DPA was invited to participate in the ‘6th Annual Be the Change Exposition 2015′ organised by SoCh (Social Change) in Action. SoCh in Action is a social enterprise that focuses on empowering children to think, voice and act to address real issues in the community. They work closely with schools, social sector and educators in designing and implementing innovative programmes based on Social Innovation and Human-Centred Design. In collaboration with SoCh in Action, DPA conducted Disability Awareness Talk Series (DATS) at Westwood Secondary School and at Ngee Ann Secondary School, Singapore in May and July 2015.This event is third one in the line.
On 12 November 2015, ‘Be the Change Exposition 2015′ was held at the Suntec City Convention Centre . The theme was ‘SG50 and Next’. DPA set up two booths at this event with three interactive activities – Caption It, Spin for Access and Recycled T-Shirt bag.
Caption It
A poster was shown and participants was asked to write a caption for that poster. Many people wrote captions and some of them recognised the poster was a part of public campaign to spread awareness about inclusion and disability issues. This activity was intended get people thinking about how to build an inclusive culture in the society.
Spin for Access
The participant was asked to spin the arrow on a wheel displaying numbers. Based on the number the arrow ended up pointing to the participant had to try and identify an accessibility symbol. The participants who identified the symbol correctly won prizes. Those who did not learned about that symbol meant. This activity focussed on spreading awareness about inclusion. Both adults and children enjoyed this activity. Some of them spent a lot of time at DPA booth to learn about all the different access symbols in this activity. This activity proved that learning is indeed enjoyable.
Recycled T-Shirt Bag
Ms Halipa Ahmad demonstrated how to make bags from used T-Shirts. The students had hands on experience and used T-shirt were transformed into handy bags within fifteen minutes. Children enjoyed working as team to make these bags. Such recycling projects are often good money earning projects for disabled people.
Overall, the event inspired the participants to develop empathy for a range of social causes and also to feel united, empowered and encouraged them to be more vocal in efforts to make Singapore more inclusive. Schools and other participating organisations came up with interactive and meaningful activities which inspired and engaged the participants.
We thank Ms Anandi. S. Iyer and Ms Rose Nani (DPA volunteers), Ms Anisha and Ms Yen Cheng (Soch in Action Volunteers for DPA) for their dedication and hard work. DPA’s participation in the‘6th Annual Be the Change Exposition 2015′ was a great success. Thank you SoCh in Action. DPA hopes to continue working with SoCh in Action towards an inclusive Singapore.
