STORY PREVIEW

Kaeden Seow and Zhang Yihan are competitive table tennis players from Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School. They play table tennis in school and outside school. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, their school and the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) conducted structured online table tennis training. They liked these training sessions because they kept them fit and active and they did not feel so bored at home. However, Kaeden and Yihan could not help but wonder how persons with disabilities, notably children and youth, keep themselves physically active and if they also have stay-at-home sports activities. They felt that children and youth with disabilities should be like their schoolmates - able to participate in indoor and outdoor sports, keep themselves active and have lots of fun!

According to statistics from the Ministry of Social and Family Development in 2018, 2.1% of our Singapore 460,000-student population, equivalent to about 10,000 children and youth have disabilities. Not many of these children and youth participate in sports and keep themselves physically active. For example, for the para table tennis programme which is overseen by the Table Tennis Association for the Disabled (Singapore) (TTADS), a member of the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), there are about 40 para table tennis team members, and there are very few young para table tennis players. Kaeden and Yihan wanted to help the SDSC raise awareness and funds to support disability sports for children and youth in Singapore.

Persons with disabilities, notably children and youth in Singapore, face challenges in participating in sports and staying physically active. Their primary concerns are dealing with stereotypes, engaging coaches and trainers for disability sports programmes, having funds to purchase suitable sports equipment and gear, as well as managing concerns about safety and accessibility of transport to attend training or competitions.

1. Organise a fundraising campaign to raise awareness and funds for the SDSC to support disability sports for children and youth in Singapore. 2. Give an assembly talk in school to share the importance of volunteering and rally support for disability sports for children and youth in Singapore. 3. Initiate a lesson on the Student Learning Space (SLS) on disability sports. 4. Volunteer at the TTADS and train with the national para table tennis players. 5. Recruit more children and youth with disabilities to take up para table tennis. 6. Involve school’s coaches and teammates to teach the children and youth with disabilities how to play table tennis.

To raise awareness and funds for the SDSC to support disability sports for children and youth in Singapore, they chose to 1) Embark on a GIVE.asia fundraising campaign led by Kaeden; https://give.asia/campaign/support-disability-sports-in-singapore-by-kaeden-seow#/led 2) Share at the school’s assembly talk 3) Initiate a lesson on the school’s SLS on disability sports. To encourage students to step forward to do volunteer work, and be active contributors and concerned citizens in Singapore, 4) Zhang Yihan, Kaeden trained with the TTADS national para players to help them prepare for their overseas competitions during the school holidays in June 2022. Both Yihan and Kaeden also created a video clip to share their volunteering experience. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m3R9MvrP6kGf-nMFatfTHYQJJxgQp1cN/view?usp=drivesdk

In November 2021, Kaeden spearheaded a fundraising campaign on disability sports in Singapore raising a total of $7,489. These donations helped to support Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC)'s efforts to introduce disability sports to children and youth. He shared about his fundraising campaign on disability sports during the school assembly on 8 November 2021. Ms Sim Ann, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, backed the fundraising campaign and it was published on #facesofBT on Instagram, Bukit Timah Telegram and volunteer chat groups on WhatsApp. Kaeden also initiated a Student Learning Space (SLS) lesson on disability sports in November 2021 which was shared to the students in his school. Kaeden and Yihan volunteered their time at the Table Tennis Association for the Disabled (Singapore) (TTADS) and trained with the national para table tennis players during the June holidays in 2022. They also did a video clip to share their volunteering experience at TTADS. Kaeden and Yihan gave an assembly talk in school on 13 July 2022 and SHARED the importance of volunteering and to rally support for disability sports for children and youth in Singapore. They also wanted to encourage students to step forward to do volunteer work, and be active contributors and concerned citizens in Singapore. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11xZg42yiDmilIC7VYTSU4DvRI-s3XB1V/view?usp=drivesdk

The fundraising campaign raised a total of $7,489. The donations were matched dollar-for-dollar under Project Resilience, SDSC’s approved Enhanced Fundraising Programme under the Tote Board. The donations supported SDSC’s efforts to introduce disability sports to children and youth, and were administered in areas such as coaching, purchase of equipment and transportation. Kaeden and Yihan has also managed to raise awareness about disability sports for children and youth in school and the community. Students were more aware of the challenges they face and are more sensitive to their needs. While working hard on their good cause to rally support for disability sports for children and youth in Singapore, Kaeden and Yihan had grown to appreciate community service and made many new friends along the way.

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(1) Ms Kelly Fan, Executive Director of SDSC in her letter of appreciation dated 4 January 2022: “The Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Kaeden Seow, your son, and you, for organising a successful fundraising campaign ‘Support Disability Sports in Singapore by Kaeden Seow’. We would also like to acknowledge the many parties who have helped to support Kaeden, such as Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School, Singapore Table Tennis Association, Table Tennis Association for the Disabled (Singapore) and everyone who contributed to the cause.” (2) Mr Steve Tee, Singapore Para-Cyclist in his excerpt of the campaign video: https://give.asia/campaign/support-disability-sports-in-singapore-by-kaeden-seow#/ (3:22) “I am an athlete supported by the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC). SDSC works hard to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities to pursue and experience sports. As a charity and an Institution of Public Character, SDSC relies heavily on donations to continue serving our beneficiaries. We are very grateful for initiatives such as Kaeden’s project and it shows that Singaporeans are willing to take a stand for persons with disabilities to support their ambitions. Thank you, Kaeden, for organising this fundraiser and we encourage everyone to give generously!”

One para table tennis player was unwilling to have his training video footage to be included in the campaign video at the last minute. Other options had to be explored such as looking for video footage of another player, blurring or adding pixelate effect on the video footage, as well as seeking help from the SDSC to talk with the player to change his mind. In the end, the player changed his mind after SDSC spoke with him and he allowed the use of his video footage in the campaign video. Following this incident, they were mindful of the Personal Data Protection Act and had to be careful when collecting and using videos and photographs of the para table tennis players. They had to seek their permission for taking and using of their videos and photographs in their initiatives.

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Reduced inequalities

Singapore will be a more caring and inclusive society where more persons with disabilities participate in sports and be physical active. They will be able to achieve their fullest potential and be contributing members of society.

The GIVE.asia fundraising campaign on disability sports for children and youth in Singapore was shared during the school’s morning assembly on 8 November 2021, via the SLS lesson and social media platforms such as Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube etc. The SDSC, the TTADS, the STTA, as well as friends and families also helped to publicise Kaeden’s initiatives on their social media platforms. Ms Sim Ann, Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, backed the fundraising campaign and it was published on #facesofBT on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CW5kfUYPNHb/?utm_medium=copy_link, Bukit Timah Telegram and volunteer chat groups on WhatsApp. Kaeden and Yi Han shared their volunteering experience at TTADS during the school’s morning assembly on 12 July 2022.

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Kaeden and Yi Han would like to involve the school’s table tennis team and coaches to reach out to the children and youth with disabilities and train together on a regular basis. They would also look out for opportunities to collaborate with the SDSC and the TTADS to organise fundraising campaigns to continue to raise awareness and funds to support disability sports in Singapore.