Groundwork by Yufei
Storyblog by Allison and Yufei
*names changed for privacy
The SUN-DAC clients are split into 3 different groups where they get to participate in different activities- the travel group which takes clients to places of interest where they get exposure to the larger community in Singapore; the classroom group where they play board games and puzzles; and the vocation group where they practise performing day to day tasks.
For my first session volunteering with SUN-DAC, I was attached to the vocation group. Their task for the day was to sort and fold donated clothes for the thrift shop located at sundac Thompson. I was doing the clothes sorting with Fatimah* and Rachel*, who both have very different personalities but complemented and worked together with each other very well. Fatimah was a very bubbly and cheerful person, who gave everyone her biggest smile and she was also very efficient in folding the clothes and putting them in their respective categories. Rachel was very gentle and gave off a very calm vibe, she also responds positively to our waves and questions and was very concentrated and detailed in the folding of clothes. She really enjoyed the process of clothes folding and the two of them were really proficient in their tasks so they didn’t require a lot of help from the volunteers. The whole session was very chill and it was also really interesting looking at the different types of clothes that come in through donations.
Several things were impressed upon me from my first session volunteering with SUN-DAC.
Firstly, I appreciated how the vocation group's activities were very meaningful. Not only were clients able to hone their skills in folding clothes while having fun, but their work also promoted a more sustainable clothing culture in Singapore. After all, SUN-DAC sources its second-hand clothes from donations and Grab (when people leave behind discarded garments after their ride), and sets up a thrift shop to sell the clothes and give them a new life.
Next, what really struck me was how friendly and approachable the clients were to strangers like us. Even though we only joined in for the day, they didn’t mind including us in their clothes folding activities and gave us so many heartening smiles and high-fives throughout the session. I also liked how the centre took note of their respective clients’ individual strengths and assigned them tasks that they both enjoyed and were good at completing.
On this note, I realised that even when we join people with intellectual disabilities for activities, we should always allow them to try things for themselves first instead of scaffolding it too much. For instance, if Fatimah did not manage to put the pair of shorts in the right clothes category, we learnt not to immediately point out the correct answer but give her time to figure it out and ask her to try sorting again. So, I think it is very important for volunteers to play a guiding supporting role rather than an overbearing one where we want to do everything for them. This preserves the clients' dignity and allows them to learn much more in the process!
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