My second engagement was going the WeCare community services in Jalan Ubi. I was able to reach out to WeCare through Andrew, as he is the Chairman. Although WeCare’s actual centre is closed due to CoVid19 restrictions, they still told me to visit and get a tour to learn more about the place and how I can help them. When I went to WeCare I was given a tour of the center by a man named Leslie Goh, communications and relations manager at the center.

After the tour we talked about how I could best engage with their community online that would be both beneficial to them and to my project. He suggested that I cover an online event they were having called the Finishers Awards on August 7th. Similar to a marathon where finishers are awarded a medal and t shirt, this event was celebrating beneficiaries at WeCare who have completed a year of sobriety. He told me that I could be a part of the online celebration and hear the stories from these people.

On August 7th I joined the Finishers Award celebration online through a zoom call. I listened to the inspiring and heartwarming stories told by 9 people being awarded at the ceremony. Along with that I was able to hear from the friends and family who joined along out of support. Listening to these stories I really started to understand how hard addiction can be and how terribly it can take over someones life and leave it in pieces. I am currently writing a piece for WeCare’s newsletter on the celebration.

Additionally, Leslie helped send out my questions to the beneficiaries at WeCare (as part of my next engagement.)