As I’ve said in every service reflection this year, working with the DSA has been incredible. I still remember the first session we had with them. I remember how shy and closed off they were. It has been magical to see their transformation and how open and forthcoming they have become. One of the clients stands out in particular. His name is Moses and seeing his growth over the year has been amazing. At the start of the year, Moses was extremely quiet and often chose not to participate in group sing-alongs and activities. However, as he interacted with us more, it was clear to see his comfort levels rise. They rose to the point where he was comfortable volunteering himself to read, as well as participating in more activities. I loved to see him enjoy the activity, and the smile on his face, as well as the faces of the others, showed me that we have more similarities than differences.
Because of these people, I would look forward to Thursday after school. I would look forward to belting out my favourite Disney songs, not caring about the words or the proper melody or the proper pitch, knowing that all that really mattered at that moment was having a good time, with clients I am now proud to call my friends. There has also been a tremendous amount of personal growth. I believe that through this service opportunity, I have become more compassionate, understanding and open-minded. I am now more comfortable working with new people despite any differences we may have and I believe I am able to get the job done, despite the circumstances. This skill will help me in the future and I can use it in any situation. I also believe that I have learnt more about what Down Syndrome really is. If I go back to the start of the year when we were researching the disability, I remember more disadvantages being listed over advantages or positive points. But while it is a disability, I have learnt that people with down syndrome feel the same way we do. They emote the same way we do. This observation opened my eyes past what the internet said Down Syndrome was.
With regards to the learning outcomes, I believe that I have achieved LO4 and LO6. LO4 is showing determination to the service, which I believe I have excelled in, only being absent twice over the whole year. LO6 is demonstrating engagement with an issue of global significance. Down Syndrome awareness is a global issue and as a service, we have done lots of advocating. A large part of this advocacy came through the Down Syndrome Day event at Tampines Hub. At this event, we performed two of the songs we had over the year, The event was an excellent way for us to advocate for a great cause.
