OUR PAST INITIATIVES

 

DETONAXION HQ 

COW’s Teens & Youth Hang-Out Centre
2003 - 2010

2003 - 2010 was a radical time in Change Our World. We operated the Teens & Youth Hang-Out Centre DetonaXion HQ out of a second storey shophouse in Geylang Lorong 1 and conducted some incredible programmes thanks to all our amazing volunteers.

  • #Makanhouse

    Makan House

    Makan House was our flagship. For 2 hours every Saturday, underprivileged and latchkey kids in the community came for a free lunch, then a social-education and activities session that included topics like friendships, difficult emotions, how to handle bullies, etc.

  • Free Tuition & Group Study

    This took place straight after Makan House. And lasted anywhere from 2 - 4 hours, sometimes on additional days during exams. We had a dedicated group of volunteers anywhere from 14 - 25 years old that stuck it out with our kids, doing their best to help them get ahead in school.

  • Home Visitations with Pick-up / Drop-off

    Many of these same tutors did home visitations to their families, under the supervision of our social worker volunteers, and would often do pick-ups and drop-offs in order for the kids to stay consistent with tuition. That time together—between home and our center—turned out to be an essential intervention tool that made incredible impact.

  • PROGRAMMES

    Along the way, we also established the RikRats Weekly Soccer Club for…boys, although we had a few girls as well! :) and held Bi-annual Children’s Day Camps—where we had enrichment lessons and excursions to places that many of our COW kids could not afford on their own. Parents were invited to join in and be a part of programme.

  • Vacation Music & Creative Arts School

    One of the final initiatives we introduced in the last few years of the Centre was our Vacation Music & Creative Arts School. For $30, COW kids could take 8 - 10 weeks of classes—guitar, music production, graphic design and dance. Some of COW’s kids discovered passion and talents, some even went on to pursue those areas later in their education.