“I developed a love for volunteering since young. While my mum was a nursing manager at an old folks’ home, I’d meet and chit-chat with the senior citizens. It was always easier for me to connect with older people, and spending time with them always warmed my heart.
I also found that I connect with kids and youth a lot – it’s just heartwarming to be with them. Later on, my volunteer work involved children too. In school, I would mentor and give tuition to primary school students.
Before volunteering became a full-time job, I did think about teaching as a career. What changed my mind was seeing homeless people sleeping on benches as I was walking home from a nearby 24-hour McDonald’s. I had spent the night there studying for my A-Levels.
I live in a very mature estate in Paya Lebar, and I had never seen that many homeless people out in the streets past midnight. I remember thinking how great it would be if I could help people for a living, and then it suddenly hit me that I could help people as a living; as a social worker.
That realisation influenced my decision to pursue my bachelor’s degree in social work at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. I also worked at the Singapore After-Care Association (SACA) where I helped ex-offenders for about two and a half years.
The interesting truth is, my experience with helping ex-offenders started way before I worked at SACA. It was in 2014 when I volunteered to be a mentor with ISCOS as part of their Fairy Godparent Programme.
One of the projects I took part in was painting a kid’s house. I didn’t know much about the girl’s parents or their history as ex-offenders, but I can never forget how she literally jumped with joy when she saw us painting her room in her favourite colour.
There was also a period of time where prison felt like a second home because I was mentoring a troubled youth. Seeing his transition from a confused kid to a really confident young man was very beautiful.
I think mentoring these kids is important. One of the problems society now faces is the rise in intergenerational offending. If one or both parents are in prison, the child is more likely to follow their parents’ missteps as compared to the general public.
It’s not genetics, and it’s not the kid’s fault for being susceptible to crime. It’s just the environment that he or she was raised in. For me, one of the aims of being a mentor is to provide support and make sure the child doesn’t go down the wrong path in life.
Yes, I would recommend volunteering as a mentor with ISCOS. I do know of people who are interested but say they’re far too busy. 24 hours is a limited period of time, so you have to assess your list of priorities.
Don’t volunteer for the sake of volunteering; volunteer with commitment and heart. Just know that the universe works in funny ways. The more you give, the more you will get. Stick to this belief and volunteer work won’t be a hassle.” – Devan, 26
Devanantthan S/O Ragupathi is a volunteer with ISCOS.
Humans of ISCOS is a collaboration between The Everyday People and ISCOS, a co-operative that helps ex-offenders in Singapore. Read more here.
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![[Content warning – this profile piece discusses the subject of suicide that may be sensitive and potentially triggering. Reader discretion is advised. Information about seeking help is available at the end of the carousel post. Stay safe]
“My brother died 8 years ago. I was at home when I found out. It was a Friday night, and I was on a long-distance call with my partner who was in Europe at the time. At 1am, I got up from bed to go to the toilet. That’s when I saw my mum crying alone in the living room.
My mum isn’t a particularly emotional person. I’ve probably seen her cry three times my whole life. I was worried and concerned, of course, and asked what’s going on. She turned to me and said, ‘I have bad news. Joel died.’
When a sibling dies unexpectedly, it takes time for you to process the news. And then you realise that your family will never be the same again. You will never be full or complete anymore. There is only brokenness. And that was the first emotion that hit me really hard.
The next morning, we got more details, and I learnt that he killed himself. When someone commits suicide, family is required to identify the body at the mortuary. My mum said, ‘Look, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.’ And I’m thinking, how can I let you do this alone?!
Even though I could sense a heaviness in the air around her, my mother looked relatively composed. But when they wheeled in the body, she simply broke. She kept saying that it’s not him. It’s not him. It doesn’t look like him. I had never seen that side of her before.
My mother was always put together, but at that moment, she sounded like a young mother who had just lost her newborn baby. It was less heartbreaking that I lost my brother, and more painful that I had to see her that way.
When my brother was 12, he moved out of the house and lived with my grandmother. I never knew why. Maybe it’s because we weren’t well-to-do. Maybe it’s because our parents didn’t have the best of relationships. I was his younger sister, but I didn’t know much about him.
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