DiD staff not up to standard?

My trip to Dialogue in the Dark was amazing experience. It was definitely thrilling to be put into the shoes of a blind person.For some it was not as thrilling as they felt vulnerable and not in control of their fate which might have scared them.

What I find amazing about Dialogue in The Dark was that it was very well established. It had its management structure, itinerary, plans, schedules all planned out. The mini-games were exciting although possibly highly overused. The maintenance if the place is extraordinary.

However, after Yonghao's ,Vanesse's ,and Francine's presentation in Business Management last week i realised thatin every seemingly perfect organization, they are all flawed. In fact DiD might not even be operating at its optimal strength. Facing problems with staff and interns is just minor compared to what the manager deals with all by himself.

This leads me to think of something Enoch Teo once said,"We as a social enterprise have to be more understanding." I do agree to some extent. Sure, a social enterprise are possibly more empathetic. But should that get in the way of the business such that it adversely affects the operations. Allowing staff to slack off is not my idea of being empathetic. Thats being "silly" to put it in more relatable and polite terms.

If I were to ever set up a social enterprise I would definitely make it clear that we were running a business and that in no way would i be able to allow unco-operative behaviour. We would need to be a team and it wouldnt be fair if others had to work harder than others simply because i could be empathetic.

Signing off,
Abigail

The Art Scene in Singapore

In Singapore, the government has been trying to place more importance on creating a more artistic society.
Be it the art of : Animation, Architecture, Body art, Brief art, Cinema art, the art of Comic Writing, Dance, Digital art, Drawing,Engraving,Gastronomy,Graffiti,Music,the Opera,Painting,Photography,Pottery,Poetry,Sculpture,Singing,Theatre,Woodwork and Writing.

Various social enterprises have also been set up with the aim to conserve the arts and culture in Singapore. Of the 8 pointed out on raiSE, i will talk about Pangolin Films. The Vision of Pangolin Films is "We want to be the regional source and eventually a global source of award-winning content especially in the area of social service and public awareness, and the centre for nurturing and promoting creativity in the industry."

To date Pangoling Films has released 23 films. And won 2 Awards. One of the most popular films released was "Hentak Kaki" which at the 3rd Singapore Short Film Awards was awarded Best Performance and Nominated for Best Director, Script. The director James Khoo said ,"Whether it’s the characters and their context to modern society or the direction of the piece, what this basically shows is the ability of the Singapore audience to appreciate a local film in a variety of ways yet still take away something from it and share it with others. It shows engagement beyond the film and it is deeply encouraging for me (and I hope for other filmmakers as well) that there is so much potential in engaging the local community in positive ways through film or art as a whole."

This is the part i would like to touch on. Unlike other arts and culture conservation SE's, Pangolin Films release material that is truly local and very much relatable to any Singaporean. Unlike Asylum Theatre and BeatABox which are also SE's that are working for the same cause, Pangolin Films is a Singaporean Start-up.

I feel that nowadays, due to globalization, art in Singapore has also been westernized. It is common to see classes for hip-hop dance and jazz and classes to learn how to cook sous-vide egg. But are there enough Singaporean representations of these art forms. As we continue to fight for a more creative society, we should also remember to fight for the conservation of our Singaporean Culture.

With Sg50 just having ended, dont we have something to think about?

Khoo(2013, 1 May) The Filmmaker's thoughts on "Hentak Kaki". Retrieved from:
http://pangolinfilms.com.sg/pangolin/the-filmmakers-thoughts-on-hentak-kaki/

Eighteen Chefs & Ex-convict Employment

When the Eighteen Chefs branch at Ang Mo Kio first opened, me and friends were extremely excited because it meant nice meals at student prices. It was easily accessible and the meals looked really good on the menu. Upon my first step into the restaurant, my friend whispered "Do you know all the staff here are ex-convicts?" 

"Oh really?" I replied, intrigued. I wondered after that as i scanned the faces of the staff. What was so special about this place hiring ex-convicts? Does it mean that they're gonna be rude or be impatient? My friends were extra careful and wary about their valuables that day. I just sat there and ate my food thinking, "Its a restaurant all the same, as long as they serve good food, it doesn't matter who I am being served by." 

By far, Eighteen Chefs is one of the most successful social enterprises stemmed from local ground. The founder, Mr Se Teo attributes this success to his business model. Now, Eighteen Chefs yields in profits but it would not have been possible without some losses.

The article dated April 14, 2014 talks about the history of Eighteen Chefs and its founder Mr Se Teo. In the beginning of the article Mr Se Teo was said to have almost went into a drug relapse due to the loss and disdain he felt while Eighteen Chefs was first facing financial losses.

The article is linked here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/former-drug-addict-cooking-up-social-change

This thought me that every social enterprise like every other business will be suffering losses. It will be especially difficult if we were supposed to set aside a certain amount of profit for our beneficiaries. To do good and earn profit is not easy. But Mr Se Teo has also thought me the most important thing about social enterprises and that is the main reason it exists is to make a social change. He has touched the lives of many ex-convicts and youth-at-risk and most importantly, he has turned over a new leaf by not going into drug relapse that first time.

Eighteen Chefs is a very good example of an enterprise that has manged to socially integrate their beneficiaries into society but till today, ex-convicts still face discrimination. In every interview, in every employment form, there is bound to be the question , "Have you been convicted of any criminal charges?" or the likes. Singapore still has a long way to go before the ex-convicts will be seamlessly integrated into our society. However, ex-convict employment rates have seen a rise.

According to Jantai (2014) "Not only has their starting pay risen, more are able to hold on to their jobs. Last year, about 60 per cent of the former convicts retained their jobs for at least half a year, compared to 37 per cent who manage to do so in 2007." and "Things are also looking up for the ex-offenders because a criminal past seems to matter less now, with more employers lining up to hire them. About 4,145 employers are registered with Score now, up from 2,459 in 2010." This shows that slowly and steadily, the ex-offenders are being accepted into our society and this is truly a great thing to create a more inclusive society.

Signing off,
Abigail