How are you feeling what are you seeing when doing service?
It’s incredibly humbling to see the growth of the clients throughout the season. With my client especially, he started off very shy and reluctant in session but began embracing the joy of yoga gradually with each session. To see this kind of trajectory, I feel very accomplished and satisfied to have known that I could have played a part in helping my client develop his yoga skills and I want to continue to keep that same feeling as the year goes on.
What are you learning so far?
I’ve learnt that teaching is definitely easier said than done. Especially when there are communication barriers, I’ve found that I need to be innovative and creative when coming up with ways to teach my client. In addition, I have learnt that there is a degree of sensitivity that needs to be adopted when interacting with my client. For example, I need to be able to encourage my client but also allow them to feel comfortable so when there is that conflict of interest, I’ve learned that I need to be equipped with the skills to allow my client to benefit the most from yoga but also allow them to feel comfortable in the environment.
What impact are your actions having?
I think the impact we’re having is that we’re providing our clients at Tampines MINDS with opportunities to improve their well-being which they may not have had previously. Of course, yoga has its numerous benefits for one’s health but I strongly feel that it’s the positive environment we create in session rather that is having the most lasting and meaningful impact. Also, I think we are challenging our clients to develop their communication skills and in doing so, we’re effectively empowering them in today’s society.
What knowledge skill or understanding might you develop and how you know?
I think I’m beginning to understand the way in which I can create meaningful interactions with others despite there being communication barriers. I’m also gaining the skill set where I can make foster these interactions while still being sensitive and respectful to my client’s circumstances. Additionally, every session I gain more knowledge on some of the strengths and hindrances of the intellectually disabled community. Something I wasn’t entirely aware of earlier but now I know is that there is a myriad of severities of intellectual disabilities and that can all affect the emotional and physical behaviour of our clients at Tampines MINDS.
Are your initial goals still meaningful?
My initial goal was to understand why the intellectually disabled are isolated socially from society and what actions can us students take to empower them. Definitely, I do think my goals are still meaningful and if not, more meaningful seeing as we are just beginning to truly understand the nature of our clients and Tampines MINDS. What makes my goals meaningful is that I’m genuinely able to answer them to a better capability than I was before, and these goals will continue to be meaningful as I further develop my experiences in this service.
What evidence do you have? How do you know?
I think the most measurable form of evidence is our clients themselves. For many of them, yoga has provided them with a very clear benefit and that can be measured as evidence. Also, when comparing our initial session to our most recent one, there is a stark difference in the positivity of the environment and also the engagement of our clients. Additionally, there are supervisors from Tampines MINDS who come to see our weekly sessions and their opinions can help validate our progress as a means of evidence.
Any other forms of evidence?
Photos/videos
LO6
I think that my experiences so far have been centred around LO6 because my initial goals had been centred around that aspect of CAS. Additionally, the majority of my learning concerns the ethics I might adopt when interacting with my clients but also incorporates the element of social inclusion of the intellectually disabled. By doing yoga with the clients, we are empowering them and building their skill set little-by-little to improve the well-being of them and we’re also improving their communication and collaboration skills so they can adapt to different environments and learn how to communicate with other people outside of their local context. Additionally, exposing the clients to a phenomenon like yoga is a way in which they can develop their holistic experiences and understanding which they may not always have the opportunity to do at their local facilities. Essentially, this service is empowering them with these opportunities to promote the social inclusion of the intellectually disabled. By interacting with them weekly and fostering relationships, although there are many barriers, the service enables us to directly interact with the community to better integrate them into today’s society. Furthermore, I have developed a better understanding of the intellectually disabled community and the things that set us apart. However, the most empowering aspect for me personally is the fact that I have the sheer opportunity to embrace the differences yet also build a connection with them – that’s a new skill I definitely didn’t think I’d be able to develop.
