Contribution Name: SUSS-Nunchi Marine Age Well Programme
Pseudonym: Valen Tan Husistein
Year of Author: 1985
Social Gifting began in 2018 when Valen Tan Husistein, an undergraduate in Social Work at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), set out to address the needs of seniors living alone. After validating these needs through the National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) ground-up initiative and conducting a pilot test with Lions Befrienders, she officially launched Social Gifting. The program was warmly received by seniors, who embraced crafting and felt a profound sense of support and care from the volunteers.
Living in rented flats with limited space, the seniors suggested selling their crafts to fund the program, expressing a desire to contribute rather than just receive. This initiative allowed them to reciprocate the love and care they experienced, fostering a deeper sense of community. Initially, some seniors were sceptical, doubting the value of their crafts. One senior, with low self-esteem, remarked that they were old and useless, and nobody would buy the crafts they made. Determined to change this perception, Valen asked what success would look like for them. The senior’s dream was to see her crafts sold on Orchard Road, with people queuing to buy them. With this dream in mind, Social Gifting secured a booth at Orchard Road, where the senior was thrilled to see a line of customers eager to purchase her crafts. This experience transformed the senior’s mindset from “I can’t” to “We can!”
Another notable project involved upcycling iconic Singpost uniforms into merchandise. Despite challenges, including a COVID-19 infection among seniors and the temporary closure of the centre, the seniors and volunteers delivered 1,200 items on time. This project reinforced the seniors’ resilience, with their motto becoming, “If we can overcome the SingPost project, what can we not do?”
Social Gifting employs microproductivity and scaffolding techniques, breaking tasks into manageable steps to build the seniors’ competency and confidence. After two years of successfully working with seniors, Social Gifting expanded its focus to include persons with disabilities over 18, particularly those who have graduated from school and are not eligible for sheltered workshops or employment.
The initiative has been greatly supported by SUSS’s Venture Builder’s programme, connecting Social Gifting with mentors such as Dr. Kelvin Tan, Mr. Bryan Long, and Mr. Russ Neu. Social Gifting has facilitated collaboration with over 140 undergraduates from SUSS and SMU through service learning and community engagement. In 2024, Social Gifting is running its 11th intake and celebrates its 6th anniversary, honored as a Champion of Good by NVPC. These achievements are a testament to the dedication of students, mentors, and all involved in making a positive impact on the lives of seniors and persons with special needs.
- Empowerment Through Contribution: Allowing crafters to sell their crafts and fund their activities transformed them from passive recipients to active contributors, boosting their self-worth.
- Resilience and Adaptability: The crafters’ success in overcoming challenges highlighted the power of resilience and community support.
- The Power of Dreams: Fulfilling a crafter’s dream showed that motivation and support can transform mindsets and drive success.
- Collaborative Impact: The success of Social Gifting relied on the collective effort of crafters, volunteers, mentors, and institutions like SUSS and NVPC, proving that diverse strengths lead to meaningful change.
- Structured Growth: Using microproductivity and scaffolding techniques helped crafters gradually build skills, enhancing both their productivity and confidence.
These lessons underscore the impact of empowerment, resilience, and collaboration in creating meaningful change for individuals and communities.
赋能社区：社企礼的成长之路
社会企业（Social Gifting）于2018年由当时新加坡社科大学（SUSS）社会工作专业的本科生陈雪婷 （Valen Tan Husistein）创立，旨在解决独居老人的需求。通过全国志愿服务与慈善中心（NVPC）的基层倡议验证需求，并与Lions Befrienders进行试点测试后，雪婷正式启动了社企礼。该项目受到了老人的热烈欢迎，他们热衷于手工制作，并在志愿者的陪伴下感受到深切的支持与关怀。
住在租赁组屋的老人们提出了一个建议：将他们制作的手工艺品出售，用所得款项来支持项目的运作。他们希望自己不仅是受益者，还能通过贡献表达他们的感激之情，从而促进社区的更深层次融合。起初，一些老人对手工艺品的价值持怀疑态度。一位自尊心较低的老人说：“我们年纪大了，没什么用处，没人会买我们做的东西。” 雪婷决心改变这种看法，她问老人们心目中的成功是什么样的。这位老人表示，她的梦想是能在乌节路出售她的手工艺品，并看到人们排队购买。怀着这个梦想，社企礼在乌节路设立了一个摊位，当老人看到顾客排队购买她的作品时，她感到惊喜不已。这一经历改变了老人的心态，从“我不行”变为“我们可以！”
另一个值得一提的项目是将标志性的SingPost制服改造成商品。尽管在项目过程中遇到了困难，包括有老人感染了COVID-19、中心暂时关闭，但老人和志愿者们仍按时交付了1200件商品。这一项目进一步增强了老人的韧性，他们的座右铭变成了“如果我们能完成SingPost项目，那还有什么做不到的？”
社企礼采用微生产力（microproductivity）和鹰架教学（scaffolding）技术，将任务分解成易于管理的步骤，以帮助老人逐步提升他们的能力和信心。在成功运营两年后，社企礼扩展了项目范围，帮助18岁以上、尤其是那些已经毕业但不符合福利工厂或就业资格的残障人士。
SUSS的创业培育计划（Venture Builder’s Programme）给予了社企礼极大的支持，将社企礼与导师如陈博士（Dr. Kelvin Tan）、Bryan Long先生、Russ Neu先生等联系起来，并通过服务学习和社区参与，与SUSS和SMU的140多名本科生进行了合作。2024年，社企礼迎来了第11批学员，并庆祝成立六周年，同时获得了NVPC颁发的“善行冠军”荣誉。这些成就是学生、导师以及所有参与者辛勤努力的见证，他们共同为提升老年人和残障人士的生活做出了积极的贡献。
收获的经验：
- 通过贡献赋能：让手工艺者出售他们的作品，并用所得资金支持活动，将他们从被动接受者转变为积极贡献者，提升了他们的自我价值。
- 韧性与适应能力：手工艺者在疫情期间克服SingPost项目等挑战的成功，凸显了韧性和社区支持的力量。
- 梦想的力量：实现手工艺者的梦想表明，激励和支持能够改变心态，并推动成功。
- 协作的影响：社企礼的成功依赖于老人、志愿者、导师以及像SUSS和NVPC这样的机构的共同努力，证明了多样化的力量能够带来有意义的改变。
- 结构化成长：通过微生产力和脚手架技术帮助手工艺者逐步提升技能，提高了他们的生产力和信心。
这些经验强调了赋能、韧性和协作在为个人和社区创造有意义的改变中所发挥的重要作用。
This work includes translation generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.此作品包含由OpenAI开发的AI语言模型ChatGPT生成的翻译内容