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The Ties That Bind

07 July 2010 3 comments

Grassroots leaders volunteer their personal time and resources because they believe they can make a positive difference to the community they live in.  Sharing their experience in developing a community of volunteers, Admiralty division recounts how the lives of two residents were transformed - from being residents in need to becoming grassroots volunteers, serving others in need.  Fundamental to the work of grassroots leaders in Admiralty is the belief that to build a strong community, they need to build lasting relationships with their residents.

Admiralty grassroots leaders internalise three core values that underpin their dedication and commitment as volunteers:  (1) in service of the people, (2) establishing relationships and the concomitant trust with the residents, and (3) ownership of community concerns. Building on these core values, Admiralty division produced a Guidebook titled The Ties That Bind for its grassroots leaders. The Guidebook details the desired outcomes of each of the five key priority areas and the Admiralty grassroots organisations’ plans to achieve them over the next five years.  It serves as a social compass for grassroots leaders to monitor their performance in serving the residents.  The book also aims to inspire aspiring grassroots leaders, giving them a perspective into grassroots work.  They will realise that grassroots leaders are not just event organisers; they are the community leaders whom residents look up to.

It is vital that grassroots leaders feel the pulse of what the community needs so that they can channel community resources to meet these needs early.  To do this, Admiralty grassroots leaders embarked on the development of a Community Directory.  By having a Residents’ Committee member in each block, the grassroots leaders gather information of each household, including demographic profiles and whether they have sought assistance previously.  The aim is to strengthen informal support networks among residents.  They assess community needs and galvanise community resources to respond to these needs – the essence of building a strong and cohesive community.

Admiralty’s emphasis on going beyond mass events and focusing on building relationships gained resonance with a recent comment by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a Forum with REACH’s contributors in March 2010:

“One very important factor is whether or not we really have a community where people feel that they know one another, that there are friends…And that’s what we have been trying to do with the grassroots in all our constituencies…The purpose is not just to do Taiji and brisk walking, although that is good. The purpose really is to have neighbours who care for one another and look out for one another.”

An excerpt from a poem written for grassroots leaders in Admiralty sums up what fuels their passion:  

“We have a dream, we have a vision

We work as a team, striving beyond our expectations

The lives we touch, with sincerity we serve

We don’t ask for much

The smiles we receive, we will preserve”

They are a community of volunteers - extraordinary heroes in our midst.  They are the ties that bind.

The story of how Admiralty grassroots leaders help build a community of volunteers is the fifth in a series of six stories on our grassroots leaders’ journey towards realising the Vision for the Community. 

Read the other stories here:

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