SGExams’ One-Stop Guide to Helping From Home
Contributing to COVID-19 related efforts starts from home!
We may have read about fellow youths going out and about to volunteer their time and effort, to combat the spread of COVID-19 and its secondary effects.
However, there are also some of us who wish to do likewise but are unable to, as we would rather stay home.
Also, even with our good intentions, we may not know where and how we can start. After all, there’s a variety of initiatives out there!
With these concerns in mind, we’ve gathered some ideas to get you started!
Lending a helping hand
The following means and initiatives allow you to engage different members of our community by contributing your time and skills.
1. Giving tuition through various initiatives
You may not be aware of this, but we at SGExams have curated a list of initiatives aimed at providing free tuition to children from underprivileged backgrounds. Some of these initiatives include Tortoise Tutors.
More information is on our good ol’ Reddit page — signup links are consolidated here too:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SGExams/comments/gcp19c/covid19_free_tuition_projects/
However, at the time of writing, most of these initiatives have closed their signups, at least until the end of the Circuit Breaker. In the meantime, you can consider polishing your notes and sharing them under SGExams’ very own notes repository here!
2. Help your neighbours with #KampungKakis
Want to know your neighbours better? #KampungKakis can do just that! You’ll be paired up with a neighbour (or kaki-in-need) in your estate; they are identified from those who may be worst-hit from this pandemic, such as our seniors. With that, you can be off to help your kaki-in-need with their requests. You might even form a special bond with them in the process!
More information: https://kampungkakis.org/
Sign up at: bit.ly/kampungkakisvolunteer
3. Teach migrant workers English and learn more about them with MAD WISH
An initiative by non-governmental organisation ItsRainingRaincoats, the MAD WISH (Making A Difference While I Stay Home) programme aims to tap on the expertise of volunteers to teach conversational English to migrant workers. After all, this downtime is a perfect opportunity for some upskilling!
Learn more and sign up here: https://sites.google.com/view/madwish2020/home
Supporting local enterprises
Here’s your chance to #supportlocal, especially the food and beverage sector that has seen their earnings take a hit due to Circuit Breaker measures.
1. Support a wide variety of local F&B businesses at #SupportLocalSG
#SupportLocalSG is a collaboration between a group of like-minded individuals and social enterprise Society Staples. Their website boasts a wide variety of F&B eateries and grocery store listings. and third-party commissions are avoided when you make purchases using the ordering methods there. There’s bound to be something for everyone there!
However, if any of your favourite F&B eateries or grocery stores are not listed there, you can submit recommendations on their website. If you would like to volunteer your time and help out in curating these listings, you can drop #SupportLocalSG an email indicating your interest!
Find the listings at: supportlocal.sg
To submit a recommendation, click on “Submit”, located at the top right-hand corner of the webpage
Email address for interested volunteers: helpinglocalsg@gmail.com
2. Support local F&B eateries AND get a meal for a frontline healthcare worker with Gift A Meal
From just $4, you can sponsor a meal for a frontline healthcare worker with delivery company WhyQ’s initiative Gift A Meal! You’ll just need to head over to their website to complete the sponsoring procedure. However, due to overwhelming support for Gift A Meal so far, meal sponsorships are temporarily halted. While waiting for your chance to sponsor a meal, though, you can leave messages of encouragement for these healthcare workers at WhyQ’s ‘Thanks Wall’!
More information: https://www.whyq.sg/giftmeal/covid19
‘Thanks Wall’: https://www.whyq.sg/giftmeal/thankswall
Showing gratitude
The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely made us more aware of various groups of people we have often taken for granted. Below are means where you can show appreciation for their contributions!
1. Thank delivery riders in a unique way with #ThankYouDeliveryHeroes
We’ve been staying in and ordering online more so than ever, so delivery riders are the ones braving the virus itself to bring our purchases to us. To add on, we may not be able to thank them in person due to contactless delivery being encouraged. That was why creative agency Kinetic Singapore came up with #ThankYouDeliveryHeroes.
The initiative is one which enables you to show appreciation to these delivery riders through sticking specially designed posters on your main door! If you don’t have a printer, you’re welcome to draw out the designs instead!
Find the posters at: thankyoudeliveryheroes.com
Learn more about Kinetic on their Instagram and Facebook pages
2. Send messages of encouragement to frontline workers with WeThankYouSG
Frontline workers are working extremely hard to serve us and the larger community while we stay home. Hence, you’ll want to acknowledge their efforts, and one way to do so would be through the initiative WeThankYouSG.
All you have to is to post a message of appreciation (in any form) with the hashtag #WeThankYouSG on a public Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account! If you’re not so comfortable with that, you can send it to the Google Form below.
All contributions will be featured on the initiative’s website.
WeThankYouSG’s website: wethankyou.sg
Google form to submit messages of encouragement: https://bit.ly/WeThankYouSG
3. Show rehoused migrant workers that we care for them with WIMBY
Migrant workers working in essential services may be worried about the large number of COVID-19 cases in the dormitories. With their rehousing into selected HDB estates, they’ve also got to adjust to a new living environment. Hence, Welcome In My Backyard (WIMBY) was started to make these rehoused migrant workers feel welcomed in these estates.
You can post your messages of appreciation and assurance for these migrant workers on social media with the hashtags #WelcomeInMyBackyard and #WIMBY, or leave them on WIMBY’s website itself. The team will translate and put up the messages in these selected estates.
Submit your messages at: wimby.sg
Learn more about future initiatives under WIMBY, including virtual community engagement sessions on their Instagram and Facebook pages
But have we ever thought of our own families?
While we are busy looking out for members of our community, have we overlooked the people we spend the most time with during the COVID-19 pandemic — our families?
According to Ms Eleanor Yap the founder of Ageless Online, a lifestyle website for seniors, we must not neglect our families even if we participate in these initiatives. “Eyes off your phone and help others — don’t take people for granted.”.
She would like us youths to know that we should take the initiative to show care for our family members, even through simple means such as having a meal as a family. Having a meal as a family can actually be an effective way in which we can build empathy in ourselves!
With that, we’ve listed many ways you can go about showing love and support for various causes and groups in our society. We hope that the spirit of compassion that you have cultivated through these initiatives will live beyond the pandemic, and that you will continue to support these initiatives for as long as they are ongoing!
Got any initiatives to recommend? Let us know at liaisons@exams.sg or drop us a DM on our Instagram @sgexams!
