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IMPORTANT

• Course duration. This is a year-long service-learning course offered in both Semesters 1 and 2 of the Academic Year. GEN2070Y is offered in Semester 2 of the Academic Year; it runs till the end of Semester 1 of the following Academic Year, when grades are awarded. GEN2070X is offered in Semester 1 of the Academic Year; it runs till the end of Special Term 2 of that Academic Year, when grades are awarded.

• Befriending period. Over the course of twelve calendar months, you will be journeying with your assigned befriendee(s), often elderlies living by themselveslower-income families with children. The befriending period for GEN2070Y is from February of the enrolling semester to February of the following year; for GEN2070X, from September of the enrolling semester to September of the following year.

• Befriending commitment. The summer semester break (May‒July) forms part of a ‘hard’ commitment which you should fulfil. However, the last two months (Month 11 and 12 i.e. January and February for GEN2070Y; August and September for GEN2070X) constitute a ‘soft’ commitment, which you do not have to fulfil if you are unable to, e.g. if you have graduated, are on Leave of Absence (LoA) or have other commitments, such as Student Exchange Programme (SEP). In such cases, please do a smooth exit from your befriending journey.

• During the ‘hard’ commitment phase, you may be away for up to one month at a time, for overseas travel, whether work, studies, or vacation. Thus, you can still enrol in this course, even if you plan to do short overseas exchanges. However, if you think you may likely be away for more than a month at a time, whether due to semester-long or summer SEP, overseas internship, LoA, etc, you SHOULD NOT enrol in this course. You would not be able to adequately fulfil your responsibility to the befriendee(s).

• Service work requirement. Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident. For more details, refer to ‘Service Work’ tab.

• Note to graduating students. If you intend to graduate at the end of AY2024/25 and wish to read GEN2070, the latest you can enrol is Semester 1 of that Academic Year, in GEN2070X. Grades are awarded at the end of Special Term 2, which means your degree will be conferred in end-Aug, and you will join the Commencement ceremony in the following year.

ComLink is a nationwide initiative to befriend disadvantaged lower-income families with young children by providing comprehensive support that would help propel them towards realising their own aspirations. In this course, students will learn key concepts in volunteerism, and essential skills, including communications, collaboration, conflict management, and family befriending. They will then apply these skills as ComLink Befrienders through regular home visitations, needs assessment, and connecting the families with community resources, and journeying with them towards stability, self-reliance, and social mobility. Students will thus develop character, empathy, and personal effectiveness.

Learn more about the volunteering experience at:

• Shermaine Ang, MSF-NUS tie-up sees over 400 student volunteers helping families living in rental flats, The Straits Times (5 Oct 2023)

• NUS students step up as Community Link befrienders to support disadvantaged families, NUS News (3 Nov 2023)

Befriending Prerequisites

• Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore

• Have a good mind and a good heart to support disadvantaged lower-income families/individuals

• Able to speak basic Malay, Tamil, Mandarin or Chinese dialects, or a Southeast Asian language

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 once a month, except when you are overseas, and engage in period case discussions with your Ministry of Social and Family Development-Social Service Office (MSF-SSO) field supervisor. In most cases, you are also encouraged to maintain regular contact through ad hoc electronic communications whenever families require.

Training will be provided by MSF 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 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

As befrienders, students will journey together with assigned families to help keep them in good spirits, and help propel them towards stability, self-reliance, and social mobility, by:

• Building rapport

• Sensing families’ level of motivation, challenges and aspirations

• Assessing families’ needs, and following-up with community resources and/or ComLink programmes

• Doing activities with families, such as games, arts and craft etc.

• Nudging families towards achieving their own aspirations, together with SSO officer, by working on an action plan based on their concerns and motivations

Service Work Locations (To be updated The list of locations available for AY24/25 Semester Sem 2 can be found here)

Students may book their preferred service work location from the following service areas. Booking will be granted on a first come, first serve basis.

When students book their preferred cluster, they will be assigned to befriend families within that cluster.
ie. if a student volunteers at the "Bedok / Geylang Serai" cluster, student may be assigned to families at Bedok, Geylang Serai, or both locations.