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Not really a reflection, but a quick note after reading notes from the team/office and bawling my eyes out that I am so honoured to have had Beyond as a home for these past three months (and perhaps even before that!) I find myself repeatedly floored by the hearts of the people in Beyond and in the community. I think I've received much more than I've given... More thanks to come in my overdue cards, but for now have my gratitude and love for the team for all you've given me 💛

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The first Adventure Club session left me feeling very... extra. We went into the playground and were greeted by our 2 faithful leaders Andi and Nurin, as well as a new girl Syafira. We stood there awkwardly attempting to do a round of self-introductions/ play a game of Splat. There was nothing wrong with that, but beside us was a separate group of kids playing way cooler games, and I felt so bad for "making" the adventure club kids stay with us. The rest of the session kinda just involved us trying to get the kids to listen to us and convince the kids to stay. It was very tiring.

I'm a bit lazy to go into detail about the next few sessions (read adventure club diaries in our teams file!) But I think in general the feeling of being "extra" went away a bit, because the kids seemed to be slightly more "into" the sessions for some reason (i think the snacks worked). There were some ... wait ah to be continued! I will finish this up another day

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time for another reflection.. yay... o_o... (19 - 23 June)

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time for another reflection.. yay... o_o... (19 - 23 June)

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This week is a very tiring week >.< Had back to back events and programmes
Monday we had a last minute planned out cook out with Mothers from BHS (LOL!) I love the food that was cooked by Shidah and Yati ! Ayam Lemak Cili Api Nanas (Spicy Green Curry Chicken with Pineapple) & something fish i forgot..  It was a prretty wholesome experience. The mothers seems excited and having fun during the cookout! They were laughing and asking questions about why this ingredient is used instead of ingredient B. From a bird eye point of view, it went smoothly, however i was just thinking on how we could make it more engaging and transform it to a sustainable initiative and what is the end goal?

With them learning new recipes with one and another. Do we appoint a mother to cook for identified families that has food insecurities? (Example: Hakimi's, during school holiday). Shidah can continue supplying the ingredients from extra food ration to the appointed mother.

Tuesday morning, we had RGS Guitar programme with GM & BHS kids. The kids really enjoyed themselves during the 2-hour with the girls and playing the guitar. After the session has ended, while going back the bus bay, A GM kid walk beside me. He held my hand and said "Abang, today is last day of adventure club right? I am not gonna see you anymore. Can i have your number". This experience made me felt happy and sad at the same time. As an intern, I have spent at least 3 - 4 months building that relationship with the kids. But now my internship is ending, I am feeling sad to let go of this bond that I built with them. It is too sad for the kids as they have to regularly forge new bonds with future interns. With the remaining time that I have left, I would cherish these moments with them.

In the afternoon, we had adventure club. Most kids attended. During this programme, I had a short experience with Naufal Adam and Andi. They were "more understanding" of my visual impairment. In the beginning of the session, Naufal would inform me what colours are available to paint on my hand. Andi would help me to head count and pick up for balls or items.

I guess this is due to constant reminders, education and utilising teaching moments throughout the 4 sessions. Most kids either ask me or ask their parents on why am I using the white cane. Slowly, I educated them about my visual impairment. What I could see what I could not. There were even times they were rude. To put into context, I would normally say... Eh who is this sitting beside me, is that u firman? But they would respond, are you blind.... I am so & so. Instead I did felt upset with their reaction but keeping in mind they are just 9 years old. I made it into teaching moments. I educated them again about my eyesight and shared how could they better phrase their questions.

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On Monday, I visited Mdm Zubaidah with Adrian to chek on her well-being. From the last conversation with Mdm Zubaidah on her birthday, she shared that she was not acceptive of her cancer. Overthinking how life would be for her family after her death. What happens to Alecia, her youngest child. Stricten her diet to eat more vege and less poulteryHow it too affect her financial and quality time with her family.Personally, it is sad to hear what she is going through.

I requested Grace permission to visit her. As I feel slightly worried for her. I came with the intentions to support Mdm Zubaidah through family strengthening activities. I shared my intentions to conduct Family Strengthening Activities to help her feel supported in this cancer journey. During my conversations with Mdm Zubaidah, I had a sensing that she is much more acceptive with her condition. Her mind is set to have operation to remove her tumour. She is spending slightly more time with her family outdoors (?). She kindly rejected my offer and again, told that she like to remain focus for the operation.

I left the house with feeling of dissapointment? Left with so much room to improve? I THINK, I felt dissapointed as I could not support the family through the activity that I proposed? I felt I have so much to improve on. With the way I engage the conversation. I came with a checklist of questions in my mind. But, I did not prepare how the conversation would be if she rejects. Hence, I was struggling with coming up with questions. How else to support her.

Adrian pointed out that I could be driven by my own personal agenda where I relate to my late dad experience who face the same thing. To me, it has some truths to it. Personal experience can be a drive to motivate me. I have the experience, the empathy, I know the right words to use and what available support does cancer patient requires. I saw how my dad passed on as I was there to hold his hand during his passing. My dad went through awful experience and I questioned how could I have "change" it. Hence, I realised I was driven by my past actually. Personal agenda can actually be a double edge sword. It can be a source of motivation. experience and powerful emotion. But it can too hurt your feelings because you have unresolve pain and you are implying on others.

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I'm tickled by how easily my eyes can distract me from objectivity and how I base much assumptions of the mister just by looks!
Hello, good looking! 😍

But this convo that happened weeks back was surely one where it was difficult just listening and walking away, knowing I could do nothing to alleviate the person from pain.

Am taking comfort from a segment of a book I read called, "The Dance of Connection."

In many circumstances, the most helpful step we can take is to not be helpful. Instead we can usually be more supportive to distressed persons we love simply by caring about them, by being emotionally present without puling back from their pain and without trying to take it away.

Rushing in to offer advice or to cheer someone up may reflect our own inability to remain emotionally present in the face of another person's problems and pain, or to experience our own. If we move in too quickly with solutions, we can make it harder for others to be in touch with their own competence and inner resources, and we unwittingly rob those we love of the
opportunity to feel what they are feeling and express it to us.

Learning to be an attentive, caring listener and a skilled questioner can empower others to search for their own solutions. It also helps us to get in touch with our own vulnerability, which paves the way for a richer intimacy between two people.

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I left our first Adventure Club session feeling quite defeated.

We went in with big dreams – it was to be a Children's Parliament, or at the very least something Secret Seven-esque. It was nothing of the sorts. Five children of the twenty odd we were expecting were there at 4.30pm. Some were there but had no interest in affiliating with us, having deemed our games 'boring'. By the halfway mark, I wondered if we should pack up and leave as I saw a hoard of our children charging at us with construction poles and laundry sticks (at our behest... the horror). Regrettably, the more disinterested the kids seemed, the more I checked out of the session.

In hindsight, there were many things still to celebrate. There was Syafira, whose mum brought her down early for the session – both of whom were new to Beyond. Syafira, while quiet, seemed excited to be with us, despite the fact that she didn't know us, nor the other children in Adventure Club, nor what Adventure Club even was about for that matter. Syafira, who despite the unfamiliarity of it all, volunteered to be the safety leader and to bring the plant home at the end of the session. There was also the care that shone through in the kids' actions (no matter how hard they try to hide it sometimes), in how they settled for playing a rather muted game of dodgeball so as to not accidentally hurt the tiny girl who joined, although they did not know her.

My regret is that I wasn't able in the moment to celebrate these small wins. I realise I mirror the energy of the people I interact with, which can be quite the problem in some community work contexts where I should be the one managing energy levels and setting the tone. I felt almost embarrassed to be too excited about our games or enthused about debrief when everyone else seemed bored. Part of the disappointment is also the sense of responsibility I felt towards the kids that did show up for us. I thought about how they had reached the playground earlier than we had told them to. The thought of them waiting for us excitedly and being willing to spend their afternoon with us only to be perhaps let down bogged me down much.

But then again, hindsight will always be 20/20 and I can only hope that I live and learn in time for next week's session! 🙏And that was the hope I held onto as I went home with a heavy bag and heavier heart (😂 Jk... but not really)

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Had a discussion with Shaw & Grace regarding Adventure Club. Both shared concers of safety and how could i contribute to the project given the limitation that i have. Bulk of the conversation was finding alternatives. (If I could not commit to physical presence (going down to GM and facilitate the programme).  If physical facilitation is a “challenge”. I can contribute by giving inputs during brainstorming phase. OR i could start my own Adventure club WITH BHS kids at a smaller scale and indoors where its safe.

Receiving or hearing this concerns. I had so much thoughts running in my mind and I do not know how to articulate thoughts.

As visually impaired, in my future careers I would be facing the same  concerns by my future employers. The same set of challenges.

So does it mean with this limitation I should work towards back end duties only? If i couldn not do door knocks on my own without any assistance, do I talk to community members over the phone? Where it will be harderr to get sensing of their emotions . Providing them that physical presence when they share vulnerable stories.

Frankly. I view my disability as a weakness. I have so much limitations. I dont think I am contributing to my team. With visual impairment, Can I keep them safe during the session. If I have a child of my own can  I keep him safe? I wonder...

When asked what are my strengths. My brain would shutdown and i will just be pestemistic about myself. I often doubt myself if i could truly do it. Can I could live up to everyone’s expectations? Can I make everyone see my value? Can I make myself feel validated?

When I first learnt Assistive Technology. I found hope. Hope that through this technology no one doubts me and I can be on par with others in terms of productivity. In terms of validation, in terms of value, in terms of strength and keep my weaknesses  under the blanket. I forced myself to be extroverted, friendly, disturb everyone around me so that all have good impression of me and have my presence known.

In addition, I am very eager to contributed ideas because that is one of the many ways I see myself contributing. Feeling valued. Feeling validated. However, someone pointed out it does backfired la HAHHAHA. Most of the times I lack of understanding the meeting or discussion and threw ideas that gives less value. At home, I reflect and became angry at myself. I promise, I would try to listen the entire context before jumping into responding. I am truly grateful for this feedback as all along i did not realised this. Now i understand why there are times during conversations with my friends or peers they would ignore my suggestions or quick to agree and move on with the discussion without building my idea.

Loosing my sight truly takes away alot from me. Not being able to fully see “beauty of the world” (chio bu... hehe). But it took away my confidence. I could not watch social media, a platform  that many talk about. I could not find a topic which could interests others. I find it way more challenging to make friends and connect with others. It took away my self love which I begun hating myself and my flaws. I began finding ways to meet everyone's expectations eventhough there are times I feel this is impossible or i feel limited. I would tell myself to die die find a way to meet their expectation if not. I am a failiure and I will hate myself even more. Its a vicious cycle for 7 years ever since i became Person with disabilities. I hate to put it out here but I cant help myself feeling helpless, not feeling valued, not feeling validated. The real battle is with myself. How do I love, appreciate, accept and work with my flaws.

After attending physically to a few of Adventure Club sessions. I grew emotional connection with the kids. They all welcomed me with happiness. We laughed a lot!, we played together and despite the limitation. from my end, I enjoyed myself. I have a strong personality which made the kids listen to my instructions. I could somewhat gauge the children's emotion and attention span which I would often relay to my 2 beautiful girlfriends. Interact with the kids to get their attention back. Thank God through this session I found one strength. The ability to connect with others emotionally.

I am sorry if my reflection is very here and there LOL. As I am writing, I am pouring my feelings HAHAHAHAH.  At this point after reading this. I predict you would ask. Would I continue physically attend the next few sessions?  THW ANSWER IS!!!!!! I dont know. If I go, what is my value?. If i dont what can i do? I mean i have an alternative potential project which i am more keen working towards. Which is to be an emotional befriender to Mdm Zubaidah and her family to go through this cancer journey. I went through what she went through years ago with my late dad. There are things I regret of not doing, could have done better or things that I wish someone could have told me sooner so that I can prepare for the worst.  Or i could just continue sitting on my desk calling community members regarding their laptop warranty lah! Hahahahha.  At this point. I am clueless. Idk what to achieve through this internship. I dont even know what to achieve in life. (SORRY I MADE YOU ALL READ SUPER LONG)

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It's a bit of a bittersweet feeling 'graduating' from Beyond. But as I shared with someone, I'm grateful to have been able to experience the work being done in the BHS team.

Although at first I was afraid of the differing expectations that comes with a new team, I was pleasantly surprised at how calm and gentle the people were. Having to be transferred from my previous team where there were so many initiatives being run, or in the works of starting, sometimes I felt like I was running on gasoline even when I didn't have much of that left. Being transferred to BHS team was a change of pace.

Throughout my time here, I got to expand my perspectives when it comes to the nitty-gritty work that is planning, brainstorming and carrying out the programme/event. Working with both GM & BHS communities, made me so much more empathetic towards different age groups, specifically adults. Being able to listen in to their stories shared during Iftar or even during door-knocking, made me feel small in a big world (in the best way possible). I don't mean to say that I feel significant, but rather I(one person) feel that I have many more people I hope to talk to in the future. I enjoy being vulnerable whilst talking to community members as that is when I also resonate with their needs and vulnerabilities.

To be honest, I still am not sure of what I want to do in life after Beyond. But I guess that's my problem to solve as time goes by. I'm glad I was able to contribute some of my strengths and abilities to the team and am happy that all of you got to see that! Thank you for reminding me of the reasons why I wanted to try and venture into the social work sector in the first place. And thank you for always checking in on me whilst at work, I really appreciate it.

For my fellow teammates, I wish you all the best in life and to continue working towards your personal goals. Be intentional with the work that you do. By doing so, it will be a constant back and forth process to truly bridge the vision and needs of the community, with that of our own (Beyond). But, I believe in all of you capable individuals! Stay open and stay curious, and take a few risks while you're at it!

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There was a point in time when both Shaw and Gerard shared that it was inequality that drove them to wake up each morning and give their best at work.

To me, “inequality” (just like words like inclusivity and social justice), is a workplace buzzword that carries an unspoken energy-demanding expectation to drive change. After all, we are a community work agency working with marginalized families staying in rental flats. But the word inequality feels like popping a stone in my mouth and imagining it as the gummy bear that my colleagues are passionately experiencing. It is not that inequality is unimportant to warrant my full-on efforts.  What is this inequality about and what change is needed? What I can do about it? Does a drop of help do anything to the insurmountable ocean of “inequality”?

This week, I got to sit with a mom, as she recounted factually the death of her ex-husband. She didn’t just have to manage with the grief and adaptation to the loss of an important family figure for herself and her five children. The mom carried a huge sense of inadequacy that her daughters were downgraded from living in a purchased flat (of her ex-husband) to returning to her smaller home. For the mom, there was no other safety net for her daughters to fall back on should she be in a period of financial lack and with nothing to eat. There was regret in not being able to support her son’s tertiary education in the past, which resulted in him having to drop out of school to find work. The mom feels her limited income was potentially a threat to her daughters’ education.

Then in another situation, a mother recounted how money for a month’s phone bill was all it took to cause a quarrel and distrust between her and her husband who is fighting an end stage cancer of the brains. It was sobering to be reminded how having a surplus of $50 could have given her more mental bandwidth to be less on the edge with her dying husband.

On the same day, I also met with a small-built, underdeveloped-looking lady though she was 22 years of age. Her wide-set eyes that always looked down and away from the gaze of others lent understanding that she has untold stories of pain. Our member introduced the young lady in front of me as “a troubled woman who is suffering from depression”. My insides cringed at such an introduction. Small Lady just stared blankly, unperturbed by the comment. The member then described factually how Small Lady was abandoned at birth by her parents and her grandma raised her singlehandedly. She grew up being bullied by her peers; being called names, or being often locked in toilets. Grandma passed on when Small Lady was 18, causing her to drop out in her last year of studying nursing. Having no other person to call family, she survived either seeking refuge with an abusive boyfriend or staying at the Changi Airport.

I may have initially started at my job thinking inequality is a foreign concept to fight. Hearing the stories of members makes me constantly confront my privilege of having options that I take for granted. It is quite unfair that some people grow up so sheltered with all their ducks in a row, while others just seem to have really the most awful lot in life. I hope I hold the tension of unfairness well, that I won’t remain apathetic or immobilized to inaction. Can mobilizing communities still happen even, with so many crises happening? It almost seems jarring.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded..? (luke 12:48)

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Today, Chelcia, Firdhaus and I were heading back to office after door-knocking for the BHS Community Project and we ran into some kids along the way.

I was very heartened that some of them recognised us from the Monster in the Mirror show the previous weekend and came up to say hi, especially for those who were more reserved in their interactions with us previously. It made me so happy because we are usually the ones initiating the conversations, but this time round they were the ones initiating conversations with us! One girl was on her way back home from school, tapped me to say hi, started talking about her school and even took out her clarinet to play a few notes for us😍 Events like this make me realise that there is value in interacting with people and building relationships with them :")

But while we were interacting with the kids, I was suddenly accosted by a 7 y/o girl who tried to squeeze with me between 2 railings where I was standing (while actually squeezing me in tight hugs (?), and trying to smear syrup from her hands on me) (basically...chaos lah). I was kind of overwhelmed by affection (?) and tried to get out of the railings + offer her a hug + tell her that whatever she was doing was really ticklish... One of my many actions triggered something in her and she started tickling me *very* aggressively. When I told her to stop (and tried to physically restrain her), she became even more aggressive, shouting at me and punching me🤕 It was quite a scary situation, having a small (but nonetheless mighty) girl yelling at me while other kids (and even some uncles and aunties at the side) looked on. I was also quite angry at her because from my perspective I did nothing wrong to her and I felt very wronged... I was super averse to meeting this girl again (actually, still am averse.)

But after thinking more I felt bad for getting angry with the girl, because I know that I'm supposed to love people no matter who they are or what they do... and I think that's something I need to work on (not just for this internship but also for life in general)- genuinely trying to understand people instead of dismissing them as "bad" and just getting angry at them, loving them for who they are even though it may be hard

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I’ve been experiencing this thing called “imposter syndrome”, especially now that I'm a supposed team leader with legit people under me (instead of imaginary teammates). I feel torn between 1) feeling like I’m still raw figuring my way through my own beliefs and opinions about the work I do YET 2) feeling I owe my team mates a perspective that represents and aligns with the agency’s direction. Never mind the fact that as a leader too, there is vaguely some pressure to be somewhat competent to have some legitimacy. Some days, in my leading, I feel like I’m waiting for the smokescreen and cluelessness to be exposed.

Today, I had a chat with Jiawei and Chelcia about their learning objectives. HA. Until I sat down with them to look at their writing, did I have the wash of “oh my, what did I just set myself up for?”

1. I’ve never done a learning objective in my own time at Beyond and now I’m asking them of it.

2. In my own life, I don’t even clarify my own sense of purpose in any context. I feel l’m not walking the talk, but, “YOU GUYS, DO IT ANYWAY! Thanks :D”

Absolutely no double standards going on here, Grace. None.

I’m still nonetheless grateful for the tool that kinda deepened the conversation and perspective taking, beyond the casual “how do you find your time here so far”. It got deeper, maybe cos they had to dig deeper.

I’m reminded of the Alice in Wonderland quote. For the most, I’ve been kinda banking on chance encounters to feel purpose and growth as I fumble along with life.

Where do I want to get to? Otherwise, any route and any method actually go.

As I start to realise how I don’t quite know the greater purpose of projects I do, (in my personal life or work life), it becomes clearer too that in many work convos, people often communicate about the “form” of things than the end goal dream.

I often get discouraged by step number one whenever there are hiccups and look at things linearly. It sucks that since Bob said he wouldn’t mind being a leader for the fridge project, nothing has transpired since and nothing is moving. IT’S A PROBLEM!!

But perhaps I could look at things in incubation phases (to develop a culture of ownership or a community of care blabla bla). And in those phases, a series of successes and failures are things to expect to build the culture. I confess to have harboured much judgment and eye rolls towards Bob for wanting to be a leader but not following up on his words. If I consider his response in context with other laid back volunteers, actually his inaction seems consistent with the group’s response. So why am I surprised or blaming him?

How can a supportive culture in the community then be stirred so he can succeed.

It was in the conversation with Jiawei and Chlecia on learning objectives that got me thinking too about my role as I engage the community. Am I a salesman closing a deal, am I a therapist digging secrets out of people, am I a friend where there is a mutual expectation to share, am I data thief stealing sensitive info, am I a santa claus with freebies, am I a detective trying to solve issues, am a mind-reading psychologist trying to analyse personalities so they can do good.

THE HECK DOES COMMUNITY WORKER MEAN?!

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What I learnt about the community - FirdyFird

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What I learnt about the community - FirdyFird

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(GM Community) I felt that there is stronger unity in GM as compared to BHS community. This can be seen through their communication in Whatsapp group chat and GM's initiative to start their own community fridge. Whereas BHS requires slightly more handholding from us to start / expand their initiatives.

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1. I still find it 😱bizarre, mind-blowing😱 how willing residents are to share about their lives and their struggles with a complete stranger (me) during doorknocking, and how readily they sign their kids up for an Adventure Club even though they may not know what Beyond is. I aspire to find an explanation for myself by the end of my internship.
2. Learnt that every community has their assets and strengths (be it people or resources) that everyone can tap on. It's very nice to see residents sharing resources, asking for help and offering help in their own group chats. They are resourceful and capable of helping one another, even without Beyond (especially the GM community - while this community seems a bit more messy with more issues and concerns, they also seem to have a stronger network of resources)
3. When it rains ☔️, it pours ⛈🌪. Apart from poverty, families are often faced with a multitude of other problems (e.g. poor health, lack of education, strained relationships with family/friends/neighbours, running into trouble with the law, navigating systems). Must be very frustrating for them, wonder if there's a way out of this...

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This week, I had to reinspect some thoughts/ values I gravitate towards.

I kinda preached to the team about not being so quick to offer help to soothe the discomfort of a person’s apparent pain (or mine as the worker!) by offering instant help or going “let me help you”. I mean offering a practical help seems more meaningful than gawking at a crying grown woman.

To some extent, the not discrediting a person’s agency and not being so quick to help still holds has its merits. Maybe the narrative that follows up has some flaws to be challenged; “when you receive help, you’re kinda like a passive recipient”. Is that necessarily THE better view (vs Firdhaus’ earnest “let me help you” persuasion), that every person in pain should jump up and take the rein of control in their lives. On hindsight, I can think of experiences where in my season of pain/ bitterness, I was left debilitated and paralysed, being so sucked in despair and self-pity to be able to make active steps to go forward. Help to think on my behalf when I was in such a state was welcome.

Dear Shidah and Kamesah taught me that accepting something from them can be a way of honouring their hospitality, kindness, generosity, their wanting to give back. And if receiving is viewed only as being in a “lesser position”, it discredits all my giving to others because I’m therefore saying I’m superior and doing a one-up over others.

I sat in a webinar on Saturday called, Education: An Equal Start?

The keynote speaker, Charleen Chiong, was challenging the idea of meritocracy in our education system, where if we work hard enough, we’ll be able to make it. She challenged if that was really the case for low-income families, because it assumes equal starting points and access to resources. Interviewing 12 families over 72 sessions, she noted a theme of  dependency and responsibility that came up. For families that seemed more hopeful in the education system, they had interactions with helpful persons that created hope and a dependency (which eventually led to a sense of responsibility on the part of the interviewed persons). They met a kind teacher who jumped into action, providing uniforms or resources immediately without qualms. The minister would also be quick to expedite immediate practical support on any education matters (but less so for other areas). The state’s provision of accessible, cheap education, and with good interfacing with the system, led to a hopeful dependence, until the family was more resourced/ stable to be responsible for their own life. Charleen challenged the view of the term “dependence”. We typically see it as someone being burdensome. But she saw it as something being neutral, like rhythms of life where babies or the elderly folks are dependent on the caregiver. There was then an exploration of how systems often emphasize responsibility, while short-circuiting or downplaying the process of dependence.

This week, in an SSO networking session, the table of strangers social workers discussed how we can help families achieve, self-reliance, stability and social mobility beyond giving financial help. In that discussion, I remembered hailing judgment towards SSO for prematurely removing help with families and putting them through 3 months of assistance period (before needing to re-apply) and for families with long term chronic health issues. HA! So, this webinar made me realise that I am actually not any more compassionate than SSO. (on the theme of emphasizing responsibility, while short-circuiting or downplaying the dependence stage) My lived experience of people being over-reliant on me, makes me hyper vigilant sniffing out situations of overextending help and not knowing where my limits are, and feeling bad when I decide I need to pull myself away.

I do think these situations make me think wonder where I picked up self-reliance and independence. Without exploring, its so easy to project my value and views on others. The point is not being so black and white on how I see good. There is a more compassionate lens I could take when looking at receiving help and being dependent, instead of seeing a behaviour from a lens of wariness and manipulation.

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If there is one word that I would describe both communities (GM & BHS) is, selfless. Despite challenges that they face within their own communities, members find the courage to put their differences aside to build a more vibrant and supportive environment.

For example, I really commend and admire Shidah as an NL to have a strong mentality - everyone deserves an equal opportunity. She carries this mindset everywhere she goes, and makes sure to include as many people in her community as possible in events that is organised in the area (be it one that she organised by herself or is organised by an external party)