Category: Featured

Goducate has been conducting its Happy Happy English program in two dormitories for foreign workers in Singapore. And it has been possible only through the efforts of our band of volunteers, who have given up Saturday night after Saturday night to travel long distances to these dormitories to teach the residents functional English and to extend to them a hand of friendship.

Hence last Wednesday, at the start of a few weeks’ break in the program, Goducate held a volunteers’ appreciation night at which volunteers came to share experiences. It was also a time during which newcomers learnt about Goducate philosophy and methods.

Volunteers who were picked upon to speak impromptu about their thoughts on the Happy Happy English program told the rest how they had received much more than they had given. They told about what the students had said about the program—-how the students valued not just the teaching, but also the warmth of the friendship received. In many cases meeting Goducate was the first time that locals had encountered a friendly face. Some students even referred to volunteers as family.

Most of the blue-collar foreign workers live in dormitories housing thousands of people and generally sited in the middle of nowhere. They work long hours, hence the scheduling of the classes for Saturday nights, and even then many of them don’t get to class on time at 8pm. Because of overtime, they sometimes get back later than that, with barely time for a quick shower, and dinner to be cooked after class ends at 10 pm.

Goducate will be starting the Happy Happy English program in a third dormitory soon. But there are nearly 50 dormitories for foreign workers in Singapore. Thus many volunteers will be needed for the program to be offered to more dormitories. The Happy Happy English program needs volunteers to teach, to facilitate the small-group work during which students practise their oral English, to help with technical matters, to act, sing and dance for our videos, and even to cook. Dinner at the volunteer-appreciation night was prepared by volunteers.

May 24th marked the end of our first 12-week term for Happy Happy English (HHE) at a dormitory for foreign workers. To commemorate this occasion, we held a graduation ceremony for the students.

Goducate started a program called HHE earlier this year after a riot in Little India late last year led to the restriction of foreign workers to that area. We started providing conversational English classes in a fun and unconventional way in the dormitory, focusing on building confidence in our students and making learning fun. There were three levels of classes. Over the 12-week program, we focused on workplace English, how to speak to supervisors, asking for directions, and talking about themselves and their families, among other things.

The graduation ceremony was preceded by a volleyball tournament between the dormitory workers and players from Goducate’s Connectayo program, a program for getting to know Filipino foreign workers through sport. The dormitory team thrashed the visiting team. We later found out that the dormitory had an Indian state player and a volleyball coach in their team!

The graduation ceremony was a chance for the students to showcase their talents in song, dance, and in a skit. They sang in their mother tongues as well as in English. The skit incorporated topics taught over the past 12 weeks. The students also performed a choreographed dance item. Some students also spoke, in video clips, or live, about what they had learned and achieved through this program. One from India described HHE as a “life-achievement program” where one can learn new things and feel good about them. The proudest moment for each of the students and for the teachers was when each student was called up on stage to receive the certificate.

After all the formalities, we had a time of dinner and catching up with the students. A young worker from Bangladesh told one of our teachers that this was the most memorable moment in his life so far.

Goducate is currently running HHE in 2 dormitories, each housing thousands of workers. We plan to start our program in a third dormitory soon.