Wen entered Gracehaven four years ago with her younger sister. Wen, having been plucked out of familiarity, found it hard at first to live with strangers, but through the activities and care provided at Gracehaven, it soon became the sisters’ second home.
Gracehaven has come to be a second home for about 80 young people ^, who require care, protection and rehabilitation. On a typical day, Wen is occupied with activities ranging from circus performance, mentorship and marathon training, on top of her schoolwork. “The inquisitive girl is very participative and is one of the most active residents staying here”, chirped Phoebe, a staff of Gracehaven as she talked about Wen to me.
Wen shared that one of the most memorable programmes she joined was that which was organised by Beautiful People; an informal voluntary group which started partnering Gracehaven from September 2012. Volunteers from the group build relationships with teenage girls from Gracehaven and become their trusted friends and try to positively influence their lives.
From September 2012 to July 2013, 15 Beautiful People volunteers engaged 18 residents aged from 13 to 18 on alternate Saturdays, through games and team-building activities.
Through these sessions, the girls gained insights in areas such as goal setting and practical life skills such as financial planning.
Beyond the classroom lessons and structured activities, real bonds between the girls and Beautiful People volunteers were formed.
After getting to know ‘Big Sister’ Privanka through this programme, Wen now aspires to become a doctor just like her ‘Big Sister’. As we chatted, Wen shared enthusiastically: “I have a dream now – to become a doctor. I want to be confident like Privanka. When I shared that I like biology and would like to be a doctor, she encouraged me to work hard to strive for success. She also shared with me the demands of the job.”
Wen now commits herself to the demands of school, and is all the more driven to realise her dream. Indeed, it is never too late to start working on your dreams as long as the vision is lucid in your mind. And for Wen, there is no lack of ‘Big Sisters’ to turn to for guidance.
Like Wen, most of the participants gained more confidence after graduating from the programme.
Another ‘Big Sister’, Jiaxin, shared that her ‘Little Sister’ had matured after the programme. The ‘Little Sister’ told Jiaxin, "I realised I was so silly back then. Now, I have learned to be responsible for my own actions", as she reflected on her past behaviour.
Another volunteer, La La, who considers herself a rookie in voluntary work, was driven by the changes she saw in the participants by the time they graduated from the programme.
Made up of women from various professions, the ‘Big Sisters’ of Beautiful People uphold the values of love, commitment, courage, responsibility and respect for self and others in their interactions with their ‘Little Sisters’. With an extra dose of encouragement, these values formed the recipe in touching their ‘Little Sisters’ hearts.
Beautiful People won the President’s Volunteerism Award in the informal group category, their first accolade, at the President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards 2013 held by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre.
Thank you Beautiful People for touching lives and helping the ‘Little Sisters’ to discover their inner beauty.
Once again, The Salvation Army congratulates Beautiful People on their win and looks forward to the second run of their mentorship programme with Gracehaven in January 2014.
Article contributed by SA-V journalist, Lee Lin Ein
Photos kindly provided by Beautiful People
* Name has been changed
^ As at December 2013
