The Students involved in swimming with Hougang care center service. 

 

Link to our overall doc and minutes from each session:

Entry 1: Session 1 (Tuesday 10th September 2019) 

Today’s session was an investigation session, there was a larger amount of time allocated to introduction and getting to know each other, due to it being a new bunch of students, however, this service seems to be more in my comfort zone as it is swimming-related and what I know best as well as the fact that the majority of members in this service I already know and have a good connection with. We had a look at the 7 norms of collaborative work and this allowed us to set up a good foundation for what we should be achieving throughout the school year. Overall initial reaction to the service is very positive and well within my comfort zone, I am excited to see that there is to come and the new relationships that we will form with our clients from the center.

Entry 2: Session 2 (Tuesday 17th September 2019) 

The second session was also an investigation session, all local serviced only meet once a week for the school year, therefore, we don’t have as much time to do research and proactively plan prior to the centers visit. Our objective was to analyze the underlying issues and the actions that need to be addressed with the Hougang care center.  I feel as if this service provides a safe environment to build upon each other’s ideas and ultimately develop relationships with other students, teachers, and organizers. During this session, we also started to assign roles in terms of communications, logistics, and chairs. Normally I am one to back away from the main roles, however this time I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and decided to go for a co-chair with another member of the service. This experience will not only allow me to develop my leadership characteristics but also take charge a bit more in service when planning and executing new incoming ideas.

Entry 3: Session 3 (Tuesday 24th September 2019)  

Session 3 was a continuation of the investigation aspect, However, it was a little bit different to normal and we were able to arrange a meeting with the center in order to get further information. This showed a large aspect of communication and collaboration. Throughout talking to the center I realized as much as these people have mental illnesses they are just as much as normal as we are and deserve to be treated equally. The head of the center raised important points about discipline and respect; mostly regarding how it has to go both ways with the clients and the students. I was able to brainstorm ideas during this session and allowed me to take a more leadership role during this process. However, it made me realize how much work we had to do logistically prior to their visit. All in all, this was one of the most productive sessions that we have had yet.

Entry 4: Session 4 (Tuesday 15th October 2019) 

Today was the last session that we had prior to the two weeks October break, therefore we had to get a lot of work done in order to be prepared for their visit straight after we go back to school. As a team, we were able to complete a service goal setting sheet and elaborate on our future goals. So far this service has allowed me to embrace a local community whilst giving me a sense of high impact (due to the direct relationship that we have with the center). I feel like the first visit with the center will be a little bit more out of my comfort zone however I have worked with mentally disabled clients in the past for local service in grade 10, this will allow me to be more immune to their mannerisms and make the environment more enjoyable and welcoming to them.

Entry 5: Session 5 (Tuesday 5th November 2019) 

We had our first session with our partners, our service had planned many activities for the day however modifications were made based on their abilities. All of the games were water-based and aimed to incorporate everyone regardless of their skill set. Some examples of activities that we lead were water volleyball, throw and catch (with a ball) and name games. As time progressed we realized that the majority of them were not willing to stay in the pool for the full 1 hour 30 minutes, therefore we had to alter our plan and give them ‘free time’ to relax. However, on our behalf, the logistics were well executed and there were clear communications put in place to allow a smooth session. One of my main goals is to develop a better relationship with our clients and build a meaningful connection.

Midterm reflection/summary, end of season 2 (Tuesday 11th February 2020)  

This entry is more of a reflection based on the experiences and challenges I have faced up until now.

Before I started the service I thought that it would be a lot easier than it is to engage each individual and integrate with them nicely, I thought that they would be more enthusiastic and willing to participate in general. Now that I am in the service I realize that it takes a lot of effort and dedication to ensure that each session with them is successful and joyful for them. The service also takes a lot of communication and management skills to ensure everything flows.

The easiest part of the service for me is actually spending time with the participants/clients, it is very soothing and just easy to have a good time with everyone. However the harder part of this service for me is the planning and logistics side to it all, it requires a lot of organization and time management on everyone’s behalf. In order for the activities to run smoothly, we have to make a bulletproof plan prior to the meeting.

The best moment in this service for me was when one of the members came up to me at the pickup and gave me a hug, It felt very personal and made me realize that a relationship had formed successfully. Furthermore some skills I will take away from this service include:

• Time management
• Organisation
• Critical thinking
• Communication/ logistics
• Open-minded
• Social skills
• Adaptivity/accepting to change

Above are some photos were taken during one of the many service sessions. The first photo shows the equipment that we use (in this particular photo the equipment was for an indoor session, as the lighting alarm was on). Each time we rotate the role of picking up the materials from the service office and filling out the logistics form. The second photo shows us in the water with some of the members, our service is located in the baby pool to avoid any dangers. The last photo shows a volleyball net set up with the members in the water.

#LO1 #LO2