Mr Simon Tung
Volunteering with RSVP since 2015
I started off my volunteering journey during my working days, joining volunteering opportunities organised by my company whenever I could. I officially joined RSVP Singapore in 2015 after I retired and after about 4 months of training, I joined the Enriching Lives of Seniors Programme (ELSP). I work together with my team of volunteers and the staff at SilverACE@ RedHill to carry out sessions every week to the seniors there. Together, our team taps on each other’s strengths to give the best experience we can to the seniors.
However, creating the best experience is not easy. We faced many challenges. For example, the different linguistic abilities of the seniors at the centre. This caused a lot of language barriers and different preferences in certain activities. Therefore, to counter this, our team implemented multicultural songs in karaoke as well as tapped on the team’s linguistic abilities for the sessions to ensure optimal levels of fun. Another challenge that we faced was the game bingo. The seniors loved bingo and prizes, however, although fun, it places a strain on our finances. So, to solve that problem, we decided to hold a monthly bingo game instead to keep the seniors happy and keep our “pockets” happy as well.
At the end of the day, despite all these challenges, the volunteering opportunities has brought a lot of fun and fulfilment in my life. Over the years of volunteering, I have learned how to relate to people more easily and become livelier in my personality and outlook on life. I am thankful for the resources and courses that RSVP has provided to help enhance my volunteering skills. I have now joined on board the Episodic Volunteering Programme since 2016 on top of ELSP.
