MINDSville

Nearly 60 volunteers together with 22 MINDSville residents visited the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC) last Saturday, 15 August for our Annual Major Outing 2015! New NUS volunteers joined us in our journey to explore the Centre which showcases many exhibits about Singapore 🙂 What better way to appreciate and know more about What makes us Singaporean in light of SG50!!

New volunteers arrived at MV at 12.30pm for a briefing about the Do’s and Don’ts on interaction with residents. Kudos to Limin for giving a thorough presentation to the volunteers 🙂 Here’s us prepping up for our trip to SDC… Each of our resident received an activity passport, with information about the exhibits they are expected to visit and questions for them to learn more about our homeland. Volunteers are paired with a resident throughout the 6 hours outing and are encouraged to use this passport as a bonding activity with their resident.

There were 4 areas to visit and 4 groups in total! The areas were:

Area 1: So SIngapore theatre

Area 2: On-location Reporter

Area 3: Digital Dance Studio

Area 4: Harmony Circle

As such, the groups stayed at an area for 30 minutes before they proceeded to the next. At each area, there were other attractions nearby which the group can play and interact with! Here’s an example from Area 3:

Synopsis: Love to dance? This is the exhibit for you! Learn the dances of various races in Singapore, taught by an on-screen teacher.

Question for residents: What are the four major races in Singapore? (Or phrase to residents as: What type of dance have you learnt just now? E.g Chinese kungfu dance, Indian dance)

Other attractions along the way: Smartshow(rest area) > Battle Command > Digital Dance Studio (main attraction)

Area 1: So Singapore Theatre. Residents and volunteers alike were intrigued by a 5 minutes show hosted by a rapping merlon 😀

Area 2: On-location reporter. Together with volunteers, residents can watch themselves live on screen as a reporter in this exhibit!

Area 4: Harmony circle. Groups taking up the challenge to answer interesting facts and questions about Singapore in a game show format!

We’re glad that the event went smoothly as planned, time allocation was right, logistics were executed well and more importantly our residents enjoyed themselves! We’re sure our volunteers had a wonderful and meaningful time interacting with our residents as they gained a better understanding of one another, their needs and abilities. Hope to see you all again at MV! Special thanks to our organizing committee headed by Ting Yang for making such a fruitful outing possible and Lijun, our dedicated photographer for the day 😀 Thank you!

Goodbye,

~Jolene

After gathering at Mindsville in the early afternoon, we were ready to set off for a day of fun, sweat and of course a lot of healthy sports and games! This year, the annual Minds Youth Group sporting event was held at Republic Polytechnic, many student volunteers were present from Republic Poly and NTU. When we arrived, we were greeted by NTU group leaders who facilitated the activities! Our MYG sister groups were also ready and all geared up for this awesome sporting event 😀

Here’s a timeline of the station activities… Enjoy the photos!

Outdoor relay fun!

We hopped, ran, walked and skipped during our very first station! Warming up and stretching those muscles as we complete the relay obstacles, our team of girls were united and their team spirit shone through as they cheered one another on! Hooray Keep It Up!!

Next, its time for soccer with a twist! Hand in hand, residents had to coordinate – kicking the ball at an appropriate pace, aiming and shooting for the goal!

Hit them all! Thats the task of the group, in which every member had to hit down an obstacle be it a plastic bottle or bowling pin with a ball. The game isn’t successfully completed until the pins are all knocked down! This game was an breeze for our residents, no sweat indeed! Even when the goal has been achieved, some of our residents still continued to play the game… the most popular game by far it seems 😉

Pinball, thats the name of this game. But it wasn’t the typical pinball game, instead the goal was to hit the cones using a bat and ball in order to proceed to the next level (3 levels in total). Certainly a new experience that brought much excitement to our residents!

Rollers in hand, our team had to push and move their way across the playing floor to score points. How? By picking up a ball, holding it, roll their way through using only their legs, and throwing the ball towards a target to gain points. Sounds easy? Not at all… a lot of energy were used in the earlier activities and this game required stamina, endurance and leg power. The resilience of our residents were put to the test as a result, and I’m glad to say that my team maintained consistency and preserved to the very end! In fact they enjoyed the game and kept a smile despite the challenge 🙂

As there was a slight drizzle, we proceeded to the sports hall for the final leg of the race! Relay matches! Geared with our shakers, pom poms and banners, Mindsville team TH cheered enthusiastically for our team as they compete. Meanwhile, the crowd danced along catchy music, ranging from Korean pop ‘gangnam’ style, YMCA to American pop music!

It was a spontaneous sports day indeed, residents and volunteers had their game face on and embodied the spirit of sports wholeheartedly. Through the games, team spirit is kindled and new friendships were formed. It was definitely a great event and a meaningful time spent that it couldn’t be possible without the management team from MYG, Republic Poly and all volunteers who had put in effort and time to help out in this major milestone event.

WELCOME to 2015! Looking back 2014 has been yet another great and fruitful year, we participated in the Kindness Movement, explored the Singapore Science Centre and successfully held our two major camp events of the year, ACID Camp and Mindsville Family Camp which concluded on the 21st December 2014. The theme for this year’s MVF Camp was SUPERHEROES, and it proved to be a very popular theme that resonated with our residents. Now lets take a look back on the events of MVF Camp!!

All powered up in our SUPERHERO camp shirt designed by Eehiang, thank you~

SETTING OFF

Soon Swee gave a very lively introduction of the SUPERHEROES themed camp, getting our residents and us volunteers all pumped up. After checking our bags and forming groups, we headed off to Fernvale Gardens School, where the superheroes are needed 🙂

FINDING THE PIECES OF CLUES

After settling in our camp site, we immediately started on some games, where the residents were required to search for puzzle pieces that formed the symbol of their superhero representing their group.

GROUP IDENTIFIERS

Now the residents know which superhero they are representing!

They are team SPIDERMAN, IRONMAN, SUPERMAN and B.A.T. BATMAN!!!

TEAM CHEER

Kudos to our group leaders for promptly coming up with a group action/cheer to motivate, unite and foster team spirit! Our residents were very enthusiastic and sporting as they performed the cheer together with much fervour and gusto 😉

SAVING THE BLACK HEARTS

Villains have turned the pure red hearts of people black and held them captive at various parts of the school. Now its up to the superhero teams to save them.

The residents had to cross the poison river, clear and sort materials, play music using various improvised instruments and gear up in their superhero outfit to purify their tainted hearts.

Gathered back ready to move off after lunch for the outdoor activities!

Journey to Punggol Waterway

The superheroes in their human form walking towards various areas of Punggol Waterway where villainous activities were detected… can they overcome the challenge?

STATION GAMES

Our superheroes had to navigate through a huge spiderweb trap and free hostages by using appropriate character weapons. Other station activities include a kite-flying session and a tower building game.

Though we had to stop the games due to the sudden shower, we were rewarded with a spectacular view of a double rainbow, truly there is brightness after the storm and a testament to the old adage: the good will always triumph against the evil.

After our adventure, we headed back to the campsite. Despite nightfall, there is no time for the superheroes to take a break as we proceeded with station games, a bazaar and fashion show! The series of activities tested the superheroes’ wit, physique and grooves as they solve puzzles, navigated an obstacle course and danced kinect style.

We started our second day with water games which was an all time favourite with our superheroes and ended our camp with a tribute to our main camp organizers that made this camp all possible! Jason, EeHiang and Elvin!

Jason Lee, our camp chair!

Thank you all the superhero volunteers who had made time to join us over the weekend! Your presence made all the difference to our residents! Thank you for joining and creating the best MVF camp ever!

Thank you Soon Swee and PIC 1, Wayne, Yingyi, Shawn, Kelly and Charmaine, for designing the group banners and identifiers!

Thank you Jie Kai and PIC2, Silvia, Fengzhu, Weixuan, Joanne and Waisan, for the trip to Punggol Waterway!

Thank you Yehui and PIC3, Vivian, Jocelyn, Pauline, Weichung and Yong Cheng, for bazaar and fashion show!

Thank you Jen Yaw, Jie Hua and PIC4, Jullie, Sihan, Hwee Chen and Tze Ting, for water games!

Thank you the VM team, Sikyin, Limin, Jullie and Andri, for getting gifts for both our residents and volunteers!

Thank you the Log team, Alan, Weichung, Terence, for contributing their muscle and driving license!

Thank you the Foodie team, Vivian and Andri, for making arrangement for everyone meals!

Thank you Felix, for doing PA and disco night as always!

Thank you Lynn, for making us a log cake!

Thank you Eehiang, for designing and getting us the camp T-shirt!

Thank you all group leaders and assistant group leaders!

Thank you Elvin for all the coordination!

Thank you NUS CSC for assisting in first aid and all the wonderful photos taken

A special shoutout to Kao Gong Fu, who had provided us with generous sponsorship for dinner!

Another shoutout to Fernvale Garden School, for providing us the camp venue, and to Mei Leng, our Zumba instructor for the camp!

Lastly and most importantly, a big THANK YOU to our camp chair Jason, who had made all this possible within a short span of 2 months! He had worked very hard under time and manpower constraints to hold everything together and made sure everything goes smoothly. Thank you very much Jason!

MVF camp has always been made possible only with all our volunteers working together. Thank you everyone for being a superhero over the weekend!

Here’s some reflection from our volunteers about the camp!

Anonymous Volunteer 

“This is the first time that I have interacted with the ID sector for more than a few hours. Initially, I was apprehensive and worried about whether I could handle them. However, after experience this 2d1n with the residents of mindsville, I am glad that most of my worries were unfounded. They are a group of people who are young at hearts. They are appreciative of the things we do for them and it takes very little to put a smile on their face. They remind us that we do not need much to stay happy. I am glad to be part of mindsville camp 2014.”

Si Han from NUS CSC 

“Every year, volunteers and residents alike look forward to the MVF camp held in December. This year was no exception. Long before the end of the year, residents had been asking about the camp and the “party”, on the other hand, volunteers had been busy preparing the camp.

I was really fortunate to be involved in the programmes and as a group leader. This year, we gathered the help of many volunteers with a simple end goal in mind- to make the camp awesome. And I believe we achieved it. Fernvale Gardens School, the campsite, was filled with laughter and happiness.

During the 2D1N camp, we had a whole gamut of activities, ranging from outdoor games like kite flying and treasure hunt to games of a more sedentary nature such as jigsaw puzzles and musical games. The variety of games catered to the varied interests of the residents and allowed them unleash their full potential. In addition, the theme- superheroes was a fitting one as residents rose up to challenges and conquered them like superheroes. It was particularly heartwarming to see everyone helping each other out, regardless of whether they are volunteers or residents; and it was this factor that made the camp a huge success.

All in all, this camp made me realised that everyone is a superhero and that we need to help each other out whenever possible in order to unleash our “super powers”.”

With that, let’s look forward to another great year of volunteering ahead!

Story by Ting Yang & Jolene

LET’S take a trip down memory lane! Last Saturday, 20th September, we were lucky to celebrate the long awaited Mid Autumn Festival which has been cancelled for 2 consecutive years mainly due to the hazy condition experienced throughout Singapore.

By 7pm, residents were ready to join us for a night of adventure! Each resident had their personal lantern and volunteers accompanied them for a stroll to the nearby park, till we reached a pavilion ~ our destination and place to carry out the remaining activities!!

Settling down in the pavilion, anticipating the arrival of moonakes and tea!

Volunteers having fun while preparing the mooncake delicacy, slicing them in neat proportions for sharing 🙂

All ready to be served! MV style 😀

After the mid supper break, it was time for SPARKLES! A favorite among both residents and volunteers as the exploding ignition induced much amazement and joy!

At 9pm, it was time to head back and end the nostalgic evening of mooncake and tea sampling, lantern carrying and sparkles! Yet another weekend filled with precious memories where the simple joys in life can be just as fulfilling and enjoyable 🙂

Till next time ❤

LAST Saturday was yet another major milestone for MindsVille as we celebrated our 9th Anniversary.

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY MindsVille Family!

Volunteers, both past and present came down to join our residents for a special day filled with many activities. Thank you all volunteers for making this day possible!

The first session was the carnival, where they were 10 stations manned by residents with the guidance of our volunteers!

 Above are the hand drawn posters of the various carnival stations by volunteers, who were to supervise the booth with their partner resident. This time, residents played a huge role as they were the facilitators instead, hence they had to learn the game and teach their fellow friends who visited and participated in their station. 

Residents had to complete all 10 activities in order to get stickers to redeem drinks and food!

Getting ready: Our volunteer guiding her partner resident on how to conduct the game under the station SPACE JAM

The game is on: Our resident in action after being taught the rules of the game 

Snapshots of the ongoing carnival from Handball, Aiming game to skin painting!

# CUPs song station 

Why the CUPs song ?? Curiosity, brainstorming, catchy song, a click on the youtube tutorial 

Something that seemed hard to master turned out to be relatively manageable after some practice 🙂

I’m sure our team gained a sense of accomplishment when we hit to the beats harmoniously, performed and taught the skill to residents and other volunteers! 

 More photos of the carnival in progress 

Top left: Shooting hoops in SPACE JAM, learning the CUPs song, getting their PORTRAIT By PICASSO, mini YOGA session

The second half of the day was performance time! But first comes dinner where we were treated Pizza, courtesy of TH Chair, Elvin! 😀

IT’S ALL ABOUT TIME

This was the theme of our performance. I believe everyone enjoyed the delightful skit, time capsule (sing along and dance section) and the appreciation segment, where volunteers were presented with paper roses by residents who were suppose to recognize them from the photo projected on the screen.

What makes this year’s celebration more unique was the high level of involvement by our residents who were given the opportunity to be facilitators, MCs and actor/actresses on stage! Thus, being more involved allowed them to gain more experience, exposure and satisfaction from all the activities and eventually a more memorable one.

Now lets hear more from our volunteers!

Ting Yang~

“The carnival was a wonderful experience! The residents and volunteers were equally intrigued discovering and rediscovering the simple but fun games and activities that we all enjoyed doing while we were young. The performance segment was lively, heartwarming and at times just spontaneous!”

 Syarafina~

“The carnival activities organized during the MVF anniversary was a great opportunity for the residents to interact with one another and especially with those outside their close circle of friends. My station, Portrait by Picasso, was formatted such that residents in charge get to draw a self portrait of the other residents who visited their station. This activity encouraged them to be more observant of their surroundings; for example, to note the different hairstyles and different outfits worn by the residents and to draw these details. It was great to observe residents who had their self portrait drawn, being very supportive of the artist’s work and giving compliments accordingly :)”

A BIG thank you to all volunteers once again for your time and hard work! Be it organizing, manning the booths, performing and just being there to accompany and spend the day with us and our residents ❤  

xoxo