Corporate Partner of YMCA

Y Apprenticeship Scheme - Intellectually Challenged Youths, Youths-at-risks

Believe NJ is the Corporate Partner of YMCA and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with YMCA Singapore on 1 Nov 2010.

The MoU seeks to provide training and work apprenticeship to youths-at-risks and intellectually challenged youths. This collaboration seeks to foster independence, build confidence of the above-mentioned beneficiaries, and to instill real life skill training and experience in Believe NJ's premise. The beneficiaries shall undergo apprenticeship training for up to 6 months with training allowances jointly administered by Believe NJ and YMCA provided under the Y-Apprenticeship Scheme.

Working with Schools

Words from mainstream youths that visited Believe NJ:

"When I first came to the café, I thought I'll be teaching them, but instead they taught me to be humble. I learnt to be patience from them..."

Lluch

"I have a cousin with autism, which I have never met from the States. Now I'll be able to know how to deal with them...I'm very bad-tempered, but I learnt to be patient with them..."

Bhieman

"I have learnt to forgive, accept and understand the intellectually challenged young adults. I would like much to continue this programme as a volunteer with you all..."
Karthik

Having volunteers or mainstream youths to work with and provide guidance to the intellectually challenged youths, facilitates social integration. The intellectually challenged youths shall engage learning on building friendship, develop social skills and norms, better communications, care and share of one another.

Volunteers and mainstream students shall be able to understand the difference and behaviour aspects of each intellectually challenged youth. It gives an experiential exposure to connect with the lesser disadvantaged. Virtues of patience, empathy, tolerance are displayed individually during this process.

Grade 11 - 12 students from Emaar International School and United World College visited Believe NJ. While serving their community service, these mainstream student volunteers provided guidance and help with the intellectually challenged youths in work-based activities such as food preparation, muffins baking. Understanding about one another coming from diverse background and sharing of one another's experiences around the table are value-adding in their learning process. In which, positive responses and great hype were received during these visits.

Photos — United World College Student Visits

Photos — Buddy Mentorship Programme, March - May 2010

Photos — Buddy Mentorship Programme, August - November 2009

Participated Events

Believe NJ was invited to participate in events. Parents of our intellectually challenged youths have also participated and provided us helping hands. Thanks for all the support from the public and those who have given the intellectually challenged youths a chance.

Emaar International School — Halloween Craft Fair, 31st October 2009

Ngee Ann Polytechnic — Innovation and Enterprise in Action (I&E) Project, 30th November - 1st December 2009