How It All Began
A group of friends regularly met up on the weekends for coffee and conversation, and on one occasion wondered if there was anything more meaningful they could be doing with their time. Together, they decided to find a way to use the time and skills they had to serve others.
The very next weekend, they started volunteering with a nursing home to deliver meals to elderly members in the community, most of whom were abandoned and lived alone. This became their fortnightly meet up, which gave them more joy and satisfaction than any ‘catch-up’ over coffee could provide!
The weekends went by, and what started out as a simple idea to volunteer grew into a deep desire to do more. They noticed that many of the elders had been suffering from loneliness and depression for years! Coining the project ‘Meals With Love’, they wanted to serve with love and engage the elderly in conversation. Over these priceless interactions, many memories were recounted, some tears were shed, but every visit always ended the same way it began – with a warm smile and mutual appreciation.
More hands and hearts were needed! The team took to social media platforms to share snapshots of the work they had been doing, accompanied by heartfelt reflections of the transformative experiences they had undergone. Every post included an open invitation to anyone who wanted to join in serving the community.
Before long, friends, family, and members of the public took notice of this wave of activity. They felt that same desire within to serve others, and began to join in! Group chats were created, where service activities would be coordinated and organised. Digital connections were giving rise to physical acts of service. As the youth volunteer pool expanded, new friendships were born out of refreshing and delightful conversations with fellow youths about service. Some were working adults, some had young children, some were students – but they all shared that same passion for serving others in whatever way they could.
As the 1Youth family grew, the collective skills and expertise within the youth community covered many areas of service – medical professionals, physiotherapists, educators, civil servants, entrepreneurs, analysts, students, media producers, architects. The list was endless! Over countless team meetings in the late evenings after school and office hours, different needs in the society were identified, more initiatives were planned and organised. Before long, the scope of 1Youth activities expanded to outings for the elderly, health outreach initiatives, overseas medical camps, youth mentoring and empowerment programmes.
The rest, as they say, is history. Join us, and be part of this wonderful cause today!
