LLP by Student Council

Heart in service and communication skills are paramount for a Bendemeerian leader to identify problems and successfully convey ideas or motivate their peers. The Student Council’s LLP initiative saw different projects carried out over the years.

Rumah Whampoa East (Elders and Teens Sharing)

For their LLP initiative the Secondary 4 student councillors (SCs) extended their reach beyond the school and into the community, working with the elderly in Whampoa for the Rumah Whampoa EATs project. This was a collaboration with Tsao Foundation, the Whampoa community as well as the advisor, Professor Thomas Kong. Over the span of five months, the SCs documented and curated the elderly’s stories through heritage dishes that the elderly cooked. The SCs became the voices for the elderly, and this was a heavy responsibility that the students happily took on.

The SCs wanted their curated stories to accurately portray the elderly that they had spent much time with as well as allow the community to see the elderly in a different light – not just as limited individuals weakened by age, but rather as vibrant individuals that were so full of life and experience. This was to capture the heart of the stories and to reach the wider community of Kallang and Whampoa where the project will be displayed in.

The finalised project consisted of 6 large frames that displayed the stories and dishes of six elders as well as a map of and stories from Whampoa Market which the SCs felt best represented the elderly community. These frames were organised as a maze that people could wander in and feel at home, staying true to the name, Rumah Whampoa EATs.

From 24th April to 11th May 2018, this project travelled from Bendemeer Secondary School, to Whampoa CC, to Kallang CC. With both students and elders living in these neighbourhoods the project captured the magic of these communities and appealed to visitors that arrived from near and far.

Donation Drive for St John’s Elderly

A group of SCs decided to hold a donation drive for St John’s Elderly in Bendemeer Secondary School. This drive resulted from a visit to the home, where they gathered that the home was being relocated and needed help stocking up on non-perishables for the elderly. This motivated the students to hold the donation drive in school while raising awarness for the cause.

Art Activity Session With SGH

A group of SCs have planned an activity session with SGH to be held in the wards. Wanting to help the patients express themselves through art or to create a gift to express gratitude to their caregivers, the students set up an Arts and Craft booth for a week for patients to participate in and have fun! These activities catered to both the elderly and the young.

Food Wastage Awareness In Bendemeer Secondary School

A group of SCs decided to raise awareness of food wastage in school. This came after noticing that some Bendemeerians were wasting food that they did not or could not finish during recesses and lunch, and realising that this is a national an even global issue. They visited and volunteered at Food Bank SG to witness the extent of food wastage in Singapore, while sorting through donated food. This allowed them to gather information on food wastage in Singapore. After which, they conducted surveys to assess the extent of food wastage in Bendemeer before raising awareness of this problem to their fellow schoolmates.