The Art Faculty
Our team is taking part in A Very Special Photo Challenge to support Autism Resource Centre (Singapore). Join us in raising funds to empower ARC's beneficiaries to lead independent and meaningful lives. Donate through our team profile - thank you for your support!
My Photo Challenge
To Thrive, Choose Chill.
It was one of those intense day with work tasks that motivated me to take to the pool. It was less about the laps, but more about the refreshing temperature, some movement and being alone with my thoughts. I paused at one end of the pool, removed my goggles, and a boy of about 8 years old stepped up to the edge of the pool. I looked up at him. He had a full cast on his right arm; a recent fracture perhaps. Gleefully, he tossed a small leaf into the pool to watch it float on the water. He took a confident step and plunged in fully clothed, shoes and all. It took a couple of seconds for me to clock that he had no intention to swim, nor was he able to. I grabbed him, extracted him from his struggle and hoisted him back on dry land. A man, I’d assume to be his father, rushed to him uttering the boy’s name. The boy giggled and stared at his father. No words, but just a puzzled, slightly perplexed look on his father’s face. I felt the exasperation, but the boy was delighted. I recognised it. The father made a choice to not react. He thanked me and left promptly with his still giggling son. I felt safe to assume that the boy might be on the autism spectrum and probably non-verbal. He likely was convinced he could float on the water like his leaf. Not all moments are teaching moments. Maybe the man felt that his son has learnt sufficiently from the shock of sinking and gulps of pool water. His father chose to chill, so his son can thrive.
Our go-to activities and places to keep calm!
This week’s theme is on Chill & Thrive – and here’s our team’s take on activities and places that bring them peace. Listening to music, writing, enjoying nature, travelling and going to Jewel Changi! What’s yours?
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We’re so thankful to have ArtBar Café right at our workspace where we can grab our daily cup of coffee or ice cold drink ☺️ Essential for contemplation and hydration. Essential for training new baristas!
Essential Rituals
As a neurotypical, from the moment I wake up, I have a very fixed routine. Sparing you the details, I complete the same itinerary of taking the same optimised routes in the apartment for morning chores – making the bed, picking up the cat’s bowls, sequence of cupboards opened to retrieve items, every task and micro execution – I get discombobulated if these are deviated from. Even my weekday WFH salad lunch has exactly the same leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, chicken – same prep steps, complete with finishing with a mug of coffee with Hup Seng Crackers. If all these provide local coherence and sense of secured successes for me, I would love to think rigid routines can provide essential respite and self efficacy for many neurodivergent individuals. Seek first to understand. We all can be a little more analytical, instead of reacting to seemingly inconvenient stubbornness. Personal rituals are soothing self-care.
OUR DONATIONS
$100.00
Ong Teck Chye donated to Victor Ong
Jia you! Thank you for being so kind and generous with us and others !
$100.00
Anonymous Donor donated to Victor Ong
$50.00
Anonymous Donor donated to Victor Ong
$50.00
Jj donated to Victor Ong
CHALLENGE MILESTONES
Raised so far
$216,746.07
Our goal
$1,000,000
Challenge Ends in
2474
Donations
221
Participants
27
Teams