Having spent a large part of his life living with his grandparents, volunteering for seniors is something Josua finds relatable and meaningful. He embarked on the journey to volunteer for Youth Corps Singapore’s Eldercare Cluster in 2020, taking on the role of a tele-befriender offering support to seniors during a time of isolation at the height of the COVID pandemic.
Despite his medical school commitments, he continued serving the community by switching his focus to creating publicity materials for the cluster’s outreach rather than working directly with the seniors. The switch in responsibility gave him greater flexibility in managing his schedule.
He shared, “Though I no longer directly interact with the elderly, I hope that my publicity effort can play a part to inspire more youths to join our effort in making a difference. Hopefully with the collective actions of small contributions from different people, we can create noticeable ripples of positive changes.”
Joshua’s ability to design captivating publicity materials belies his initial apprehension about taking on the task, but he was able to learn and grow overtime with opportunities provided in his journey of volunteering. “There are many people here who are far more talented than I am. I never thought that I could design and eventually become good at it. By entrusting me with the role and giving me an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, the cluster has helped me grow in very rewarding ways.” he admitted.
The switch in roles causes him to have fewer exchanges with seniors but he continues to grow personally through their stories and also creatively over time. He recalled an interview he conducted with a senior for a feature on the Eldercare Cluster’s Instagram account. The senior, a former nurse, shared her experiences as a nurse adapting to changes in the healthcare sector from manual processes to the increasing use of technology. For Joshua, she shed light on the misconception that elderly individuals were slow and resistant to change, and served as a shining example of his belief that it is never too late to embrace new challenges and reinvent oneself in life.
It's not always necessary to dedicate a lot of time to volunteering! There's bite sized volunteering available for youths with busy schedules just like Joshua! Go for Your Mountain (GYM) is a place where volunteers can make friends with seniors and participate in intergenerational activities while hiking up Mount Faber and Henderson Wave! You can register your interest in GYM here, but act quickly because registration ends on September 28!
