AWARE Media

AWARE’s founding member Dr Kanwaljit Soin speaks to 938LIVE

Dr Kanwaljit Soin, one of the founding members of AWARE, spoke to 938LIVE last week on politics, meritocracy and ageism in Singapore.

During her time as a Nominated Member of Parliament since 1995, Dr Soin formulated a Family Violence Bill and integrated her proposals into the amendments to Women’s Charter. She championed the idea of gender-neutrality in the law and called for the granting spousal maintenance based on needs, now in consideration as an amendment to the Women’s Charter.

Despite the fear of the consequences when criticising state policies and rejecting social convention, her passion and mission to raise awareness on women’s rights spurred her and other members to continue forming and growing AWARE into a reputable non-profit organisation.

“I don’t think we self-censored too much,” she said in the interview. “We had a passion. We had a mission. We want to fulfil something. If we didn’t have that, we would never have founded AWARE. But once we had passion and mission, and we formed AWARE, we had to go about achieving it. If we didn’t speak, then we might as well have closed the organisation and gone back to our private lives.”

To read the inspiring interview in full, click this link.

No Damsels in Distress: a kids’ storytelling series

A great series for kids, in celebration of World Storytelling Day: Roger Jenkins and The Story Line empower children through stories about game-changing women in history and inspiring female characters in folktales. The troupe heads to Marine Parade Library next Wednesday, so don’t miss out!

Take yourself and your kids on a fun-filled journey where they’ll have a chance to learn about the many roles that women play in our society. The session includes five inspiring stories of five strong women – some real (US Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks and English aviator Mildred Bruce), and some folktales (from Iran, China and India).

Give Cinderella and her silly step-sisters a miss – all sessions are free!

Wed 16 Mar, 7.30-8.30pm – Marine Parade Library
Sat 19 Mar. 11.30am-12.30pm – Pasir Ris Library
Sat 26 Mar, 11.30am-12.30pm – Sembawang Library

Visit their Facebook page and website for more details!

Annual General Meeting 2016

AWARE’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Saturday, 23 April, at 10am. All members are invited to join us to find out about the exciting year we had in 2015 and discuss plans for the future. This AGM is open only to AWARE members.

This is an election year. We will be electing the new board for 2016 – 2018. Join us for a scrumptious tea after the AGM and connect with the community. For those who are new to AWARE, we would love to get to know you.

REMINDER: The AGM is open to AWARE members only. If you have not renewed your membership yet, please do so by logging in using the sidebar on the right at the AWARE website. Registration for new members is now closed, and will begin again on 24 April (but you can renew your membership anytime before the AGM to attend).

We expect that the next two years will be critical for the development of women’s rights and gender equality. The challenges posed by a maturing economy, an ageing population and increasing religious fundamentalism and globalisation will no doubt have an effect on women’s rights and status in Singapore. AWARE will have its work cut out to ensure that women’s status continues to be uplifted as the country explores new directions in its economic and social development.

If you have been a member for more than two years and feel it is the right time to assume a leadership role, please consider running for the Board.

We are happy to tell you more about what it entails and to discuss how you might like to contribute. Do email Jes at jesvinder@aware.org.sg to arrange a meeting or if you have any questions.

If you know of someone who you think could contribute to AWARE at the board level, speak to her and encourage her to consider running for the Board.

AGM Details:
Date: 23 April, Saturday
Time: 10am
Venue: AWARE Centre, 5 Dover Crescent, #01-22

Click here to RSVP.

Please contact us at 67797137 or aware@aware.org.sg if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

Resources for single parents

#asinglelove (www.asinglelove.sg, launching on 10 March) is an initiative by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), in collaboration with Kinetic Singapore and Daughters Of Tomorrow. #asinglelove is offering the following services and programmes to support and empower single parents and their children as they strive for happiness and stability in their family lives.

The Confidence Curriculum

A workshop series in collaboration with AWARE’s partner Daughters of Tomorrow, designed to help women rediscover their talents and strengths, and explore new possibilities. Offers opportunities for personal discovery, improving soft skills and communications, and motivational and professional development.

Venue: Tanjong Pajar FSC (Block 18, Jalan Membina #04-01) (Tiong Bahru MRT)
Date and time: Tuesdays, 7pm to 9.30pm

You can choose to attend one of two series:
1. First series: 15 March, 29 March, 5 April, 12 April, 19 April, 26 April, 3 May, 10 May, 14 May
2. Second series: 30 August, 6 September, 13 September, 20 September, 27 September, 4 October, 11 October, 15 October

To find out more or register, contact mel@daughtersoftomorrow.org or 9009 8424. Free of charge for women from low-income families registered with a Family Service Centre or Social Service Office.

Employment bridging

Would you like to secure employment with employers who are understanding towards your unique challenges? Join Daughters Of Tomorrow’s job matching database and have DOT’s team look out for suitable and supportive job opportunities for you in their network of partner employers. To find out more or sign up, email mel@daughtersoftomorrow.org

Befriending and mentoring

Caring mentors and befrienders can support single parents at every step of their journey to financial self-sufficiency. You will always have someone to share your problems with, ask for advice, or help you get access to information and resources. To find out more, contact mel@daughtersoftomorrow.org or 9009 8424.

Counselling

AWARE’s experienced counsellors provide counselling for single mothers in distress situations and help them resolve life crises, deal with painful past events, adjust to changed circumstances or seek out new directions.

Location: AWARE Centre (5 Dover Crescent, #01-22)
Cost: Based on a sliding scale of income or five free sessions if referred by Daughters of Tomorrow

Please call AWARE helpline at1800 777 5555 for an appointment.

Support groups

For women who are recently divorced or going through divorce proceedings now, AWARE’s support group is here to help. The support group provides great opportunities for divorcees to meet others going through similar challenges. Participants may also learn ways to cope with emotional upheavals, adapt to changes, restructure lives meaningfully and embrace this new stage of life with positivity.

Click here for more information.

To find out more or register, contact Siang Hui at sianghui@aware.org.sg or 6778 7657.

Legal clinic

AWARE offers a free legal clinic with experienced lawyers to provide women with legal information and advice. Our lawyers can explain your legal rights and options in a wide range of areas at a one-time consultation.

Click here for more information.

By prior appointment only. To make an appointment or find out more, call our Helpline (1800 777 5555), open Monday to Friday from 3pm to 9.30pm. You can also email us at helpline@aware.org.sg. All calls and cases are kept strictly confidential.

New memberships to close for Annual General Meeting 2016

Registration for AWARE membership will be closed from 9 March, in preparation for AWARE’s Annual General Meeting on 23 April 2016 at 10am.

Existing and past AWARE members can still renew their membership by logging into their accounts through the right sidebar on the AWARE website.

If you’re an existing AWARE member, do join us at the AGM to learn about our work over the past year and connect with the community! Click here to register and read more about the AGM.

New membership registration will be opened again on 24 April 2016.

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a new movement to support single parents: #asinglelove and Fair for All Families

On 10 March, AWARE launches #asinglelove, a new movement to support and empower single parents (including unmarried, divorced and widowed parents) and their families. The campaign kicks off with the online release of a thought-provoking video looking at attitudes toward single parents, and (on 12 March) a fun family carnival with special freebies for single parents (Guest-of-Honour MP Tin Pei Ling).

#asinglelove

#asinglelove (http://asinglelove.sg) is a collaboration between AWARE, Kinetic and Daughters Of Tomorrow, to stand up for single parents in Singapore. The movement seeks to:

Support and empower single parents through direct services and programmes.
Promote more supportive and equitable policies towards single parents.
Encourage more welcoming and inclusive attitudes toward single parents.

Programmes for single parents include skills training, employment bridging, legal advice, support groups and a strong peer network to provide mutual support and assistance.

On 10 March, #asinglelove will release a thought-provoking video featuring interviews with single mothers as well as responses from members of the public. This will be followed, from 1 April, by posters visible on the Northeast Line of the MRT, promoting inclusive societal attitudes towards single parents and their children.

“A single parent is no less a parent,” said Jolene Tan, Programmes and Communications Senior Manager at AWARE. “Unmarried, divorced or widowed, single parents and their children are part of society – they deserve inclusion and support to meet their needs, no less than any other families.”

“Too often have we been dependent on the government to initiate change. With #asinglelove, we want to start from the ground up,” shared Carolyn Teo, co-founder of Kinetic Singapore. “We want to encourage more people to take action, because simply pushing our views is not enough and may instead create more negativity especially when it’s an issue as thorny as single parenthood. We believe that together our small ripples can eventually turn the tide for single parents.”

Fair for All Families carnival

On 12 March, Fair for All Families will treat families of all kinds to attractions and freebies at Hong Lim Park. Welcoming all but with special experiences and gifts for single parents, the fair features Guest-of-Honour Tin Pei Ling, MP for Macpherson SMC, as well as a segment where single parents share their personal stories.

Attractions include a bouncy castle, parent-child painting, community yoga, circus arts, a capoeira (martial arts/dance) party and more. Single-parent families will receive goodie bags (NTUC Fairprice vouchers, picture books and more) kindly sponsored by almost 30 partners. Stalls will offer discount giveaways and free services, such as legal consultations by Eden Law Corporation and health advice from doctors at Wellness for Life Chiropractic.

We invite you to cover this colourful and fun carnival for your media channel, and request you to share the event page with your community through your channel and social networks.

Date: 12 March 2016 (Saturday)
Time: 4pm – 7pm
Venue: Hong Lim Park

The fair is supported by partners including High Commission of Canada, NTUC FairPrice Foundation, Swensen’s, Twelve Cupcakes, BooksActually, Chewy Junior, Freedom Cups, Funzing, Chapter Zero, and The Open Centre.

“I am delighted to be part of this great event in support of single parents and their children. Single parents have a tough job, and my heart goes out to the children who have to cope with less resources. It’s heartening to see that there is so much community support for them,” said Ms. Tin Pei Ling, MP for Macpherson SMC, who will feature as the Guest-of-Honour at the fair.

“At Fair for All Families, single parents get something extra – like special vouchers and discounts,” said Jolene Tan, Programmes and Communications Senior Manager at AWARE. “It’s a reversal of the situation in society at large, where they often receive less support despite needing more.”

One single mother speaking at the fair is Zubaida Binte Mohamed Ali, who started Single and Single Again (SASA), a support group for Malay women undergoing divorce, coming to terms with being single or dealing with the loss of a partner.

“I have been through my own challenges that come with being a single parent, including losing my home. I’ve heard similar stories from other single parents with children as well. But I hope that through SASA and events like Fair for All Families, we are able to support one another and show solidarity to single parents in these difficult situations,” said Zubaida Ali.

For more information about the event and activities in this press release, please contact Nabilah at nabilah@aware.org.sg.

This post was originally released on 3 March 2016 as a press release.

AWARE x BFFsg Roundtable: Is Singapore Breastfeeding Friendly?

In a 2 hour roundtable session, the issue of breastfeeding in public in Singapore will be discussed amongst key speakers as well as members of the public. The discussion will cover breastfeeding at workplaces and in public spaces as well as how to make Singapore more inclusive for nursing mums be it on an individual, corporate or societal level. The discussion will be moderated by AWARE. There will be a short 10 mins Q&A session after every speaker. Following the final Q&A, the floor will be open to the general public for an open discussion on how to make Singapore more inclusive for breastfeeding mothers. Improvements to current initiatives will be discussed, as well as the roles of corporates and members of the public.

[The AWARE Centre is a kid-friendly space! If you would like to bring your kids to this event, please drop us an email (nabilah@aware.org.sg) with more details on number of kids and their ages.]

Programme

10.30am – 11am: -Personal sharing by a mother about breastfeeding in public
– Research findings on perceptions on public breastfeeding by Breast-Feeding Friends Singapore (BFFsg)
– Sharing by BFF pledgee, Tasneem Noor from Fika Swedish Cafe & Bistro, on how private businesses can play a role in supporting breastfeeding mums
– Q&A

11am – 11.20am: – Sharing by NTUC U’s Project Liquid Gold on how workplaces can support breastfeeding mums
– Q&A

11.20am – 11.40am: – Sharing by Jen Pan on public breastfeeding photo series
– Q&A

11.40am – 12pm: – Open discussion

Key Speakers

Izzah Lina
SAHM
Izzah is a 30 year old breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing and cloth-diapering mother of 2 beautiful boys. She will be sharing her experiences as a mother who breastfeeds in public and on the challenges that she face in doing so.

Breast-Feeding Friends Singapore (BFFsg)
A four person team made up of final year undergraduates from NTU; Alyssa Teo, Erin Kok, Kiat Jiun, Oviyum, helm the BFFsg campaign which seeks to create a more inclusive and supportive public environment for breastfeeding mothers in Singapore. Having conducted original research on the perceptions of public breastfeeding in Singapore, they will be sharing the research findings.

Tasneem Noor
Managing Director of Fika Swedish Café & Bistro
Not only is Tasneem the director of the popular Fika Swedish Café & Bistro restaurants, she is also a proud mother to 2 lovely boys. Fika Swedish Café & Bistro was one of the early adopters in welcoming breastfeeding mothers at their establishments. She will be sharing on how private businesses can play a part in supporting breastfeeding mothers.

Project Liquid Gold
Project Liquid Gold is an initiative that aims to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and to advocate for more support for new mothers who are returning to work after maternity leave.

Phua Pek Lin
Activist, Project Liquid Gold
Pek Lin, is a mother of two, and working full time. She is a certified Workplace Breastfeeding Mentor for her workplace and has a lot of passion for encouraging working mothers to continue
breastfeeding.

Billie Anne Lyou
Principal Specialist, NTUC U Family
Billie and the U Family team pushes for workplaces to be family-friendly. Project Liquid Gold was formed to address the needs of working-breastfeeding mothers when they returned to work after their maternity leave. Both Pek Lin and Billie will be sharing about the challenges that working mothers face and how employers can support their breastfeeding employees.

Jen Pan
Jen Pan Photography
Jen, a mother of two precious little ones, is a photographer who shoots newborn, maternity & family photography in Singapore. It is Jen’s goal and passion to use her art to tell stories and inspire others. She recently made huge waves when she published her photography series featuring breastfeeding mothers in public places. She and her work have been featured across local and international media since then. She will be showcasing her breastfeeding photo series and sharing the work she has done for breastfeeding.

AWARE recommended in list of top four women’s charities for donors

We’re honoured to announce that AWARE has emerged as one of the top four women’s charities to donate to, recommended by Just Cause, a local social enterprise that aims to promote excellence in the non-profit sector through research, consulting and practical support.

In the first of its “Giving Guides” series, Just Cause has recognised AWARE, Daughters of Tomorrow, PPIS (Singapore Muslim Women’s Association) and Society for Wings after an assessment that was based on surveys of staff, volunteers, beneficiaries and partners, together with a review of finances and other key documents for each organisation.

We’re grateful that the significant contributions of organisations in the non-profit sector have been and will continue to be recognised – an essential step in creating a more robust civil society. Thank you, Just Cause!

For more information on Just Cause, visit their website here. You can read the Straits Times’ report on Just Cause here.

Brand New Catalyse Consulting Website

AWARE’s new corporate training division, Catalyse Consulting, aims to inspire diverse and inclusive workplaces in Singapore through workshops and private consultation. By enabling people to leverage on their differences and to bond through their similarities, we help our clients build cohesive, dynamic and effective organisations. We offer workshops on workplace harassment, unconscious bias, and diversity and inclusion.

We have a brand new website with information about what we do, our services, team biographies and research insights. On the website, we also have an Enquiry page for those who wish to book a workshop.

If you are interested in reaching out, we are contactable at info@catalyse.sg or at 6779 7137.

See below to get a feel of our website, or check out www.catalyse.sg to see it for yourself.