2-3-4 Friday

‘Seeking to spark the most potential within you per word of any online newsletter’

Apologies that this came late! 

I'm currently away in Japan and hope you're having a good rest of the year too :)

1 thought

It takes a child to raise a village

Our children inspire us to do better.

How many times have we heard our children profess wacky dreams such as, “I want to be an astronaut!”, and gone on to encourage those dreams?

Our children’s dreams push us to get up and go to work, even when work is hard.

They push us to become greater versions of ourselves.

You too, can help

If there’s one thing Circle of Care showed, it was that beyond the adage “it takes a village to raise a child”, it also emphasised that

it takes a child to raise a village.

There’s only so much professionals can do to help a child.

Beyond the weekly home visits that might perhaps last for 2 hours at most, the wider community can also play a role in sustaining the impact beyond professional intervention.

This is perhaps where the community you are part of can rise to be part of this child’s life.

1 talk

• It takes a child to raise a village. 
• Care Corner's Circle of Care Programme

1 tip

Just say hi

In May 2022, I started playing street soccer with children aged 7 to 16, at a hard court near my home.

There was little commitment. Turn up and play, and when the game ended, we would mumble a quick goodbye.

But as we began to spend more time together, I asked them about their studies, and how it was going.

Our relationship deepened as I would jokingly share about my failed romantic dates, and they would offer me advice on how to date better.

As we closed the year, one of the older uncles suggested that we organise a soccer tournament.

Internally, I thought, “How hard can it be? They love soccer and will definitely turn up!”

But it was hard work. We had to print flyers and galvanise them to come. 

Eventually, more than 50 of them turned up on 1 Jan 2023.

Over the months spent interacting with them, they have asked me interesting questions such as:

1. “What do you do at work?
2. When you go overseas on a business trip, what do you actually need to do?
3. Why do you work?”

One evening, as we were resting after a tough game, one teen said,

Hey uncle John (yes, 27-year-olds get called uncles too),

I think I want to be like you.

I laughed. “Me? Why would you want to be like me?”

Because you study uni, and even went overseas…

I want to do that.

As adults, we often don’t know how much children look up to us.

What we take as everyday experiences - traveling abroad, working, even paying for a restaurant meal without having to stumble at the cost, are sometimes insurmountable milestones to those who come from less privileged backgrounds.

Whilst we can’t always give them these experiences, we can show them that these experiences are possible as long as one is willing to put in the hard work.

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes, those that are less privileged start with a poorer set of cards to navigate life. But when we are faced with a problem as complex as social inequality, we might sometimes feel inept at doing anything.

We don’t have to do big things. If Circle of Care shows us anything, it is that small things, done for a long time, often yield better outcomes than grand gestures.

This Christmas, you might want to take some time to say hi to the child you see at the neighbourhood park. You could ask,

“How old are you?

What would you like to be when you grow up?”

And when you hear the answer, don’t just thank him and wave goodbye.

Keep the conversation going. Next week, and the next.

You might be surprised at where that leads.

John

Live Young, Live Well - Work Your Love

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