Retrospective Study Youths who were with Beyond in the ‘80s and ‘90s

1. Retrospective Study Youths who were with Beyond in the ‘80s and ‘90s

2. “By 2025, every child and youth in Singapore, despite a disadvantaged background has the opportunity to refuse a lifestyle of delinquency and welfare dependency.”

3. Aims • To understand • the current life situation of previous youth • how Beyond impacted their lives • their experiences in Beyond

4. 1. Current life situation Hard indicators, well being & social capital

5. Current hard indicators

7. Challenges • Almost all participants (except 1) who reported challenges reported at least 1 health related problem.

8. Subjective well-being Despite these challenges, 90% of the participants reported being ‘moderately’ satisfied in the past 12 months.

9. Social Capital • 20% - stability in employment, education, or staying out of trouble with the law • 56% - relationship with significant others, successes of their children/ nieces/ nephews, having a new child. • “What were the positive things that you experienced in the past 12 months?” About children : • “When I sad also I will look at these four.… than I have the courage from the eldest ones. Now they are like my friends” “Our time we cannot even afford. What we have every day in our table is plain porridge’. – an ex-youth, a mother now, who’s children are in UK to pursue their further education.

10. Sources of Social Capital Friends, Family and Community Participation • Most respondents reported about 4.33 individuals whom they could turn to for help among their family and friends (2.1 from family, and 2.23 from friends). • Most participants (86.7%) reported helping their neighbourhood or community in one or more ways • Participants were generally not that close to their neighbours (citing none or limited contact).

11. In some inspiring cases, it was the hardships they had gone through that turned their lives around…. Resilience After serving his term in the prison PC wants to give himself a chance, take responsibility for his family and lead a life of contentment and dignity. “Achieved something (within me) … now rather than give up I will try, I will try … but last time I all give up, la. Now, just live out life better than last time la.”

12. 2. How Beyond impacted their lives On a scale

13. “How helpful was Beyond?” 1 (least helpful) <------------------------ > 5 (most helpful)

14. “What do you remember most about Beyond?” • Staff or volunteers that had a special role in their lives • Specific activities (camps, magic shows) • The friends they made here

15. 3. The Beyond experience A sharing…

16. The Beyond Experience • Culture of acceptance and support despite the mistakes they had made, or the situations they were in • Beyond strived to mend relationships within their family and provide them with social capital • A place where they felt a sense of ownership especially youth who came back as volunteers • A space to make friends, have fun, and learn life lessons from interacting with others (staff, volunteers, friends) • Warm and encouraging atmosphere that allowed youth to pursue their own strengths and interests

17. Closely resembles the Circle of Courage…

18. A look at the future Our learning …

19. Our learning

20. Moving Forward… • For research • Moving forward with tracking • Gaining clarity for benchmarks of poverty, social mobility, and subjective well-being • For the work • Importance of building community • Importance of volunteers • Importance of maintaining that human touch

21. “Everybody deserves a chance. Ya, this is what I learnt. And, I learnt from Sister that there is something good about someone, no matter they are convicts, criminals. There must be something good in them. We need to see the strengths in them not their weakness”