxious night of preparation. Looking back, I am thankful that the staff believed in me! It wasn’t as intimidating as I had imagined it to be, and I enjoyed the session tremendously. It was a bonus that the students were active participants and keen learners. Their eyes sparkled with pride and delight as they discovered their talents which were probably seldom affirmed by others. This made all the preparation worthwhile!

The class gave us an unexpected, self-initiated cheer at the end of our classroom session. This gesture warmed my heart as I don’t think it was just an act of formality. Rather, many of them were appreciative of how they have come to realize and accept how they are smart in the various areas. This programme has brought about not just a sense of self-awareness but has empowered them to believe in themselves to pursue their own passions and dreams.

I believe many more youths out there need to hear this message, that as long as they dare to dream, they can do it!

Posted on behalf of Beelian Yeo(intern at Trybe)

Jeremy podcast You Can Do It! @ Victoria School

This is the first podcast made for Trybe by Jeremy during the You Can Do It!Programme at Victoria School. In this podcast Jaime explains what is Trybe and the You Can Do It!Programme is all about. This show includes a short interview with some of the students who attended the programme.

- Check out their group website at www.ctpod.net for more details about his podcasting. Enjoy listening!

Ethan shares Reflections on You Can Do It! @ VS

Nostalgic. To say the least. In 2005, Nic Lee set foot into 2C'05's classroom in typical Thumb's Up attire. I was 14 at the time and in need of a lot of help.

Now, in 2008, it is a perfectly reconstructed situation. Only I'm at the front of the class heading the workshop and Nic is sitting down with the students. We were even in the same classroom!

The connection was very much different being alumni of the school. The lingo was understood, the Victorian Spirit could be felt and the inside jokes hit home.

It was an experience unlike any other. Having been in their shoes before made it so much easier to anticipate how they would react and what made them tick. Kind of like a sixth sense to that which would violate Trybe's PG rating.

It felt good to go back. I got to conduct the workshop which began the change in my life, I got to see my old classroom and teachers again, I got to eat the $2.50 chciken spaghetti and even collect my O level certificate.

Thank you,Trybe for allowing me to make a difference at one of the places that matter to me the most. I expect we'll see our fair share of success stories from these Victorians in years to come. Or a chalet invitation at the very least. :)

Every Youth A Success Story
Nil Sine Labore

Posted on behalf of Ethan

Greendale Secondary Neighbourhood Challenge!

After volunteering with Trybe for so long, I had been to countless races. But this race is special, it had only one station! And the students were all foreign students that had come from all over the world to study in Singapore.

My group were so detailed in their search! What surprised me was that they were so focused as a team. I am touched to see the bond that has been established within the group through Trybe's journey with them. From strangers to school mates to friends, they are indeed adapting to one another very well.

In no time, the team, especially the girls found the mystery food item - Rojak! They then had to buy a dish of rojak to share. It was to some of their liking. A few shared that this dish could also be found back in their countries, but Singapore's version contained additional ingredients.

Prompting them on their next task to have to have one non-Mandarin person learn to communicate to the Rojak stall owner in Mandarin, the chosen one stepped forth shyly before she finally did it! They then wanted to buy the Rojak ingredients from the stall owner for their own Rojak dish, and to everyone's surprise, she gave these to them free! This was such a display of warmth for this group of foreign students, and this really warmed my heart.

Back at Trybe Centre, the group began making their own Rojak sauce and dish. It did not turn out to be as nice as they wanted, but the group were happy about the experience.

After being with the students for around 3 sessions, seeing them bonding with newfound friends really touched me a lot. I really hope that they will spend more time to find out more about each other and also about Singapore, in a way that they will never forget.

Posted on behalf of Trybe volunteer Steven Junior.