JIN XUAN

From the Service-Learning, I observed that there is an increasing risk of children having depression. Children from the student care centre receive less attention from their caregivers as they spend most of their time at the centre. During the implementation, I have also listened to children talk about the stress that they face. I was appalled that these young children are already stressed and face issues in relationship management. This would possibly form a trend of increasing cases of depression among Singapore’s population.

 

After the project implementation, I realised that when children practice relationship management, they are able to receive greater social support, thus lowering their risk of depression. It is recommended for relationship management programs to be assimilated to the Ministry of Education’s syllabus. Through this, I am also inspired to be more involved in mentoring programs for children and youths. With experience, I will be able to advocate more change in school programs, to shift their focus to children’s mental health.

 

During the Service-Learning implementation, I have learned ways to interact with children. As there were a few children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I have practiced intervention styles to handle them. I have also further honed my facilitation skills, to make the session engaging yet educational for the children. This allowed me to be more mature when dealing with different children. I have developed my commitment in nurturing young minds and improving their future life circumstances and development. Being able to make a positive impact to others requires much commitment and passion to help others. To spread this positive impact, I suggest to take future opportunities with regards to children. By taking the first step, the passion to help others will develop. The experience gained will further motivate the commitment to nurture others.