"I'm Sherry, founder of Be Kind SG, a groundup movement inspiring acts of kindness via micro-volunteering. We outreach to 'less visible' communities, such as adults with special needs. Prior to the pandemic, we volunteer in-person at THK Home for Disabled @ Sembawang once every month since 2018, and bring the residents for outings. In February 2020, we were not allowed to visit the residents due to the pandemic. In April, we started to explore monthly Zoom sessions to continue our interactions with the residents. The Zoom session will include upper body exercise, singing, virtual tours of foreign countries, Pictionary and we will end off with a birthday celebration. Snacks and refreshments are delivered to the Home for the residents to enjoy after our Zoom session. Prior to the pandemic, we have never played games like Pictionary or done a virtual tour of other countries, but this was possible due to the online interaction with a smaller group of residents. On the other hand, due to the technical set up, sometimes we cannot hear the residents clearly and some volunteers miss the in-person volunteering. As we are unsure when we will be able to visit the residents again, we hope to continue to explore more exciting and interactive type of sessions, possibly bringing in workshops or our own tours of local attractions. This will require more planning, and we have to consider the manpower constraints of the Home. We are also planning to record our own upper body exercise for the residents, as we find existing videos inaccessible, in terms of pacing and content."--Contributed by Sherry Soon, as part of the "Documenting COVID-19 in Singapore" collection community call. This photograph shows a collage of a Zoom session by Be Kind SG with residents of THK Home for Disabled @ Sembawang during phase 2 of re-opening. The Zoom session allows residents and volunteers to remain in contact even if they are not able to meet in person. The collage includes screenshots of participants, a video still and a shared screen. Additional description by Library staff. Title devised by Library staff.
All rights reserved. Sherry Soon, 2020
