Recycling Project @ Aljunied Crescent & Geylang East 

The act of recycling is no stranger to Bartleyans. In school, students are involved in a recycling drive every quarterly as part of the Green Champ Project. As an extension to this initiative, Secondary Four and Five students are involved in recycling projects in nearby estates of Joo Seng, Aljunied Crescent and Geylang East. 

As there are many blocks in the vicinity, each class is assigned several blocks for the collection. To prepare for the collection, students put up posters of the recycling activities at the lift lobbies of the block at Joo Seng, Aljunied Crescent and Geylang East. This was done with the permission of the Town Council. 

On the day of the collection, students strategise on how best to conduct the recyclable items from the units of the blocks. Students went in small groups, to collect the items and bring them to the collection point. While collecting the items from the units, students also took the opportunity to spread the message of recycling to the residents. With resources provided by NEA, students explain the pamphlets to residents. They appreciated this gesture by the students. 

Through this activity, students learnt to work in teams and to take on the responsibility to become ambassadors for environmental conservation. 

Read for Books 

Bartley Secondary School held its inaugural Read for Books session in 2021. Read for Books is a charity book drive to raise awareness and share the gift of reading with the less privileged. This session was a combined effort with the National Library Board.  The aim of the session was two pronged – to instill a love of reading in the hearts of Bartleyans and to encourage them to donate by just reading books. 

This is one easy way for Bartleyans to contribute to the community. As the school allocates time for students to read during the morning Eat, Read, Connect (ERC), the time spent reading during this period was counted into the overall number of hours read by Bartleyans. 

From 10 to 26 July 2021, for every 10 students who read for 15 minutes, one book was donated to selected beneficiaries. With our concerted efforts as a school, we managed to contribute a substantial number of books for the charity drive. 

“I felt that it was helpful as we could just do what we normally do during ERC and yet help a needy family.”  – Gabrielle Lim 

“It was indeed delightful that we get to help others as I did an activity that I love and help others at the same time. Besides that, this extra time given to read builds my interest and a way to start my day off with new knowledge and vocabulary. A great win-win situation!”  – Clara Tan

Reflection

“I actually felt glad that I was able to contribute to this meaningful cause. I was satisfied that I had been able to help the elderly. This experience has helped me to appreciate the life I'm living now.”  - Joey Koh 

“I learnt that it is necessary to contribute to the society and we could donate food to support those who are from lower income family. While donating, I also learnt to put myself in the shoes of those in need. In addition, it was also a time for me to think about how lucky I am to be able to purchase daily essentials while others are struggling.”  – Andy Sim

“I am glad that I had such an opportunity to serve the community - to clean the windows and gates of residents at MacPherson estate. I have learnt how to communicate with different people.” – Toh Hui Xin 

“I felt very satisfied as I managed to contribute to the community. Through the experience of cleaning the HDB flats, I've learnt the importance of teamwork. I recalled how my team members and I divided our work to efficiently complete our work. From this experience, I've learnt that we can contribute to the community in our own small ways” – Hakim

“I felt happy knowing that I was helping someone and making things a little easy for them. It was good seeing the residents happy and some of them praised us for how we have come forward to help. Some also joined us in cleaning. We had an enjoyable time conversing as we cleaned together. The experience was memorable.” – Zhi Xiaohan

“It was a meaningful experience. Being with them reminded me of the good times I’ve had with my grandparents. Although my grandparents are no longer around, interacting with these patients and listening to their stories made me understand how hard life was back then in older Singapore. The fact that they are still alive to recount the stories really fondly makes me admire them even more. Indeed, this experience has helped me to build a better relationship with an elderly.” 

– Amirah Md Noh 

“I learned how to be sensitive to the needs of the patients. This included knowing which topics to avoid and what questions to ask in order to encourage the elderly to share about their lives. It has helped me to develop my communication skills especially with the elderly as it was rather hard to speak to an elderly whom I have never met. Through this experience, I’ve learnt to communicate with the elderly and I could definitely use such skills for future interactions.” 

– Jerry Tan Alves Jr.

Reflection

“Through this project, I have learned many things and one of it is to upcycle things that I never thought would be useful again. A cereal box that would usually be thrown away, could be turned into an environmentally friendly pen holder and plastic beverage bottles could become small plant pots. My biggest takeaway was working with my groupmates to create a product for a good cause.” - Kendrick Hiang, 4N2 2022 

“After hearing that I needed to bring some materials for upcycling, I immediately went to my kitchen to grab some cereal boxes and plastic cups. Together with my groupmates, we brainstormed and planned to make a pencil holder. After completing the pencil holder, we realised that we still had enough materials to make pots for plants. Overall, it was fun to make all these items with my group mates. I realized that they trash that I will usually throw away can be created to things that can be used. I really enjoyed the experience!”

- Wong Wei Hong, 4N2 2022 

“I really enjoyed the VIA experience because I got to create items from upcycling and also learnt the importance of upcycling. I feel that my group really did a great job and was very satisfied with the items we made.” - Jolie Tham, 4N1 2022

Reflection 

“One of the most meaningful VIA experience for me was the workshop organized by the Student Council for the elderly on how to use mobile phones. It was my first introduction to a student-initiated VIA whereby we were heavily involved in the planning and execution of the VIA. I realised I enjoyed working with people and that the experience equipped me with various skills. I am proud to say that this exposure gave me courage to continue student-initiated projects in Millennia Institute for 3 years. The project I am currently part of, MICarebears, focuses on student wellbeing and will be shared with the second Minister of Education during his visit to MI!”

- Wirna Asyura Bte Ali, President of Bartley Student Council 2017

“The most memorable VIA Project I did was at Tembusu Senior Centre, where we had to help seniors with basic tech knowledge like how to use WhatsApp and turn on the wifi. It was not only rewarding but it highlighted a possible challenge for the elderly as we move towards being a smart nation – the elderly, including my grandparents and soon my parents, might not be able to keep up with the swift changes in technology. This experience has made me understand the need to be more empathetic towards seniors. Tasks that seem simple to me, not even requiring much thought like sending a text message to my loved ones, may be extremely difficult tasks for them. I have continued to do my part for the community as I pursue my tertiary education. I participated in a project organized by my CCA at polytechnic - hackathon with the Toa Payoh East Youth Network to create solutions for a Dementia Friendly Neighbourhood.”

- Anne Lee Han, Student Council 2018

“My visit to Tembusu Senior Activity Centre as a student in Bartley Secondary changed my perspective towards society. When I visited the elderly at the centre and their homes, many of them had no companions and were living alone. From their sharing, many of the elderly had backstories that I would not have thought of or even imagine experiencing. I could feel the loneliness in them and despite being old, they have learnt to cope and overcome this feeling. I discovered that I should be more empathetic towards others and understand how they feel before approaching them. I also felt that we should cherish the people around us. Moving forward in my education, I have become more empathetic in the way I approach my group mates and others by putting myself in their shoes and understanding the whys of behaving the way they do.”

- Keane Ng, Vice-President of Bartley Student Council 2018

“The most memorable VIA project I took part in was a workshop where we taught the elderly how to use their mobile phones.  I was expecting to have a hard time as speaking in my Mother Tongue language, Chinese, a was a real challenge for me. However, the elderly I talked to was patient and genuinely interested in learning. For young people, using a mobile device comes as second nature even if it’s new.  However, I have learned that the elderly struggle with basic functions such as changing wallpaper because they do not necessarily know how to navigate. From this experience, I've learned to empathise with the elderly, and also to be more aware of the needs of others and not to be too caught up with my own life.”

- Mavis Ooi, Student Council 2018

“One of the most meaningful VIA project I have done was conducting the survey to find out about the needs of the residents in Tembusu. I can still remember the many stories the seniors shared with me - some enlightening, others shocking.  It was eventful helping the seniors and accompanying them for the day. This may not mean much to many, but it has given me the chance to learn about their hardships and experiences that I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for the VIA project”

- Jira Khorapoom, Student Council 2019

2017 – PAYAM Waterway Adventour 

The objectives of this event were to raise awareness of the negative effects of dumping waste into our waterways and land, and to encourage keeping all our waterways and land pollution free. Students cleared litter in the waterway and land while engaging in a sport activity.  This activity was organsied to promote strong community engagement through the area of sports (dragonboating, kayaking, cycling and walking) and environment education as well as to establish inter-YEC partnership and raise awareness of PAYM and of YECs, especially among the youths. 

The Bartley Student Leaders, divided into groups, participated by kayaking along the waterway to cleanup the coastal areas, or walked in the park to pick up litter. This was an opportunity for them to do their part in keeping the environment clean. In fact, one of the groups emerged as one of the top teams to finish with much trash collected. 

Reflection 

“My most memorable experiences in Bartley was as a Student Council as they provided me with many opportunities to participate in acts of community service and expand my horizons beyond my studies. These experiences taught me to be more aware of the problems that affect our community. The most fun event that I participated in was the PAYAM Waterway adventour. 

Basically, this adventure was designed as an amazing race where we had to follow a certain path and complete a series of challenges. The first pair to complete would win a prize. Along the way, we had to collect recyclable materials such as paper, plastic bottles and cardboard scattered along the path. Although it was a competition, there were many lessons to be learnt. For example, the collecting of recyclables highlighted the need for this practice in our society to move more towards a sustainable practice of reusing rather than manufacturing more of these items which could only damage our environment.

Another activity had more of a cultural flavour to it as we had to wear ethnic clothes such as the Baju Kurong and play traditional games. This highlighted the fact that we need to stay in touch with our cultural roots to maintain diversity in Singapore as we move towards becoming a more progressive nation. In this whole amazing race, the most crucial lesson learnt was the importance of working with others like I did with my buddy. Each challenge was tailored in such a way that it required more than one individual to complete and achieve success. It emphasised the need for teamwork in a society to achieve ambitious goals.

These three lessons brought forth certain practices and attitudes that we need to adopt as a society, emphasizing the importance of community spirit.”

- Ravin Arul, Student Council 2018

Collaboration with Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs)

Facta Non Verba – Deeds Not Words. Bartley’s motto drives us all and challenges to apply ourselves to make the world a better place by putting will into action, and not just talking about it.

So when Community Service Projects were rebranded and refashioned into Values-in-Action (VIA), Bartley naturally welcomed this move, and sought to empower our students to find VIA projects that spoke to their interests and values.

Unfortunately, while our students actively sought out volunteering opportunities, many organisations were unsure how to engage student groups. Bartleyans spent many days cold-calling organisations to see how they could assist, but there were more misses than hits.

The school decided that this was an opportunity for us to help bridge Bartleyans with beneficiaries. In 2015, we reached out to some 20 different Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWO) and Charities to curate projects that would be meaningful for small groups of students. These organisations were invited to our inaugural VWO Expo. Such an expo allowed our students to see the broad spectrum of social causes in Singapore, and also provided more meaningful face-to-face engagements that allowed students and organisations alike to better understand each other’s needs and constraints. 

The event was a resounding success, generating a festive buzz and giving students many options to choose from. If nothing jumped out to our students, they were also free to reach out to other organisations on their own, armed with better questions and understanding of what VWOs could be looking out for.

Since then, other than the COVID years, the VWO Expo has been a mainstay in Bartley’s calendar, and is yet another shining example of how we nurture students to be Learners for Life, and Leaders for Others.