What We Do

The idea of forming a society, known as Ain Society, was mooted when a group of activists in the northern part of Singapore wanted the community spiritedness and sense of volunteerism be harnessed and channelled in a platform that is more coordinated and systematic. In 2000, twelve community work veterans met and with it born Ain Society. From organising mainly mass events and educational programmes, Ain Society gradually became more focused in helping youths at risk and disadvantaged families.

YOUTH SERVICES

Preventive Programmes:

Kem Perkasa

Kem Perkasa is one of Ain Society's signature programmes. Since 2005, we have organised 17 camps during the school holidays, with at least 50 youths participating in each camp. As such, more than 850 youths have benefitted from this programme, which aims to enhance their life skills, self-confidence and self-esteem through fun-filled activities. Participants who display potential leadership qualities are chosen to be groomed as Ain Society's youth leaders, who would be given lots of opportunities to be involved in its social activities. Kem Perkasa is a platform to identify youth leaders with fresh energy and ideas in making our programmes more interesting, attractive and beneficial for other youths.

Youth Carnivals & Performing Arts

Ain Society has organised more than three youth and family carnivals. These are one-off events which created platforms to showcase our youths' talents, encourage community involvement and contributions and profile young role models by inviting young celebrities to be involved in the programmes.

Performing arts concerts and performances were held at various functions and occasions islandwide, by our youths who have talents and trained in performing arts, such as drama road shows and Kolintang performances. Energetic and full of enthusiasm, our youths are constantly seeking for opportunities to showcase their multifarious talents as they strive to work towards a better future. More than 2,000 youths participated in these carnivals and performances.

Kolintang Ensemble

"Kolintang" is an Indonesian version of Xylophone and it originated from Minahasa, a place in North Sulawesi, an island in the east part of Indonesia. It is made from light but solid local wood such as Telur, Bandaran, Wenang, Kakinik whose fibre construction appears in parallel lines. It can produce a long sound which can reach high pitch note as well as low pitch note when struck. The name Kolintang came from the sound: TONG (low pitch tone), TING (high pitch note) and TANG (moderate pitch note). In the local language, the invitation "Let us do some TONG TING TANG" is "Mangemo kumolintang". That settled the name of the instrument: KOLINTANG.

Introducing Kolintang to Ain Society Youth Services is a collaborative effort between the Society and Yayasan Kasih Mulia, a Christian organisation in Jakarta. Yayasan Kasih Mulia even supported Ain Society by providing trainers to travel to Singapore and teach our youths here during the initial set up. Ain Society chose Kolintang due to the significant therapeutic effect that it could have on the youths, who are mostly at-risk and out-of-school youths. Some of the youths may have association with gangsters and secret societies and that the tendency for them to fight among tribes is generally common. They were used to using weapons such as wood, to bash people up. Now, they learn to play the wooden instrument and take good care of each and every piece of the wood to ensure that it produces beautiful musical rhythm. It instills discipline and teamwork as they rely on each other to present the perfect note. As such, the main objective is to put up a showcase to the general public that, with guidance, these youths can change to become better individuals.

Remedial Programmes:

Ain Society's Youth Services

Ain Society's Youth Services main objective is to help youths at high risks aged 10 to 18 years old to be reinstated into schools while equipping them with social and vocational skills. Recreation and the arts, creative and performing arts such as music, dance and drama are also offered to provide a balance in their lives. Job opportunities are created for youths who are not eligible to be reinstated into schools.

Ain Society's Youth Services started its operations in September 2006 with a total of 14 out-of-school youths attending its daily programme. In January 2008, Ain Society established a partnership with the Community Leaders Forum (CLF) with Yayasan MENDAKI as its Secretariat, to run its Max Out Programme. To date, more than 240 youths have been registered for the programme. Additionally, the centre has also benefitted more than 3,500 youths through its drop-in programmes over the last 10 years.

Our Youth Services programme adopts the "interactive and experiential group work approach" rather than conventional counselling techniques to effectively help the teens and parents. The group functions as a rehabilitative group with the goals of creating pro-social rather than delinquent subculture by changing the norms of the group. The overall function of the group would be that of resocialisation and "cognitive restructuring".

Rehabilitative Programmes:

MCYS Programmes

Since 2003, Ain Society has been engaged by the Probation Services Branch of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) to conduct its mandatory programmes for probationers and their parents, conducted at either MCYS, Boys' Hostel, Centre for Women & Girls, Ain Society head office training room. More than 300 probationers and their parents benefitted from the programmes.

FAMILY DEVELOPMENT

Empowerment Partnership Scheme (EPS)

The Empowerment Partnership Scheme (EPS) is a holistic help package provided by the Islamic Council of Singapore (MUIS) for poor and needy families covering economic, social and religious empowerment programmes. Each family is entrusted by MUIS to a service provider, often a Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO), to customize programmes for each family member and managed by an assigned family counselor cum case manager. The scheme is targeted at families facing multiple challenges.

Since 2004, Ain Society has been entrusted to be one of the working partners of MUIS in providing programmes under its EPS Scheme. More than 100 families consisting of family members of 400 individuals have benefited from the various programmes conducted and organized by Ain Society that encompass social, economic and religious components. The programme has effectively affect change. Equipped with the various knowledge and skills, clients were empowered to better manage their problems and have succeeded in addressing their financial difficulties with greater work opportunities.

Project We Care

Project We Care is an outreach programme rising from efforts made by the staff to reach out to the poor and needy families, who are not receiving any financial assistance from other agencies. Currently, School Pocket Money Assistance is provided for these families by providing their school-going children with transport allowance and school basic needs. The financial assistance will be given for a period of 3 months, after which their cases will be reviewed. During this period, our staff will help to link them up to relevant bodies and agencies to help them improve their situations. To date, more than 50 families have benefited from this project.

Schemes under Project We Care:

o School Pocket Money Assistance

o Immediate Assistance

o Back to School Assistance

o Boys’ Brigade Charity Gift

Family Excellence Circles (Family AKRAB)

This is the social support network programme, under the Community Leaders Forum with Yayasan MENDAKI as its Secretariat, for parents to interact and connect with other parents. FEC aims at empowering learning families and in the long run, connect the vulnerable families to the stable families as a form of support. Ain Society started its first run of FEC in 2008, conducted on a monthly basis for its clientele group of low-income families.

PROJECTS & COMMUNITY SERVICES

pcs pic

Public Education Through Television Media

Ain Society provides solutions in delivering meaningful and inspiring video production especially on social issues for television programmes. Started in 2008 with docu-drama MENTARI I on family and domestic violence, and followed by a cooking programme series “Selera Raya – Itulah, Inilah”, featuring popular chef from Malaysia, Chef Ismail Ahmad, MENTARI II in 2009 and MERAH the Musical Drama in 2010.

Public Education Programmes

While addressing the issues of youths at risk and disadvantaged families through life skills workshops and financial assistance as well as counseling services, Ain Society also made efforts in promoting lifelong learning, skills upgrading as well as family life education programmes. Since its inception, the Society undertakes the moral responsibility of providing and sharing the blue print for families to succeed, by touching on issues such as family violence, successful marriage and women’s health.

Among the programmes or events organized were:

(a) Kau Selalu Di Hatiku, a hi tea targeted at couples celebrating their 30^th – 50^th marriage anniversary

(b) Kasih Buat Bonda, a hi tea event cum forum organized in lieu of Mother’s Day

(d) Mental Health Talks, supported by Health Promotion Board and conducted at community clubs

(e) Forum on Breast Cancer, organized in 2010 at Furama City Centre Hotel

(f) Seminar on Dementia, a forum organized at Furama City Centre Hotel and supported by Health Promotion Board

Ain Society Membership

When Ain Society was first established in 2000, it rapidly expanded its membership to a size of 710 registered members. However, these members have not had a chance to actively contribute back to the society with a for life membership fee of a one-time payment of $5. As such, the membership structure in the constitution of the Society was reviewed as it is of much pertinence that the society identifies the benefits that the members will reap by joining Ain Society’s family. This project is one of the many ways that Ain Society’s members can have as a sense of ownership and belonging, hence having a sense of pride by simply being a part of the Society.

At the annual general meeting held on Sunday 24^th January 2010, a decision was made in favour of changing the membership fees of Ain Society from $5 for a lifetime to $5 monthly or $60 annually.

With this new membership structure, Ain Society members will have the opportunity to reap the following benefits:

(a) With the membership card, members will be able to purchase or use the services of our participating merchants that consist of travel agencies, cake/pastry shops, spas, boutiques, wedding planners, fitness centre, renovation contractor and health & fitness centre to name a few, at a special Ain members discount rate.

(b) Members will be able to enhance their skills and knowledge from our pool of resource professionals who are experts in their own fields such as lawyers, doctors, religious teachers, business people and IT professionals. Through various programmes organised, members will have opportunities to seek advice on legal matters, career guidance, business and entrepreneurship as well as on the current technology.

Ain Society’s Serenity Social Service Centre

Ain Society aims to be one of the leading not-for-profit organizations to empower cancer survivors. The Cancer Patient Support Group is hoped to be set up with the purpose of empowering patients to be self-resilient by providing them with emotional, financial and spiritual skills and knowledge development support through specially-designed activities. We also hope to help address the various concerns these cancer patients and their family members might have, and provide an avenue for them to share their experiences through counselling and sharing sessions.

The main objectives of initiating the Cancer Patient Support Group are as follows:

(a) To provide social support so that they can empower themselves through skills and knowledge development, hence building self-reliance

(b) To provide emotional support to ensure that they are living to their fullest potential

(d) To provide spiritual support to the cancer survivors and give them new directions in life