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Befriending Prerequisites

• Singapore Citizen, or Singapore Permanent Resident

• Able to speak basic Malay, Tamil, Mandarin or Chinese dialects

• Able to provide an active handphone number for tele-befriending and correspondence with field supervisor or AAC staff

Commitment

60‒80 h of service work spread over one year. You will provide companionship, support and care for your befriendee(s) through regular contact. Together with your befriending partner, you should conduct home visits twice a month, except when you are overseas. In most cases, you are encouraged to make weekly contact alternating between home visits and phone calls.

Training will be provided by AIC and NUS to equip you with befriending microskills and knowledge on volunteerism, ethics and the social landscape. You are free to arrange your befriending schedule in coordination with your befriendee(s), befriending partner, and in some cases, your field supervisor.

Your tutor will specify a target direct service hours to your befriendee(s) typically of 40‒60 h. This forms your minimum service obligation. To meet this obligation, you have to log your direct contact hours on the Fieldwork Management System (FMS). In most cases, your total service hours will likely be less than 80 h.

You should not worry if you cannot meet the minimum service obligation if the contributing factors are outside your control, e.g. you have not been assigned enough befriendee(s), or your befriendee(s) withdraws from the programme or is unable to meet. You will not be penalized for such extenuating circumstances, provided you have documented them in FMS, and made effort to engage.

Roles and Responsibilities

Students are responsible to:

·       Keep seniors well. Build rapport with the assigned seniors. Conduct regular check-ins via home visits and phone calls; perform simple activities to help sustain socio-emotional, cognitive and physical well-being of assigned seniors, e.g. by eating together, playing games, shopping, going on walks, attending activities organized by Active Ageing Centres (AAC)

·       Keep seniors safe. Look out for signs of self-neglect, mental and/or physical deterioration, and risks of self-harm, and report concerns, anomalies or doubts to your field supervisor or partner organization for follow-up and early intervention

Service Work Locations (To be updated for AY24/25 Semester 2)

Students may book their preferred service work locations from a list of AIC community care partner organisations. Booking will be granted on a first come, first served basis. The list of locations will be available in due course.