
By YSA Volunteer | SINGAPORE |
The Young Sikh Association (Singapore) or YSA is grateful for the opportunity to be the coordinating Sikh Institution for the Sewa Day Initiative that was held on 10 August 2019.
About 100 students from the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation (SSEF), and volunteers from the Sikh Welfare Council (SIWEC), Sikh Sewaks Singapore and YSA came together to spend some time with families under the care of the Marine Parade Family Service Centre.
The students and volunteers assisted with basic cleaning of homes and more importantly spent time interacting and having conversations with these families.
The Sewa Day Initiative culminated with a sharing of reflections of the youth’s experiences with Guest of Honour Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of Parliament Singapore. Tan encouraged the students and volunteers to continue to come together and keep this momentum of service in the community going.
Tan shared that he hopes these Sikh youths “will continue these efforts to organise themselves to contribute and give back to society.”
He added: “The difference you make is not only to the individuals you are helping. There is also a positive impact on volunteers. Through these experiences you learn to look at life differently and deepen your empathy when you help others. Service and Sewa is also one way we can together create a better society, and a better Singapore for all of us!”
See more event photos at YSA Facebook page here.
Harwin Kaur, a student volunteer of the SSEF who was also part of the organising committee for the Sewa Day initiative, shared in her reflections that this project was especially meaningful for her because she did it with her cohort of friends.
She addd: “Most of us were initially unsure of the kind of impact we would have but this service experience made us realise that most people have very simple needs. They mainly want quality interactions and to spend time with volunteers. This is something all of us can do for others in our community”.
The Sewa Day initiative is part of the Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th Birth Anniversary commemorations by the Sikh Community in Singapore. Sikhs and all members of public can look forward to more such opportunities to participate, serve and volunteer with all Sikh Institutions in Singapore throughout the year. They can find information and details at the respective websites of the Sikh Institutions in Singapore, and including their social media pages.
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