“I’m currently in the Empathy Task Force at Youth Corps Singapore, although I’m waiting for university to start later this year. I’ll be doing Occupational Therapy at the University of Sydney.

I chose Occupational Therapy because I like the nature of the job; it’s very empathy-based. You have to design a rehabilitation plan based on a person’s daily living needs. In Singapore, it’s most relevant to kids with developmental delays, or seniors who are unable to do day-to-day activities themselves.

When did I join Youth Corps? Over two years ago; I was in the first cohort of leaders. To be very honest, after I graduated from JC last year, I told myself, enough of volunteering. Sometimes you get tired, and you just want take a break from an environment where you’re constantly giving to others.

I thought that was it for me; but, I was back soon enough. I think the energy of being in a group helped me a lot. People assume that as a leader, I’m a discrete entity from the rest of the team, but a leader’s worth is determined by the team itself. When you do good work, it makes more sense to do it together.

I think it’s still possible for me to do volunteer work even when I become a full-time student. We can all agree that volunteerism is very much a lifestyle, as opposed to just doing tasks and checking off a list of places you’ve visited or beneficiaries you’ve been with before. We all have things that we love, and when we love something, we make time for it.” – Shermaine, 19

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