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Members of the public join AWARE to call for wide-reaching policy changes in 2020 Budget submission

This post was originally published as a press release on 13 January 2020.

13 January 2020 – For its 10th annual submission to the national Budget, AWARE engaged with a rich community of individuals in Singapore, pooling their ideas for a set of recommendations centred on better support for family caregivers. 

This grassroots “policy wishlist” was generated by 50 members of the public, who came together in October 2019 at the launch of AWARE’s research report on eldercare, “Make Care Count”. These 50 people came from all walks of life in Singapore, among them caregivers, students, parents, academics, retirees, social service workers and business owners. They were united by a desire for caregiving to be front and centre on the national agenda, so that more is done for family caregivers across the nation. 

A small-group discussion during “Make Care Count… in the National Budget”, an event organised by AWARE on 5 October 2019. Photograph by Kaspen Paraskakis Narayan

At the event, participants formed small groups, sharing their own experiences with caregiving for the elderly, and brainstorming suggestions for the government in this arena. AWARE then submitted a final set of recommendations via the government’s REACH platform on 10 January 2020.

Some of the policy ideas put forth in the submission include:

  • Introducing a universal basic income, or at least a support grant for caregivers that includes cash and CPF components, to recognise care as labour
  • Making healthcare benefits universal instead of designating cohort-specific packages, to assure today’s caregivers of support when they need care tomorrow
  • Introducing mandatory paid eldercare leave, shortening work hours and legislating the right for employees to request flexible work arrangements
  • Improving and regulating formal care services, such as assisted-living facilities, daycare services and home-based care services, to increase their usage

These recommendations correspond heavily with those in AWARE’s “Make Care Count” report from September 2019. That report—based on in-depth interviews with 22 female caregivers and validation interviews with 22 eldercare service providers, academics and medical social workers—found that family caregiving responsibilities disproportionately fall upon women in Singapore, and directly compromise women’s retirement adequacy. Most women surveyed saw their income decrease, their employment situation change and their out-of-pocket care expenses spike after they became caregivers to their elderly relatives.

Ms Shailey Hingorani, AWARE’s Head of Research and Advocacy, said, “Hearing from the public at our event last October was invigorating and inspiring. We discovered that our research findings did indeed resonate with many attendees, who expressed similar struggles to those of our respondents. We also garnered additional insights—for example, from Singaporeans looking after non-citizen care recipients—which we have incorporated into our recommendations. 

“It’s a privilege to represent this passionate, vocal group in our Budget submission. As we move forward, we hope to engage with a ever-larger pool of stakeholders, and remain at the forefront of eldercare issues in Singapore.”  

Dr Joanne Yoong, an economist who spoke at the October event, said, “The strength of these recommendations lies in AWARE’s commitment to combining careful research with a participatory process that strives to engage all stakeholders in this critical national conversation. The outcome will eventually impact every one of our families, in some way, at some time in our lives.”

Ms Patricia Lee, an event participant and caregiver, said that she was grateful for the chance to contribute her perspective on this “key concern” in a public consultation. “Many of us have rarely had the opportunities to connect to the right channels, speak our minds and express our dire needs,” she added. 

Read AWARE’s full submission to the 2020 national Budget here.

Recommendations by AWARE for the National Budget in recent years can be found here: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.

Commentary: Male victims of rape deserve support and understanding, not ridicule and disbelief

This commentary was originally published on Channel NewsAsia on 9 January 2020.

by Shailey Hingorani, Head of Research and Advocacy

SINGAPORE: Myths and stereotypes about manhood, masculinity and male sexuality abound in online comments to the news of an Indonesian man Reynhard Sinaga convicted in Britain for assaulting over 100 men over a couple of years.

Sentenced to life imprisonment, he’s been called the most prolific rapist in British legal history.

Some online comments have expressed horror at the details of the case, but many comments (whether joking or not) seem to celebrate the perpetrator, calling him “impressive”, and describing his “achievements” in tones of pride.

Disturbing as these comments are, it is another set of comments that stand out for embodying even more reprehensible views – those that express disbelief that men can be raped, and ridicule the fact that many of this perpetrator’s victims only found out that they had been raped after the police reached out to them.

It is tempting to dismiss online comments as cruel, bigoted and besides the point, but reading them often reveals the level of civil discourse on important societal problems like sexual assault.Advertisement

BARRIERS MEN FACE IN REPORTING SEXUAL ASSAULT 

As a gender-equality organisation that works closely with survivors of sexual violence, AWARE knows both men and women can experience sexual assault. 

We have seen firsthand how myths about sexual violence can silence male victims just as much as female victims.

Although in both cases, these myths tend to be located in toxic masculinity (such as “real men get what they want” and “real men should be prepared to be violent to defend themselves”), and rigid gender roles, they create a slightly different set of barriers for men.

While women are frequently asked what they were wearing when they were assaulted, male victims of sexual assault get questioned about their masculinity and sexual orientation.

Female victims are considered to be “asking for it” when they drink or go out at night; men are considered to be “weak” for not using their physical strength to defend themselves.

In Singapore, changes to the Penal Code, which passed last year and became effective from Jan 1 made the offence of rape gender-neutral. This was done through the expansion of the legal definition of rape to include non-consensual penetration of the anus or the mouth using one’s penis.

However, for male victims, the challenges to disclosing their experiences of abuse and seeking appropriate help are still overwhelming. 

Here are two societal myths and stereotypes that this case has brought to the fore, which form serious barriers for male survivors coming forward. 

MYTH 1: MEN DO NOT EXPERIENCE SEXUAL ASSAULT

The first barrier is the pervasive belief that men cannot be raped and “real men” are able to defend themselves from assaulters. Rape and sexual assault has largely been (rightly) conceptualised as involving male perpetrators and female victims, which is borne out by crime statistics.

A large majority of sexual assault victims are indeed female, and perpetrators male. But this does not mean that men cannot be raped. 

Sam* (name changed) came to AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) many years after he was molested by his older brother multiple times over a period of two years. 

He wasn’t confident reaching out earlier because he felt “emasculated” speaking about his assault, and it was only after his wife coaxed him to seek help that he contacted SACC.

Sam blamed himself for his experience because of his inability to protect himself, as a “man should be able to”. In sessions with SACC, he shared the ridicule he faced from friends when he told them he was contemplating receiving counselling.

Sam’s case illustrates how societal stereotypes about how men behave – such as “real men solve problems on their own” and “real men don’t talk about feelings” – stigmatise help-seeking and reporting.

Many erroneously believe too that men enjoy all manner of sexual interactions, whether consensual or not. Another client, John*, had trouble making sense of comments from a female colleague at work, who asked him what he thought of her body.

When he told his friends about his discomfort, they suggested that regardless of his own feelings, “as a guy, he couldn’t lose out” in this situation.

By focusing on the sexual aspects at the expense of the abusive nature of an interaction, we do a huge disservice to sexual harassment survivors.

MYTH TWO: PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS DURING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE MEAN ONLY ONE THING

Many online comments have reacted with incredulity that many of Sinaga’s victims did not know they had been sexually assaulted, but a victim’s inability to recognise they had been raped does not make it less of a crime.

Similarly, people often attribute meaning to physical reactions to rape. For instance, erections and ejaculations can signify pleasure in consensual sex. However, in situations of sexual assault, they can occur as a purely physiological response to stimulation. They can also be caused by intense fear or pain. 

However, many people believe maintaining an erection or having an ejaculation during assault is a clear sign a man has consented to the sexual interaction and even derived pleasure from the exchange.

Hence, their own physiological reactions during sexual assault may make it more difficult for male survivors to come to terms with the fact they were sexually assaulted.

A study in the UK finds that some sexual violence perpetrators are, in fact, aware of how erection and ejaculation may confuse a victim of sexual assault – and that this may motivate them to manipulate their victims into ejaculation to enhance their own sense of control and discourage reporting.

TAKING MALE VICTIMS OF ASSAULT SERIOUSLY

Widely held beliefs about men and the personality traits they embody inhibit many male victims of sexual assault from coming forward. What can we do to combat these damaging beliefs – some of which have been held for generations?

We need a fundamental rethink about how men and boys are raised.\

We need to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools to teach boys they do not have to conform to aggressive stereotypes of masculinity, and to explain healthy and unhealthy sexual and romantic relationships.

We need more extensive public education on the barriers that prevent reporting and help-seeking behaviour, and more support for recovery and mental health services to help male victims of sexual assault.

Above all, we must remember that male victims of sexual assault deserve our support too.

* Pseudonyms used to protect the identity of victims.

Shailey Hingorani is Head of Research and Advocacy at AWARE.

Survivors of sexual violence, regardless of gender, can contact AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre.

 

A Recap: S.H.E. Project Celebration 2019

Written by Aria Lee. 

Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama once said that parenthood is about “leaving something better for our kids”. That hopeful spirit was alive and well at a celebration, held on 19 December 2019, for residents of AWARE’s Support, Housing and Enablement (S.H.E.) Project.

The S.H.E. Project provides stable and decent housing, and a transformational support programme, to low-income, single-mother families. These families, who are referred to AWARE by Family Service Centres (FSCs) or community partners, do not have the option of returning to their family homes, whether due to domestic issues, conflicts with parents, overcrowding or other issues. They also face difficulties finding shelters willing to take in their children alongside them, or applying to rent HDB apartments while under the age of 21.

This celebratory event was organised in collaboration with Visa to recognise these families’ big and small achievements, let them unwind from the pressures they face on a day-to-day basis, and connect and interact with one another on a deeper level.

As Liz, S.H.E. Project programme manager, announced, “We just wanted to take time out to honour all of you.”

Event volunteers gather before the S.H.E. celebration begins

The 25 or so attendees enjoyed a beautiful spread of tea and cakes, an array of children’s books for the young attendees, and a foot massage booth from the Mobile Massage Team (an initiative by the Singapore Association of the Visually Impaired). Volunteers from both Visa and AWARE were present to provide assistance.

The delicious array of cakes and pastries enjoyed by guests

Event facilitator Pei Yi, an associate legal counsel at Visa, started off by getting everyone to introduce themselves and their different backgrounds, nationalities, interests and areas of work.

Subsequently, the women of the S.H.E. Project spoke up about their struggles and successes in affairs such as appealing housing decisions, gaining lawyers, managing schedules, sending their children to school, settling debts, as well as the numerous ways their children have been supportive throughout these trials.

The S.H.E. women have also been an inspiration to other low-income women. Since joining S.H.E., they’ve reached out to other families, spoken at events and in various media, and written personal accounts for others to read and learn from. Altogether, these efforts have contributed to slow but steady progress in matters such as housing access for unwed single mothers.

Interactions at this event between the women of S.H.E. and the volunteers led to a more nuanced understanding of the challenges of raising a family as a single mother. Sometimes—the residents said—single mothers feel guilty for not meeting society’s unreasonable expectations of a mother, and often feel that they have failed as parents. It was all the more heartening to see everyone validate and affirm each other’s experiences that afternoon.

After the discussion, attendees were taken on a short tour of the Visa office space. Following that, the families and volunteers socialised and partook in activities while eating delicious pastries. Volunteers read aloud to the children from the books they had picked out, while the mothers conversed, received foot massages, and applied colourful temporary tattoos with the kids.

Books and other items made available to event participants

“It was interesting to get to know the other mothers,” said one of the S.H.E. residents afterwards. She added, “The massage was nice because I was so tired and sore from working!”

Single motherhood can be an incredibly trying challenge to navigate, especially in a country that upholds an unrealistically narrow definition of a family unit. We should continue to come together and push for a better future—not only for the mothers needing support and housing, but also for their children, the generation who will one day inherit this very society.

A Recap: An Evening with Michelle Obama

On Saturday 14 December, something magical happened: AWARE’s executive director, Corinna Lim, moderated a conversation with former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, in front of an audience of 3,500 people at Singapore Expo.

Their hour-long talk covered notable landmarks from Michelle’s life—including quitting a high-flying lawyer job to work at an NGO (just like Corinna!)—and themes from her autobiography, Becoming.

A few highlights of the conversation:

  • On the importance of finding your voice, and encouraging kids to find theirs: “If you’re hiding your story, it’s hard for you to advocate when you finally get a seat at the table,” said Michelle. “We sow seeds of doubt in [kids’] souls and we’re surprised when we have a society of doubters.”
  • On caregiving: We are told that parenting should be a 50/50 split, Michelle noted, but “then that inequity happens”. Paternity leave should be mandatory as well, not just maternity leave. “We have to start with making sure the load is shared from the beginning.”
  • On her marriage to Barack Obama: “I don’t just love him, I like him. And I respect him. And I think he feels the same way about me… It is a really good marriage. Is it perfect? It’s as imperfect as any marriage is.”
  • On learning the art of politics while at the White House: A significant achievement of Michelle’s was her campaign against childhood obesity, for which she worked intensely behind the scenes with food manufacturers, restaurant chains and other stakeholders. While she was surprised at how controversial the campaign became, she realised that she could deflect the negativity by focusing the optics onto her White House garden project. “On the surface, we were just planting carrots,” she joked. “‘There’s no need to look over here—it’s just a carrot!’”
  • On activism: “If you do this work expecting to see your win, then don’t do it. We do this work for our grandchildren… We don’t have a right to not do this for our kids.” About her famous “when they go low, we go high” quote, Michelle said, “Why do I go high? Because it’s a better place to be… I treat people with kindness and decency and I have no expectation that that will come back to me.”

As the session drew to a close, Corinna shared a few words from a sexual harassment survivor who had passed a card to Michelle via AWARE: “Throughout my darkest days, struggling through university and coping with difficult emotions, I used to watch your videos, read your interviews, and now Becoming. You have shaped the way I live my life, think and function… I hope that as I continue to grow older, I will become the woman that you are.”

About the night, Corinna wrote afterwards, “From the very first hug she gave me where she whispered how much she enjoyed my earlier intro of her, I knew it was going to be just fine. Michelle Obama was warm, down to earth, very funny, charming and wise. She has great presence but does not dominate and has a great way of connecting with the audience and me at the same time.”

What an incredible honour for Corinna—and for us at AWARE! Thank you to The Growth Faculty for making this happen, and of course to Michelle Obama and her team.

In Memoriam: Ann Wee and Myrna Blake, 2019

by Margaret Thomas, AWARE President

AWARE this year lost two of its earliest members and staunchest supporters, Ann Wee and Myrna Blake.

Ann died on Wednesday, 11 December 2019, aged 93. She had been in good health and was looking forward to a busy Christmas when, while reading the newspaper at breakfast, she closed her eyes and died.  

Myrna died in June, aged 83. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease some 15 years earlier but continued with her work and community activities for as long as it was possible.

Ann and Myrna were both pioneering social workers and educators who touched countless lives—students, clients, colleagues, policymakers, members of the public—in their many years of visionary, caring and dedicated service.  

Myrna Blake speaking at the AWARE Extraordinary General Meeting in May 2009

When AWARE was formally launched in March 1986, Ann and Myrna were among the first to sign up as members. They were active members, each serving several stints on the Executive Committee and various subcommittees. They regularly turned up for annual general meetings and other events, and were always ready to lend a hand or offer their views whenever there was a need.

In 1991, when AWARE started its Helpline, Myrna provided invaluable guidance. For more than a decade she led the Helpline subcommittee and supervised the training of the Helpline volunteers.

In a blog post about Myrna shortly after her death, former AWARE president Constance Singam wrote: “As a social worker, she embodied the best of social work ethics and code of practice. In AWARE as well as in PAVE, she was committed to pursuing social change, particularly on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. She focused primarily on issue of poverty, and discrimination, and other forms of social injustice.

“We at AWARE owe her a debt of gratitude for her invaluable work with the AWARE Helpline. And also for her many reminders of the feminist value of treating women and men as equals, and with respect whatever the differences in their circumstances.”

Ann Wee (third from left) at the AWARE Centre in 2018

Interviewed in the mid-1990s by the National Archives Oral History Unit, Ann spoke about how she had gone through the rigorous training to be a Helpline volunteer and was doing twice-monthly duty on the Helpline. She said: “I find that very interesting because from the number of calls that come in, there are obviously a lot of women who need somebody neutral to talk over their problems.”

She also talked about being a member of AWARE: “I think one real circle that has taken me away from just kind of mixing with colleagues was membership of the Association of Women for Action and Research…  I [have] come across women of all age groups and all kinds of different occupations and backgrounds. That has been very enriching.”

AWARE, meanwhile, has been enriched by the participation and support of Ann and Myrna. They will be very much missed.

Position Filled: Women’s Care Centre Helpline Executive (Part-Time)

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

AWARE’s CARE department is looking for a part-time Helpline Executive for our Women’s Helpline.

Position: Helpline Executive
Department: CARE – Women’s Care Centre (WCC)
Commitment: 2pm – 6pm shifts, Monday – Friday (3 days/2 days split preferably)
Engagement Fee: $15 per hour
Starting date: 2 January 2020
Last date of application: 31 December 2019

Job Description:

  • Support all Women’s and Sexual Assault Care Centre helpline calls (English and either Mandarin or Tamil), ensuring a high quality of helpline support and call log entries
  • Check and complete Women’s Helpline voicemail callbacks daily
  • Support the WCC team to build relevant resources for volunteers and clients
  • Act as helpline mentor during helpline volunteer practical training
  • Support to identify and improve current helpline processes
  • Work closely with WCC staff and helpliners to support each other’s work
  • Complete daily helpline room checks (snacks, paper, pens, key etc.)
  • Support helpline calls (English and Tamil) with effective referral to internal services and external agencies
  • Record all helpline calls effectively in the Call Log system
  • Check Helpline Emails as required and ensure helpline emails responded to within 3 working days
  • Provide emotional and practical support to helpline volunteers who are on duty, as required
  • Attend to walk-in clients as required
  • Co-ordinate updates of online and hard copy helpline resources, including SOPs when required
  • Support with planning the curriculum for helpline training, including refresher and catch up sessions, as required
  • Any other tasks assigned in relation to supporting the helpline

Requirements:

  • Beneficial to have completed the 4-month AWARE Helpliner Training 
  • Must be able to converse in English and either Mandarin or Tamil 
  • Able to commit to 2pm – 6 pm shifts, Monday-Friday
  • 1 year of related experience required
  • Relevant educational qualification such as social work, counselling, psychology or related field preferred
  • Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills (verbal and written)
  • Good knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, MS Word, PowerPoint)
  • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE

(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.

CARE limited services: 9 December 2019 to 6 January 2020

Our Women’s Care Centre, Sexual Assault Care Centre and Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory will be operating with limited resources from 9 December 2019 to 6 January 2020. Please note that all services will cease between 24 December and 2 January. 

Helpline operating hours

From 9 December to 6 January, both Women’s Helpline (1800 777 5555) and SACC Helpline (6779 0282) will operate from 10am to 3pm from Mondays to Fridays. Helplines will be fully closed from 24 December until 2 January.

Women’s Care Centre counselling service

No referrals and counselling appointments will be taken for new clients during this period. Callers can contact the helpline for emotional support in the interim and can call back on or after 6 January 2020 to get a referral. 

Our staff will respond to your request for counselling to arrange appointments within two weeks of 6 January.

Women’s Care Centre Legal Clinic

Referrals will continue to be taken during this period for the next legal clinic on 9 January 2020. Our staff will confirm your legal clinic appointment from 6 January onwards.

SACC services

WhatsApp, email, walk-in, counselling, befriending, legal consultation and case management services will only be available for cases where the sexual assault occurred within the past 72 hours. 

If you have recently experienced sexual assault, you may refer to this page for suggested actions. For emergencies, please call 999 for the police. You can also call 1800 221 4444 for the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) if you have thoughts of hurting yourself, including thoughts of suicide.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

14 December 2019: An Evening with Michelle Obama

AWARE is delighted to announce that our very own Executive Director, Corinna Lim, will moderate former First Lady Michelle Obama’s very first event in Singapore, An Evening with Michelle Obama.

Corinna will facilitate a wide-ranging conversation exploring Mrs. Obama’s experiences and events, both public and private, that have shaped her, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to the eight transformative years spent at the most famous address in the world.

As First Lady, Mrs. Obama helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world.

“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”

Michelle Obama

Don’t miss one unforgettable evening with Michelle Obama

Singapore – Saturday 14th December 2019.

Members of AWARE save with special rates.

Book now.

A Recap: Apa Itu Activist? 2019

Written by Aria Lee. Photographs courtesy of CAPE/Sun Jie Min.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

The third iteration of the Apa Itu Activist? conference was held on Saturday, 9 November 2019 at Yale-NUS College. Co-organised by AWARE, Community for Advocacy & Political Education (CAPE) and several civil society members, Apa Itu Activist? aims to take stock of civil society in Singapore, and develop practices to facilitate meaningful change in the nation’s political climate. It is also a chance for activists from a variety of causes to start important conversations and facilitate meaningful change together. 

Divided into morning and afternoon sessions, the panel discussions and workshops were filled with more than 200 passionate participants: students, activists, artists, social sector workers, academics, writers, journalists and regular citizens. (As part of the conference’s eco-friendly efforts to reduce single-use disposables, these guests also brought their own utensils for refreshments.) 

Around 200 participants attended Apa Itu Activist? at Yale-NUS on 9 November 2019

A morning panel entitled “From Merdeka to Millenials: Doing Democracy in Singapore” was moderated by Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, with speakers Chain Wai Han (Function 8), youth activist Daryl Yang, T. Saasitharan (Arts Engage) and Wong Cai Jie (SG Climate Rally). These intergenerational activists discussed the meaning of activism, how the political environment of Singapore has changed over the years, and the most productive strategies for the future generation of change-makers in the era of social media. Some recommendations included employing strategic research, using social media to show people they are not alone, engaging different sides of political issues and taking an intersectional approach.

The other morning panel, “#callpolice and Other Bad Habits: A Workshop on Empowered Citizen Action”,  was moderated by Kokila Annamalai, with Izzaty Ishak and Sobikun Nahar (both from Beyond Social Services), Natalie Pang (NUS), comedian Preeti Nair and musical artist Subhas Nair. This session focused on empowering citizens to shift away from relying too heavily on police intervention and consider various forms of community action when problems arise. Participants analysed real-life situations, such as this year’s E-Pay “brownface” scandal, various recent sexual assault cases in Singapore and Meet-the-People sessions. The conclusion: Perhaps instead of turning to the authorities for every single conflict (and thereby draining state resources), Singaporeans could work harder to foster intra-community dependency, focus on survivor-centric solutions, manage their own strategic partnerships and use online platforms to learn and share.

Preeti Nair (a.k.a. Preetipls) with a fan

At the afternoon workshop session “Toolkit for Change: A peer learning platform”, speakers from various organisations discussed topics from support groups set up on Telegram to larger-scale community mobilising. They also shared numerous ways to get involved with movements at an individual and community level, such as attending public forums, volunteering and signing petitions.

At “Community for Organising: From Potluck to a People’s Movement”, panelists Akm Mazharul Abedin (Kohon Recitation Learning Centre), Jolovan Wham (Community Action Network), Nurul Fadiah Johari (Penawar), independent community organiser Willie Yeo and community activist Zubee Ali talked about giving underrepresented people a voice. They emphasised the need to recognise structural issues that made it difficult for these communities to be represented, to pay attention to smaller-scale issues and to be mindful of generational, cultural and socio-economic divides.

At “You Don’t Need Much Space To Do Advocacy: Creative Resistance in Shrinking Spaces”, writer and human rights activist Jolene Tan, June Chua (The T Project), Annika Mock and Wong Pei Chi (both from SG Climate Rally) and Jean Chong (Sayoni) reflected on the constraints of the civil society space in Singapore. As civil society faces various barriers and limitations today, the speakers said, it has become more vital than ever for disparate organisations to build coalitions, pool their information and resources, and overall keep resilient in a changing political climate.

The workshop “Community Care: Sustaining Ourselves and Each Other” tackled self-care and community care

“Community Care: Sustaining Ourselves and Each Other” focused on the draining and exhausting aspects of activism and the importance of both self-care and community care. It was led by theatre director Chong Gua Khee, Reetaza Chatterjee and Rachel Pang (both from Your Head Lah!), Rocky (Cassia Resettlement Team), Vanessa Ho (Project X) and social worker Yap Ching Wi. Participants discussed how community care must include community accountability as well, and that we should not feel guilty for taking time off our work for ourselves.

During breaks, participants also had the opportunity to take part in several hands-on activities, including a zine-making booth and a free speech corner containing boards upon which guests could sound off with their thoughts.

Artwork created by participants at a zine-making booth

One main takeaway from Apa Itu Activist? was that activism is not homogenous. While there was much to agree upon at each panel discussion, the diversity of speakers in every session meant the occasional clashing of perspectives on Singaporean activism. During “From Merdeka to Millenials: Doing Democracy in Singapore”, for example, younger and older speakers squared off about how “radical” modern activism is compared to activism of yore. Of course, healthy debate of divergent opinions is very much in the spirit of grassroots democracy, and the crowd welcomed the chance to hash things out in an open forum.

Another takeaway was that having a strong passion for social justice is not enough: Beyond that, strategic organisation and utilisation of resources is key for any kind of effective change. Knowing which sectors of the community to engage, which departments of the government to collaborate with, and which community resources (e.g. social workers and NGOs) to leverage are all essential in translating passion into actual results.

Finally, the conference affirmed that we can all stand to learn from one another. Every speaker brought unique insight to the table, forged by their own particular identities and circumstances. This drove home, too, the importance of forums like Apa Itu Activist?. Without continuing opportunities to gather and learn from each other’s experiences, activists would be greatly stymied, doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

A group selfie at the end of a long, fulfilling conference

As such, step by step, we must continue to break down any barriers to communication and collaboration, and move towards a more progressive future together.