Looking beneath the surface
By Pei Lin
Dec 09
I have been volunteering for Y-Camp for the past 3 years, and this has been an experience that I've always cherished. One particular incident that really struck me the most was the Dec 09 camp, when I was a leader leading a group of 30+ volunteers and beneficiaries.
I had a beneficiary who was about fifty years old, and he impacted me significantly through the way he carried himself. Though he was intellectually disabled, he was a really joyful character. He likes to draw, and drew up a really cute cartoon character which no one could recognise, yet he took a lot of pride in his drawing. He was very interactive with the group - and was so much more enthusiastic about activities than the rest of us were.
At that point, it hit me that for these people, their 'special needs' are something that will stay with them for life. Although he was 50, he still had the mentality of a 10 year old, and that may not be a bad thing. That particular camp also taught me a lot about looking beyond the surface of people - and is probably what pushed me to be so passionate about working with people with special needs.
Volunteer With Us!
About Y Camp
Y Camp Challenge is a large scale bi-annual camp that brings together intellectually and physically challenged beneficiaries from all our partnering VWOs. During this 4D/3N camp, volunteers are partnered 1-on-1 with our beneficiaries in diverse activities including outdoor adventure, camp craft, tele-matches and a host of other enrichment activities. These activities are designed to challenge the preconceived limits and boundaries of our special friends, instilling confidence in them and bringing their volunteer partners personal development and new perspectives.
Volunteers must attend a training programme before the camp.
Requirements
- Non-smoker
- Above 17 years old and physically-fit
- Able to attend visitation on 8th Jun 11 and camp from 9-12 Jun 11
- Able to attend briefing on either 21 May 11 (3:30pm to 6:30pm) or 27 May 11 (6:30pm to 9:30pm)
Sign up as a volunteer!
Step 1
Create an account under the YMCA Volunteer Management System at
http://vms.ymca.org.sg/vms (Don't have to sign up under YCC Jun 2011).
Step 2
Click here to download the registration form and fill it up. Send the completed form to
yccjune2011@gmail.com AND
waimin2401@hotmail.com.
Step 3
Print out the form, sign it and bring it along to the briefing. Remember to bring along your camp fees as well!
As a final note, signing up does not guarantee that you will automatically become a volunteer. We will notify you again when your application goes through. Hope to see you soon!
Contact Us
If you have any
queries regarding Y Camp, please email us at
juneycc2012@gmail.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
If you would like to send in a
story about your Y Camp experience, please mail it to
ycamp.stories@gmail.com.
