Believe NJ would like to engage with overseas organizations to provide apprenticeship for our intellectually challenged youths. This provides an opportunity for our youths to experience cross-cultural exchanges.
Do contact us to get our youths involved.
Buddy Mentorship Programme
This is one of our developed initiatives to facilitate social integration by introducing intellectually challenged youths to mainstream youths. We started out this programme with Excelsior International School, and received many positive responses with great hype. It serves to provide many opportunities for our youths to mingle with volunteers and mainstream youths serving their community service. Our intellectually challenged youths are able to communicate effectively, and learn about one another coming from diverse backgrounds.
The mainstream youths shall participate in the training activities with intellectually challenged youths up to 12 weeks. At the end of the programme, both groups will each share their experiences, in the form of open discussion manner.
We welcome schools and organizations for this programme. Do get in touch with us for more details.
- To develop character formation and understanding of others less fortunate
- To learn fortitude and patience towards others
- To be kind and tolerant
- To have compassion and care for others
- To learn teamwork with others
- To volunteer oneself and serve others selflessly
- To listen and learn from others
- To learn social skills
- To communicate clearly
- To develop friendship and social norms
- To deal with a buddy in an acceptable manner
- To integrate into community living
Words from mainstream youths that have participated with the programme:
"When I first came to the cafe, 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
Photos — Buddy Mentorship Programme, March - May 2010
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Photos — Buddy Mentorship Programme, August - November 2009
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