Empowering Single Parents Network celebrates National Day with an outing at Hort Park.
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| CN PHOTO: Alvin Loh |
In collaboration with City Harvest Community Services Association, the Empowering Single Parents Network organized a get-together for 70 single parents, children and volunteers at Hort Park on Aug. 9, National Day morning. With a rising number of single parents in society today, ESPN seeks to be an avenue where single parents can come together to form a community providing a supportive environment for interaction, friendship and moral support among one another.
Parents and children gathered at the entrance of Henderson Wave for registration and collection of goodie bags. There were activities such as body paint art and balloon sculpting to engage the children. Many came decked out in shades of red and white in line with the National Day celebrations.
The program for the day was filled with games and friendly competition, where everyone was immersed in a joyous atmosphere right from the start. Participants had a good time sweating it out by walking on the suspension bridge and cheering for teams to complete various obstacles in the forest trails. Games that tested the wits and teamwork of participants included a National Day trivia, where team members had to collaborate with one another in order to complete the quiz. This and other games were specifically designed to encourage parent-child interaction.
Volunteers of CHCSA and ESPN provided much needed support by guiding the young children and facilitating the games to ensure smooth operations of the entire event.
Self-employed Stella Goo, 45, and a mother of two teenagers, appreciated the efforts of the organizers in holding the event for single parents. She believes that such activities “help to foster greater teamwork and ensure quality time and bonding between parents and their children.”
She adds that “the presence of other single parents has also encouraged a sharing of experiences and created a means of emotional support within this close-knitted network.
Many of the parents concurred that the network has become a platform for them to forge valuable friendships and find support in the form of insightful advice and practical assistance shared among one another. Most have built meaningful relationships that have helped one another cope with single parenthood through the collective sharing of experiences.
Head of ESPN, Tan Yah Lan, 37, hopes that through the activities organized by the network, members can find a renewed identity and confidence to see them through their roles as single parents.
To find out more about Empowering Singles Parents Network, you may e-mail to espn@chc.org.sg or call the ESPN hotline at +65 6737 6266.
