Foreword

As the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Volunteer Programme (WeeVolunteer) celebrates our first anniversary, it gives me great pleasure to reflect and encapsulate the hard work of the committee members and volunteers over the past 12 months.

In August this year, WeeVolunteer welcomed our 100th volunteer into the team — an encouraging growth in volunteer strength from our humble beginnings.

Today, volunteers continue to make an impact in not only one but five different beneficiaries, including Jamiyah Home for the Aged, Lions’ Home Bishan, and MINDSville@Napiri.

While we had less than an encouraging start, especially when the elderly residents showed that they were not excited to see us during our weekly sessions, and often commented that we were only running the programmes over a short term, we persevered and marched on.

Looking back, it heartens me to see that these residents have grown to love and care for us like family, and that the volunteers who have joined us continue to share their thoughts and learning points with others.

Once, when I had to miss a session at one of the beneficiaries, one of the residents I had befriended asked the other volunteers about my whereabouts and why I was not around that week. It is in the small things like this that tell us we are indeed making a mark, small steps at a time.

In Laos, our efforts to shed light on the different social issues facing the Laotian people continue to be the main objective of WeeVolunteer’s overseas volunteering arm, WeeTrip. We are currently at the second year mark of our five year plan for WeeTrip and pledge to do our best in ensuring the sustainability of our programmes.

Furthermore, WeeVolunteer also received its first award nomination and win, having been awarded the prestigious NTU Colab4Good Award for Service to Society in September 2019.

WeeVolunteer is currently the only ad hoc committee in WKWSCI that has students across different cohorts, and it has proven to be a great platform for year one students who have seniors to approach when in doubt. I would also like to thank the senior students in WKWSCI who have taken their time out of their busy schedules to assist us with fundraisers and workshops.

As we continue to embark on a journey of change, WeeVolunteer pledges to continue serving our beneficiaries with heart and gumption, and hopes more WKWSCI students will join us in fostering an even stronger spirit of volunteerism. ∎