Organised by P&G and HCSA Community Services, the program aims to help with participants’ social mobility through knowledge sharing and leadership development.
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In spite of challenges she had faced in her life thus far, 50-years-old Mdm Tan, HCSA Dayspring SPIN (Single Parents INformed, INvolved, INcluded) alumni member, still endeavours to help where...
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Seeing a close friend go through a painful and difficult divorce inspired Miti Garg to become a Lead Ally Befriender and offer her time to help and support single parents.
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Emotional Wellness Coach and trainer, Eunice Gan, volunteers at HCSA Dayspring SPIN and conducts talks for single parents on diverse wellness topics.
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Today is World Social Work Day! In recognition of Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) dedicating 2023 to the Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners as well, we recognise and honour the tireless dedication of social work professionals within our community. 💖
For Alicia (a.k.a Ally), our Social Work Associate under our HCSA Dayspring SPIN (Single Parents INformed, INvolved, INcluded) Programme, her early experiences were a driving force that naturally led her into pursuing a career in social work.
Curious to know what keeps Ally motivated even after 7 years (and counting!) in social service? Swipe to read more about her story! 🤩
Join us and help make a positive impact in the communities that we serve: hcsa.org.sg/careers
#WorldSocialWorkDay #WSWD2023 #socialwork #communityservice
How many people does it take to help an ex-offender successfully re-integrate into society? 🤔
The whole community (and that includes you and me!) ✊
The reintegration journey for many of our ex-offenders is a long and challenging road. While intrinsic motivation is certainly crucial in driving behavioural change, the bigger obstacles they must contend with are prevalent stereotypes and prejudice against them, as well as internalised stigma.
Misconceptions that ‘ex-offenders will never change’ can be discouraging and detrimental to their psychological well-being and desire for change. When feeling ostracised and alone, turning away from society may often appear to be their best option at that point in time to feel better. 😣
Latest annual statistics by @SingaporePrisonService (SPS) reveal that while the 2-year recidivism rate remains among the “lowest globally”, the overall 5-year recidivism rate is still hovering at 40% since 2013. These figures demonstrate that many ex-offenders were not able to remain crime-free in the longer term, and more whole-of-community effort is needed to ensure they continue to have support beyond the initial post-release years.
Through continued extensive efforts from fellow organisations such as SPS, @yellowribbonsg, @singaporeantinarcotics, and Industrial & Services Co-operative Society Ltd (ISCOS), ex-offenders are actively empowered to becoming their own agents of change. These organisations recognise the challenges they face in their recovery and reintegration journey. By believing that anyone has the potential to change to be better, we, too, can join forces and be part of the solution! Within a supportive environment, ex-offenders are more likely to successfully transition back into society and avoid re-offending.
👈🏽 Swipe to understand the reasons behind recidivism, and how you can help create a more inclusive and supportive society towards ex-offenders. Please donate to support our friends at HCSA Highpoint Halfway House in remaining steadfast in their journey towards desistance!
*Recidivism (or reoffending) is defined as when inmates are detained, convicted and imprisoned again for a new offence.
To all the Wonder Women in our lives: Happy International Women`s Day! 👸🏻💪🏼
Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women around the world. This year`s theme is #EmbraceEquity and is aimed at engaging in meaningful conversations around true inclusion and belonging. HCSA Community Services is proud to show our support as a community that embraces diversity, and values and supports differences. 😊
#EmbraceEquity #IWD2023
As a popular saying goes, `be yourself; everyone else is taken!’ 🤩 Our life stories can be a powerful tool in inventing and communicating our personal brand to the world - one that is both authentic and a reflection of our values.
In the first session of our STEP UP: Entrepreneurship series, volunteers from @proctergamble (P&G) conducted a personal branding workshop for alumni members of our HCSA Highpoint Halfway House and HCSA Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre (DRTC) programmes. Participants engaged in interactive activities that encouraged them to identify their unique strengths, skills and experiences. They were then taught how to tap into these, craft their own personal brand, and stand out from the crowd! 🙋🏽♂️🙋🏽♀️
We were also honoured to have Benny Se Teo, former Chef and Co-founder of Eighteen Chefs, as our guest speaker, to share the importance of crafting a unique personal brand to achieve our goals. 📈
Elly* (not her real name), a DRTC alumna said, “What inspired me were the personal stories shared by the speaker and trainers. Considering how stagnant I feel in my life and career, this gave me the direction and motivation to continue working towards my aspirations.”
Thank you to P&G for volunteering with HCSA! Through generously sharing their professional knowledge especially to our vulnerable community, they help to further our mission in empowering the vulnerable to find purpose for a more abundant life. ❤
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STEP UP was designed to facilitate the social and economic mobility of our former clients from HCSA Highpoint and DRTC, by building a sustainable eco-system of support in the community involving families, corporate and community partners, and government agencies.
Research has shown that an active prosocial lifestyle is valuable for both those who receive help, and those who do the helping. For vulnerable individuals, participation in structured prosocial events and activities helps sustain their reintegration into society and improves their abilities to lead much fuller lives.
Keen to be part of STEP UP? Reach out to us at givehope@hcsa.org.sg for more details on this programme.
For our teenage residents at HCSA Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre (DRTC), being able to come back to a clean, safe, and calm (Therapeutic Group) Home is necessary as they learn how to manage and gradually recover from trauma. 😌🌿 The role of Shein, DRTC’s housekeeper a.k.a ‘House-Mom’, is crucial in ensuring that! 🧏🏻♀️
In trauma recovery, having a well-maintained Home helps promote a sense of normalcy. Productivity amongst our girls also increases when there are minimal distractions! 🏠✨
Watch to find out how Shein adds ‘sparkle’ to our Home and to the lives of our girls! 🌟
#BehindHCSA #youthwork #behindthescenes #dayinthelife #sgcares #socialservice
HCSA Community Services is delighted to announce our new partnership with @proctergamble for our STEP UP Programme. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by both parties last Friday (10 February). 🤝🏽
With P&G’s known expertise in branding and marketing, we are excited to have their support in the form of volunteers who are skilled in both training and mentoring. In addition, P&G will be conducting personal branding and business workshops for our STEP UP mentees. The first of these being ‘STEP UP: The Entrepreneurship Series’, a two-part series to learn the essential skills on being one’s own boss.
Thank you to P&G for believing in our mission to empower the vulnerable to find purpose for a more abundant life! ✊
#hcsacommunityservices #cityofgood #ForceforGrowth #ForceforGood
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STEP UP is a mentorship programme designed to connect those who were formerly incarcerated or/and had suffered from past trauma as former clients of our Highpoint Halfway House and Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre (DRTC) programmes with various community stakeholders to guide and support them in their reintegration journeys.
Keen to be involved? Get in touch with Esther (esther_cheng@hcsa.org.sg) and find out how you can create an even greater impact with us through our next run of our STEP UP Programme.
In spite of challenges she had faced in her life thus far, 50-years-old Mdm Tan, still endeavours to help where she can, inspired to give back the support she and her family had once received when they needed it most. 🤗
In the past few years, Mdm Tan has come a long way - from struggling to raise her family on her own, to eventually making the decision to open up and seek support.
While life still presents different challenges, today she has a supportive community in the form of fellow single parent families at HCSA Dayspring SPIN (Single Parents INformed, INvolved, INcluded), as well as her Befriender, Sharon.
➡ Swipe to read more about how Mdm Tan`s unwavering spirit and love for her children spurred her to reach out for assistance to improve her family`s circumstances.
🔗 Donate to help us continue empowering single parent families like Mdm Tan`s to find purpose for a more abundant life. Click the link in our bio to make a contribution today.
When it comes to volunteering, our senior volunteers from Council for Third Age - C3A prove that age truly is just a number!
In the first feature for our #BehindHCSA series in 2023, we take you behind the scenes of one of our monthly cooking sessions with them. Guided by our Head of Programme for HCSA Academy Culinary Training Centre, Chef Sony Haq, our sprightly senior volunteers rallied together to whip up yummy Chicken Tikka Masala 🐔 for our residents from HCSA Highpoint. 🍲🍽 These hearty ‘home-cooked’ meals are a little monthly treat for our HCSA Highpoint residents as they undergo the Transitional Living Programme (TLP) to gradually reintegrate back to society. ♥
Keen to give back to the community with your time and skills? HCSA wants you! Check out our available volunteering opportunities via link in bio. 🔗
*As a recipient of the Silver Volunteer Fund (SVF) administered by @c3asg, HCSA strives to actively engage senior volunteers and empower them to lead full, active and meaningful lives.
What does it take for an organisation to thrive? 🤔 As the famed proverb goes - “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 🙌🏽
During HCSA Community Services’ recent townhall, “Together We Can Go Far” was set as the 2023’s central theme for HCSA Community Services to anchor our organisation’s focus for the year ahead. Sustainability – in the areas of financial, service, and environmental – was the hot topic of the afternoon. Different perspectives were exchanged, and potential solutions co-created via engaging dialogue sessions. We also took the opportunity to reflect, respond, and review the many different achievements and challenges that our programmes and departments had for the past year. While there will undoubtedly be new challenges along the way, Team HCSA is ever ready to step up and tackle them! Together, we will continue to strive and enhance the quality of our services, in order to keep giving a future and a hope to the vulnerable in our community. 🤎
#HCSAHappenings
New Year, New You! 🤗 It`s still not too late to start living life more purposefully this new year! With these ideas in mind, go beyond your comfort zone and make a positive impact on others around you. 💖
`Hoppy` Chinese New Year! 🏮🐰 HCSA extends our warmest greetings for an abundant and healthy `Year of the Rabbit` to one and all.
As we enjoy this `huat-derful` season, how about sharing some blessings with those in our community who need our support? Whether it`s giving your time (through volunteering), or a contribution, every little effort matters. Hop on to the link-in-bio to find out how you can give back.
#HCSAcommunityservices #cityofgood #socialservice #chinesenewyear2023
12 Days of Christmas may have drawn to a close, but we wanted to express our heartfelt appreciation to the volunteers, donors, and sponsors who blessed our girls at HCSA Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre (DRTC) during the festive holidays. 🎁
The Christmas season is always a much-awaited celebration at DRTC, in part due to the little traditions that our Therapeutic Group Home (TGH) enjoys. From decorating the Home and its Christmas tree with trinkets, to enjoying hot chocolate and festive feasts together, these activities imbue a sense of normalcy and kinship for our girls. Even while undergoing their respective treatment interventions and programmes, our aim is for them to celebrate such festivities within a safe and warm environment.
We were also thrilled to have volunteers from Bedok Methodist Church bring Christmas cheer to our TGH with a special skit, carolling, and lunch with the girls. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without gifts, and our girls are beyond grateful to have received thoughtful presents from generous donors and sponsors. 🤎
Thank you to @bedok_mc, @collinsaerospace, Karmen and friends, Nanyang Technological University, @theclosetlover, as well as Rasi and friends for bringing the warmth of Christmas to our humble TGH! 🤗✨
#HCSACommunityServices #empoweringwomen #girlempowerment #dayspringresidentialtreatmentcentre #cityofgood
For Rony, a graduate of HCSA Academy Culinary Training Centre (one of HCSA’s four signature programmes), the period following his release from prison was initially a dark one. However, during his stay at a halfway house, a friend who had attended HCSA Academy shared his experience with Rony. Intrigued by the culinary arts and determined to embark on a new journey and rebuild his life, Rony decided to enrol into HCSA Academy’s WSQ Higher Certificate in Food Services (Culinary Arts) course. 🍳👨
With only 6 weeks to learn the essential fundamental skills to kickstart a career in the F&B industry, Rony confesses facing his fair share of challenges during the intensive lessons. He said: “I always had problems with the arrangement of the kitchen equipment, and at times I was so lost.”
Under the caring guidance of our chef trainers at HCSA Academy, Rony eventually found his footing in the kitchen. He adds that the course also helped him to develop a better understanding of himself, especially when it came to tackling the challenges that he faced. He explains, “I learnt that there are several ways to go about accomplishing one thing. (The course) helped me to understand the importance of being humble and having an open mind to learn new things.” 💡👐🏻
Now one step closer towards his goal of having his own kitchen and product line, he looks back fondly on his journey as a trainee: “I had good (trainers) who were willing to go the extra mile to teach me with patience, even at times when I had difficulty understanding the lessons.”
Help us empower more individuals like Rony to build a better future for themselves. Make a donation via link in our bio today! 👈🏽
#HCSAStories #culinaryarts #culinaryschool #wsq #wsqcourse #skillsfuturesingapore #workforcesingapore #lifelonglearning #sgcares #socialservice #communityservice
From all of us at HCSA, we wish you a joyous and blessed Happy New Year!
We look forward to your continued support in 2023 as we strive to empower our vulnerable communities to find purpose for a more abundant life. 💪🏽
If `making a difference` is one of your New Year`s resolutions, click the link in our bio to find out how you can start today!
#HCSAcommunityservices #cityofgood #socialservice #NewYear2023
Less than 24 hours to go before 2022 draws to a close! 🎇 We are thankful for the love and generous support we have received this year. Thank you for being part of our journey. 😍
