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Position Filled: First Responder Fellowship, Sexual Assault Care Centre

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) is looking for three First Responder Fellows. This Fellowship is an opportunity for individuals keen on joining the movement to promote zero tolerance to sexual violence in Singapore. You will serve as first responders to survivors who reach out to SACC, which is currently the only centre in Singapore that provides gender- and trauma-informed services to sexual assault survivors.

Throughout the Fellowship, there would be ample learning avenues for Fellows to gather experience and develop trauma-informed skills while supporting youth, adults and families coping with the impact of sexual violence. Fellows will deepen their understanding of the complexities and nuances of sexual violence by:

  • Providing the first level of practical and emotional support, including making appropriate internal or external referrals for sexual assault survivors and their significant others 
  • Assisting senior case managers and the Centre in the management of cases and service documentation 
  • Shadowing and on the job training opportunities

A significant part of the role would also involve carrying out administrative duties to provide operational support for the day-to-day running of various services at SACC. These duties include documentation/report writing, data management, ad-hoc projects, etc. 

In addition to first response, Fellows will also get exposure to community engagement opportunities as part of the Fellowship.

This Fellowship aims to cultivate the knowledge, skills and mindsets necessary to tackle and respond to sexual violence, such that Fellows become advocates for change as they venture further into social service work or related sectors.

Professionals seeking a mid-career break or change, who have a keen interest in the social service sector, are highly encouraged to apply. If you have several years of experience in the social service sector, the Fellowship offers you a space to diversify your client profile and issue-area you want to work with. For those with years of experience in the private sector, this can serve as an opportunity to network and dip your toe in the public sector to assess if you want to make that move. We highly encourage applicants to prioritise the exposure and learning opportunities through this fellowship/entry-level position. 

Position: SACC Fellow
Department: CARE – SACC
Commitment: Full-time, Monday – Friday, 40 hours a week
Engagement Fee: $1,500 per month
Term: One year
Starting date: 1 May 2020
Citizenship: Singaporeans or PRs only

Job Description

  • Ensuring high quality and timely response to people reaching out to SACC through calls, WhatsApp, emails, walk-ins, referrals and other platforms
  • Scheduling clients with case managers, counsellors, etc. via phone, emails and/or face-to-face
  • Assisting senior case managers in case coordination and documentation
  • Creating various project reports as well as supporting incoming client queries
  • Documenting and filing confidential notes, intake forms, etc.
  • Establishing processes for client feedback and ensuring prompt submission to relevant parties/systems
  • Identifying and improving current processes
  • Supporting staff and volunteers on various projects and ad-hoc programmes as required 
  • Providing administrative and operational support to SACC

Requirements

  • Relevant educational qualification like a diploma or a degree in social work, counselling, psychology or a related field
  • Professionals seeking a mid-career break and have a keen interest in joining the social service sector are highly encouraged to join the Fellowship
  • Training on trauma is a bonus
  • In addition to passion and commitment to AWARE’s mission and vision, we look for Fellows who demonstrate the following:
    • Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written).
    • Good analytical skills and commitment to confidentiality
    • Superb organisational and time management skills 
    • Ability to meet deadlines in a high-paced environment while balancing workload and competing priorities
    • Strong project planning and highly creative, adaptable and a self starter
    • Ability to use initiative and judgment to solve problems independently
    • Experience or interest in supporting or empowering individuals
    • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE
    • Computer savvy, proficient in MS Office, especially Excel and Word

Read our privacy policy here.

Please note that due to the large number of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview. If you have any questions about this position, please email careers@aware.org.sg.

Position Filled: Assistant Manager, Sexual Assault Care Centre

AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) is looking for an Assistant Manager who can support survivors of sexual assault in their journeys of recovery, supervise case managers, and help the centre in its day-to-day functions and programme development. The role also requires supporting the SACC team in advocacy and project-based work. You can read more about our Sexual Assault Care Centre here.

Position: Senior Case Manager
Grade: Assistant Manager
Department: CARE – SACC
Commitment: Full-time, Monday – Friday, 40 hours a week
Salary range: $4,010-5,010
Term: One year (with possibility of extension)
Starting date: Immediate
Citizenship: Any

Job Description

  • Ensuring a high standard of quality of various SACC services, such as case management, legal clinic and Befriending, development of programmes and services targeted at service gaps, and enhancement of services
  • Providing casework and carry out planned interventions, including crisis intervention and arranging for various internal and external services to meet overall needs of sexual assault survivors (and their significant others). This includes liaising with authorities like the police and hospitals and various community organisations
  • Preparing case reports and regular data management for reporting and analysis
  • Ensuring adequate, timely and quality response to people reaching out to SACC through calls, WhatsApp, emails, walk-ins, referrals and other media
  • Providing support on various community engagement projects, trainings and collaborations with key organisations and people
  • Seeking and assisting with various advocacy opportunities to remove barriers for survivors of sexual assault to seek justice and support services. This includes research and partnering with authorities, various ministries and key stakeholders in the sector
  • Accomplishing programme objectives through staff management. Fostering staff growth through supervision and identifying growth opportunities
  • Working closely with Women’s Care Centre staff, counsellors and Helpliners to support each other’s work

Requirements

  • Minimum of 5 years of related experience
  • Relevant educational qualifications, like social work, counselling, psychology or related field. Training on trauma and Singapore experience is a bonus
  • Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written)
  • Good analytical skills
  • Commitment to confidentiality
  • Superb time-management skills and ability to meet deadlines
  • Strong project planning: highly creative, adaptable and a self-starter
  • Ability to work independently to manage projects
  • Ability to use initiative and judgment to solve problems independently
  • Experience or interest in supporting or empowering individuals
  • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE
  • Proficient with computers and MS Office, especially Excel and Word

Apply here.

Read our privacy policy here.

Please note that due to the large number of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview. If you have any questions about this position, please email careers@aware.org.sg.

6-8 March 2020: Sharul Channa’s Am I Old?

Savitri, a 68-year-old, Singaporean retired school teacher, is looking for something exciting to do. So she tries stand-up comedy for the first time.

That is the premise of Am I Old?, a comedic monologue written and performed by local comedy pioneer Sharul Channa. The innovative new show will be staged four times over the weekend of 6-8 March, 2020, at Drama Centre Black Box at National Library. 

Over the past two years, Channa has proven her ability to use comedy to shed light on important, and sometimes neglected, social issues in Singapore. In 2017, she deconstructed misogyny at Indian weddings with Sharul Weds Sharul, performed to sold-out theatres at The Esplanade and at The Darwin Festival in Australia. In 2018, she cycled through multiple characters in Disco Sheela and Other Indian Superwomen, a show that left “listeners breathless with laughter, and in the next moment, unable to breathe because the truth hurts” (The Straits Times, LIFE!). 

Most recently, in a performance that earned her a Best Actress nomination at The Straits Times LIFE! Theatre Awards, Channa highlighted the plight of women living below the poverty line in Singapore, in her landmark solo 2019 piece, Crazy Poor Sita. 

Billed as an International Women’s Day 2020 special, Am I Old? presents the same actress-comedian, the same passion and the same razor-sharp truth: this time directed at ageing. Armed with nothing but her PAssion Card and her Pioneer Generation Package, Savitri is ready to hit you with her best punch lines about unrequited love, being a caregiver and, of course, coming to terms with age. After all, her rallying cry is “old woman, new jokes”!

Tickets to Am I Old? are currently available from SISTIC. Each performance will be followed by a panel discussion with a family caregiver, an elderly person and a member of AWARE (whose 2019 eldercare report “Make Care Count” provided foundational research for this show).

Show Details

Date and Timing*: Fri, 6 March, 8pm / Sat, 7 March, 3pm and 8pm / Sun, 8 March, 3pm

*There will be a panel discussion at the end of each show.

Venue: Drama Centre Black Box, 100 Victoria Street Level 5, National Library Building, Singapore 188064

Ticket price: (Standard) $30  

Get tickets now!


(Cancelled) AWARE’s 35th-anniversary fundraiser Superwomen in Concert announces all-female line-up led by Stefanie Sun, Rahimah Rahim, Joanna Dong

January 2021: CANCELLATION NOTICE FOR SUPERWOMEN IN CONCERT

With deep regret, we are cancelling our Superwomen in Concert 2021 event. With Phase 3 of Singapore’s re-opening still ongoing, and safe management measures restricting audience size, it is not possible to hold the event as envisioned by ourselves and the performers. We have thus made the difficult decision to cancel.

Customers who have purchased tickets will receive a full refund from Ticketmaster (formerly known as APACTix). The refund will be automatically credited to the same credit card used for the transaction. It will take 21 business days for credit card refunds to be processed. Patrons who purchased via cash or NETS will be contacted by Ticketmaster for refund arrangement. Please call +65 3158 8588 or email to enquiry@ticketmaster.sg for refund enquiries. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause you.

If you can afford it, and would still like to support the gender equality work that we do at AWARE, please also consider donating your refunded amount to us via Giving.sg. We strongly encourage you to donate to our NextGen Fund, as 40% of your gift will be matched by Tote Board. You may contact Desiree at fundraising@aware.org.sg for more information.

The AWARE team would like to express our enormous gratitude to all of our supporters and collaborators: the performing artists and their teams, our sponsors (including Twitter, Google, KOP, Montigo Resorts and Dymon Asia), the Esplanade, our official media partners (Her World and Finder) and other partners, and everyone who bought tickets to Superwomen in Concert.

This post was originally published as a press release on 10 February 2020.

10 February 2020 – Singapore’s biggest female entertainers will come together for Superwomen in Concert, a fundraising concert by AWARE on Friday, 10 April 2020 at Esplanade Concert Hall.

Mandopop icon Stefanie Sun will headline the all-female, all-star show, alongside an array of local legends such as singers Rahimah Rahim and Joanna Dong, musical cabaret trio the Dim Sum Dollies and violinist Lynnette Seah. Other performers include Tamil rapper Lady Kash,
singer Aisyah Aziz, Narelle Kheng and Sandra Riley Tang (RRILEY) of pop band the Sam Willows, jazz vocalist Alemay Fernandez, singer-songwriter Inch Chua, stand-up comedian Sharul Channa and theatre actress Siti Khalijah Zainal.

This vibrant, diverse line-up will also feature some family pairings: ChildAid 2018 singer Heema Izzati Zainudin with her sister Maya and mother, Lazmin (formerly of local band Culture Vulture); and mother-daughter hip-hop dancing duo Sheena Seah and Jade Riccio. Rahimah Rahim will also perform a song with her 14-year-old granddaughter, Alyaa Qistina, marking Qistina’s first public performance.

Actress-presenter Nikki Muller and director Beatrice Chia-Richmond will be hosts for the night. Supporting the female talent will be a 15-piece, all-male group from the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, led by Music Director Julian Wong.

Superwomen in Concert is part of AWARE’s 35th anniversary celebration in 2020. Proceeds will benefit AWARE’s Women’s Helpline and Sexual Assault Care Centre services—integral parts of the NGO’s wide-reaching work towards gender equality. This year’s concert comes 10 years after the first edition of Superwomen in Concert, held in 2010 to mark AWARE’s 25th birthday.

Says AWARE Executive Director Corinna Lim: “The very first Superwomen in Concert in 2010 was a smashing success—a fabulously entertaining, joy-filled night of community and camaraderie. I wasn’t sure that we could ever top that edition! However, this year’s show promises even more star power than before, towards our ever-more urgent mission. I cannot wait to share the experience with a new audience.”

Multi-hyphenate entertainer Pam Oei once again produces and directs this year’s Superwomen in Concert, as she did in 2010.

“Every single woman I asked to perform at this concert said ‘yes’ immediately,” said Ms Oei. “I nearly fell off my chair when Stef Sun agreed. She said it was a cause she really believed in and would be happy to support AWARE and its work. It is a really powerful gesture: women coming together to help other women. And this concert gives us otherwise very different women—spanning three generations of homegrown talent—a chance to be in a unique tribe for just one night.

“Many of these performers are my own personal ‘superwomen’. I feel very lucky to be at the centre of this landmark celebration, in service of an NGO I have passionately supported for so long.”

Tickets for Superwomen in Concert will be available to the public at two levels:
● Charity packages, priced at $438 and $488 (tax-deductible), with top-tier seating, a VIP after-party and other bonuses. These tickets are currently available at aware.org.sg/superwomen
● Standard tickets, priced at $58, $88, $128, $158 and $188. These tickets are
available starting 13 February 2020, 10 a.m. from vendor APACTix
(apactix.com).

Select performers and AWARE representatives are available for interviews. Please email Phoebe at phoebe@aware.org.sg to request an interview for your outlet.

 

Annex

About AWARE
AWARE is Singapore’s leading women’s rights and gender equality advocacy group. It works to identify and eliminate gender-based barriers through research, advocacy, education, training and support services. AWARE embraces diversity, respects the individual and the choices she makes in life, and supports her when needed.

Select performer bios

Stefanie Sun, better known as Sun Yanzi, ascended to the position of Singapore’s most celebrated Mandopop star after bursting onto the scene in 2000 with hit debut album Yan Zi. Beloved all over Asia, she boasts over 30 million record sales and has bagged numerous awards over her prolific 20-year singing career. Locally, she is also known for her National Day Parade theme songs “We Will Get There” and “One United People”.

Rahimah Rahim released her first album, Mana Ibumu, in 1972. Over the next 34 years, she went on to release 11 more hit albums, including Gadis Dan Bunga and Bebas. An internationally recognised entertainer, she toured Asia, delighting audience in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. As a young actress, Rahimah starred in Masuk Angin Keluar Asap, Kasih Ibu and the television show Pak Awang Temberang. Her more recent acting credits include Dick Lee’s musical Fried Rice Paradise (2010) and Royston Tan’s film 3688 (2015).

Joanna Dong is a Singaporean jazz vocalist, musical theatre actress and TV host. A bilingual talent, Joanna is passionate about sharing her love for jazz with Mandarin-speaking audiences. In 2017, she made Singapore proud by coming in second runner-up in popular Chinese singing competition Sing! China, for which she was mentored by superstar Jay Chou. In 2018, Joanna sold out two nights at the Esplanade Concert Hall for her solo concert So Here I Am. She also launched an EP of the same name and took the show on a successful tour of seven Asian cities.

Complete performer biographies are available at aware.org.sg/superwomen.

 

26 February 2020: Sexual Assault First Responder Training

IMPORTANT NOTICE: We have regretfully decided to postpone our 26 February Sexual Assault First Responder Training. A new date will be advertised as the virus situation becomes more clear. We are working to refund those who have already signed up. Our deepest apologies for this inconvenience.

“Are you sure that happened? Why didn’t you fight back? You should have known better.” These are some common responses survivors of sexual assault have heard, which may further their feelings of doubt, guilt and shame.

First response that is sensitive to the survivor’s needs and choices is necessary in preventing re-victimisation. We may not always know the right words to say, but we can all agree that sexual assault should never happen to anyone.

One way to show zero tolerance for sexual assault is through our own words and actions. It is not always easy for survivors to tell someone about what happened. In fact, for some survivors, it can be especially daunting.

As an individual that they put their trust in, our response becomes pivotal in their journey of recovery. SACC’s First Responder Training helps familiarize participants with trauma reactions and symptoms to better contribute to a survivor’s well-being. In this workshop, SACC will share more on the following:

1. Definition of sexual assault and harassment

2. Recognising Singapore’s legal framework

3. Understanding consent

4. Understanding the impact of sexual assault and trauma on survivors

5. Role of a first responder

6. Providing support to survivors of sexual assault

7. Resources available for help

8. Key skills such as ensuring safety, active listening and empathy

Under AWARE’s #AimForZeroSG campaign, this popular workshop has been made affordable to all. While you are welcome to pay what you can, we suggest a sum of $10 per workshop attendee. Please note that all proceeds to towards SACC and that the donation made towards the workshop is non-refundable.

When: 26 February 2020, 3pm – 7.30pm [4.5 hours]
Where: 5 Dover Crescent #01-22 S(130005)
For whom: Parents, educators, all NGO/VWO staff and volunteers, social sector professionals or students above 16 years old studying a relevant discipline (e.g. psychology, counselling, social work etc.)
Cost: Suggested donation $10 (Light refreshments will be provided)

Persons of all genders and nationalities are more than welcome to attend.

We strongly request that all participants commit to the full duration of the 4.5-hour workshop to ensure that everyone will get the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and learn useful skills.

Blind recruitment promotes a stronger and fairer workforce

This letter was originally published in The Straits Times on 30 January 2020.

Forum contributor Cheng Shoong Tat asked whether job applicants honestly believe that identifying details should not be disclosed to potential employers (Tafep job application guidelines are unrealistic, Jan 23).

But isn’t that only right?

In response to a parliamentary question last year, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said that in the last three years, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (Tafep) received 50 gender-related discrimination complaints and 70 maternity-related dismissals annually.

These numbers do not even include other forms of discrimination.

This is consistent with the experience of a newly launched service by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) – the Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory. So far, the majority of discrimination-related calls received by our adviser have to do with maternity issues.

Mr Cheng also questioned the efficacy of blind recruitment, that is, the removal of identifying information.

Blind recruitment reduces the risk of conscious or unconscious bias affecting the decision-making process. Several experts have found blind recruitment – including the removal of names – to be particularly helpful in enhancing the diversity of their organisations, providing better team performance and making talent retention easier.

Organisational change to a new system of hiring will come with costs, and we must be mindful of these, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The writer highlighted one such cost: blind recruitment leading to extra rounds of interviews.

But online applicant tracking systems can help. They are designed to blind the identifying details you do not want access to, so that employers do not have to do it manually.

Blind recruitment is not the panacea for all biased hiring ills.

This is why it is important to set out objective criteria for hiring, promotions and performance management, as well as to develop tests that assess the skills required for the job rather than relying on the subjective assessment of hiring managers.

The success of any blind recruitment strategy ultimately relies on educating employers on the advantages of a diverse workforce.

The guidelines on recruitment acknowledge a world where people of a similar calibre may be rewarded differently in the hiring process because of their name, age or gender.

We should build on the successes of the guidelines and move the conversation to a different type of intervention: a national anti-discrimination law.

Shailey Hingorani
Head of Research and Advocacy
Aware

22 February 2020 Workshop: Birds & Bees – starting open conversations about sex, consent and relationships at home

“This was valuable… it made me reflect on my own values regarding sex and what I may project onto my children.”

“It opens up our inhibitions and gives us real opportunities to put [our thoughts into] words.”

“Often boys are let off the hook, but I think they should be mindful and learn about boundaries, especially in this day and age when lines are blurred and there’s so much to access online.”

“Can they do this in school for our children?”

– Previous Birds & Bees workshop attendees

How do you talk to your children about sex? It’s a topic that many parents are happy to put off discussing for as long as possible. But what are the consequences of making home an environment where talks about physical intimacy are off-limits?

Birds & Bees is an experiential workshop for parents, run by parents, to help you start and sustain the important conversation about sex – in a non-judgmental way. No matter where you are in your parenting journey, this workshop will allow you to:

  • Understand the lasting, positive impact of talking to your children about sex and relationships
  • Introduce crucial information about consent, personal boundaries, and safety to your children
  • Talk openly about the difference between respectful, healthy relationships, and abusive, unhealthy relationships
  • Improve your communication with children on difficult or uncomfortable topics
  • Create a home where your children are not afraid of approaching you if they have questions or are troubled about a relationship or sexual encounter.

Through case studies, role-play and facilitated discussions, the workshop will give you a chance to think more deeply about your values and sexual health knowledge, and improve communication with your children. All parents are welcome, though we’ll deal with issues most relevant to parents of teenage children (12-18 year olds).

Date: 22 February 2020 (Saturday)

Time: 10am – 1pm (3 hours)

Venue: AWARE Centre (5 Dover Crescent #01-22)

Workshop Fee: $15*

*Good news! Due to new funding, we have been able to reduce our workshop entry fee from $25 to $15 in 2020.

Survey: After you sign up, you will be asked to complete a short pre-workshop survey about the age(s) and number of your children. We will try to group participants with children of similar ages together during the workshop.

Refunds and cancellations: Unfortunately we will not be offering refunds. However, with minimum two days notice, you may switch to a future workshop date. If you need to do so, or if you have any other questions, please email Joo Hymn at publiceducation@aware.org.sg.

Register here!

Look to other countries’ efforts to narrow the gender pay gap

This letter was originally published in The Straits Times on 13 January 2020.

The Ministry of Manpower’s gender pay gap report reinforces several hard truths (Adjusted gender pay gap narrows over more than a decade, Jan 10).

Among them is the finding that the labour force participation rate widens substantially after women have children, which contributes to a gap in pay later in life.

The report points out that this “motherhood penalty” is in fact a global phenomenon.

So are there lessons we can learn from other countries on how to narrow the gender pay gap? Here are two suggestions.

First: Encourage the uptake of paternity and shared parental leave. The labour force participation gap, and subsequently the gender pay gap, can narrow if men and women share caregiving responsibilities more equally.

If more men took leave for childcare, women would not be seen as a financial liability at work, and their commitment to work will not be questioned as much.

Reports have found that men who take time off for childcare directly contribute to their female partners’ earnings later on in life.

According to a study in Sweden (where a family loses some of its designated paid parental leave unless the father takes it), a woman’s earnings rose by 7 per cent for every month of leave taken by her husband.

Second: Recruit returners. A PricewaterhouseCooper study in the UK found that three out of five women returning to the workforce are likely to move into lower-skilled or lower-paid roles, experiencing an immediate earnings reduction of up to a third.

This is likely because of a combination of factors, including a lack of flexible work arrangements for higher-skilled jobs, and a stigma associated with gaps in women’s curriculum vitae.

One measure taken by the UK was setting up a Returners Fund with a budget of £1.5 million (S$2.7 million) to help organisations that support women returning to work.

We too could introduce a dedicated “returnship” programme that provides clear employment pathways for women who wish to return to the labour force.

We could also make stronger attempts to address recruitment biases, and provide quality flexible work arrangements at all levels of management.

These international strategies could be key to Singapore harnessing the economic potential of women and narrowing the gender pay gap.

Shailey Hingorani

Head of Research and Advocacy

Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware)