Supervisor: Dr Kiven Strohm
What is your team’s project about?
Void decks used to be a quintessential part of Singaporean public housing but are now, more often than not, spaces left un(der)used. Identifying a void deck in the ageing community of Bukit Purmei, we investigated the reasons behind its underutilisation and developed game programmes to encourage the use of the void deck. The project culminated in the creation of an original board game. We worked mostly independently with the support of the Residents' Network.
What does your team enjoy most about the IEx project?
Spending our time with residents of our void deck and learning more about them via games and conversations.
What are some challenges that you think are unique to the project?
Since we proposed our own theme for the project and did not work with a particular organisation, it was difficult at first to clearly define the scope of the project. We went through multiple rounds of discussions and trial and error that may have diminished the impact we could achieve within the span of the project.
Any specific tips about working with your team’s community?
It would be ideal to spend as much time as possible with your community to identify and distill their needs.
Any fun stories to share with your juniors?
Not exactly a story but it was really fun to get to know the residents of the area. The relationship we built throughout the project led to many surprising and unexpected outcomes, like playing Mahjong in the void deck, having piggyback fights and crocheting for each other.