AI Student Leadership Community Outreach

AI Student Leadership Community Outreach Program started Saturday 1 March 2014 with collaboration between Chong Pang Community Club and the student counsellors in organising a Canned Food Collection Drive to help the needy who are Chong Pang residents who are (i) CDC ComCare recipients, (ii) MOE Financial Assistance Scheme, etc. Being engaged in the local community and striving to make it a better place is a key piece of our student leadership development’s vision of LEAD by Character and Service. Through the Outreach program, the student counsellors had the opportunity to get involved and contributed to community while broadening their understanding of the needy in the local community.  All student counsellors volunteered and signed up for this project as early as one week in advance and up to the day of the Collection Drive.

Today’s collection drive saw the student counsellors coming together to contribute towards the local Chong Pang “kampong”. They enjoyed the experiential learning as they discover how to connect with residents in their door-to-door asking for donations. Through our conversations, I heard the students’ message of giving back to society – something everyone (both student counsellors and residents) can do by getting those within our circle of influence to be involved in this meaningful event.  There were active participation and generous donations from residents.

Personally, my hope that this AI Student Leadership Community Outreach Program will allow my student counsellors to explore the volunteer opportunities.  My intent is that the student counsellors who participated in this program will discover that they especially enjoy such volunteer work and that they will want to continue signing up and volunteering with such projects later on. Those student counsellors who do find they enjoy and care about such volunteering work, may then want to take this to another role, such as taking on the role of volunteer advocate who spread the message of how an effort of one or many individuals can make a difference.