A Helping Hand from Helping Young People Achieve (HYPA)

At Boon Lay Secondary School, helping at-risk youths means not only counselling them about the error of their ways, but also increasing their sense of connectedness to the school and their families. This is the focus of the school’s signature Helping Young People Achieve (HYPA) programme, which consists of purposeful and interactive activities designed for students who are at risk of dropping out of school, grappling with behavioural issues or who have experienced brushes with the law or going through family upheavals.

Mohammad Suffian was one of the students from the pioneer batch of HYPA in 2009 and is now studying at the Institute of Education (ITE). Reflecting on the impact of HYPA, he says, “I was inspired by an ex-convict who turned his life around. He told us not to give up in life. Then why should we, when society offers us more opportunities today compared to his time?”

Through HYPA, about 15 at-risk students are taken under the wing of full-time school counsellor, Mdm Dahlia Mohamed Aris, and her team of teachers. The enrichment programme kicks off with a 10-day HYPA Time-Out Programme, which incorporates activities such as team building, workshops and mock interviews to trigger students’ self-reflection and ambitions for the future. The school sustains its engagement with the students through interest-based programmes such as HYPA Energy, HYPA Sounds and HYPA Lifestyle. The programme also works with partners such as Beyond Social Services, Children’s Society, and the National Parks Board.

Nurturing dreams

Mdm Dahlia explains, “The Time-Out Programme gets them thinking about what they need to change in their lives so they can get what they want in the future.” Adds Mr Kris Aidil Abdullah, Allied Educator (Teaching and Learning), “When one of the boys told us he wanted to be a chef, we encouraged him to think about what has he been doing about it in the meantime. Today, he is studying in SHATEC.”

Mohammad Izwan was also from the pioneer HYPA batch of 2009. “When I went home after the Time-Out Programme, I started to think about my future,” he recalls. What he had learned made him move from the back of the classroom to the front, where he developed greater focus and asked more questions during lessons. Izwan’s efforts paid off, garnering him a Good Progress Award in school that year. “We called his parents to congratulate him. He was so embarrassed as it was a new experience for him!” shares Mr Kris.

The open communication lines between the school, parents and students are another defining feature of HYPA. The teachers invite parents to watch a video of their children’s experiences during HYPA and also to participate in activities such as futsal together. In addition, the HYPA Art of Living workshops tackle the specific issue of communication. One such activity involves parents and children taking turns to give instructions on how to bake muffins while the other party is blindfolded. This interaction highlights the importance of patience, giving clear instructions and asking questions.

To create shared memories, parents and their children are whisked off on a trip to Johor Bahru organised by the teachers. Reflection journals guide them on developing conversations that can build greater understanding between parents and children. Mdm Dahlia observes, “Parents might be so busy that deeper sharing with their children doesn’t take place. When parents and children learn to be honest with each other, we find that teachers don’t have to keep calling parents for things like submitting consent forms or their children being late for school because we can all work together.”

Stronger parent-to-child bonds also inspire a greater sense of motivation in the students. “I felt like I had been hurting my mother all the while,” says Suffian. “Now I just want to make my parents proud of me.”

Opportunities to shine

In other HYPA activities, the classic combination of music and entertainment offers a medium to build students’ morale and rapport with their schoolmates. For instance, students in HYPA Sounds often delight their peers with performances of Batucada (samba) music, dances and deejaying during recess.

In particular, the Batucada band has been a big hit. Calling themselves the W.H.A.T (We Have Awesome Talent!), the band got its start when Mr Kris teamed up with the T-Net Club from Taman Jurong Community Centre which provided funding for brand new instruments. (The T-Net Club is a non-profit teens organisation and part of the People’s Association network.) The band is open only to students from the Normal (Technical) stream. “These students are very talented and they have a hunger to showcase their talents,” says Mr Kris. A sensation during their first performance at the school’s Sports Day, the band has never let up since and has received invitations to perform for events such as Chingay.

Band members include both students in HYPA and students who are not. This encourages positive peer relationships which embed the students within the wider school community. Mdm Shirley Wong, who teaches class 4T1, remarks, “The Batucada team is made up of several students in my class so they feel united and have a sense of belonging to the school. They offer each other a lot of support and promised themselves that they will graduate together and not lose anyone.”

Such successes come about only as a result of hard work, determination and a strong sense of mission, but it is a task that the HYPA team cherishes. Mr Kris says, “I’m very proud of the students. HYPA is about character development. Even if their academic results may be average at this point in time, with strength of character, they will go far in life.”