NLB Build-Your-Own Workshop 2022

- written by Manivasagam Sruthi and Teo Wan Ting Kristal (Leaders of SUSS CE7) and Gita Mohan Harjani (Leader of Volunteer Management SUSS CE7)

We are immensely grateful for being rendered the opportunity to lead and carry out crafting sessions under Social Gifting for the BYO NLB @ Chua Chu Kang Event alongside the CE7 Volunteer Management (VM) team. 

Despite being a one-day affair on the 21st of September 2022, much prior planning and preparation were done to ensure the workshop was smooth sailing. Each member of the CE7 team had gone through several idea generations before coming to a consensus that the Bee Plushy Craft, by the VM Team, would be the selected craft for our capstone project. 

The VM team worked on prototypes, gathering scrap materials and tutorials to guide those who signed up for the event. These took hours of editing and discussion with our founder, Valen, to ensure we simplify the craft as much for our senior participants. As the Leaders, we also got the opportunity to work closely with the team during these sessions enabling us to forge stronger connections with one another while being able to practice shared leadership. 

Not forgetting the efforts of our other teams. With the marketing team's assistance in creating posters and advertising for the event, we were able to have a fully signed-up workshop two weeks before the actual event. It was truly a validating moment for us to work harder to make this event a success.

We would also like to extend our thanks to NLB for organizing this event that allowed us to have a platform to engage with the members of public and share more about Social Gifting and our crafters. As a not for profit social enterprise, we aim to create a community where crafting can bring people together, enable social impact, and enrich communities, precisely what we have achieved during the course of the workshop. 

Despite the tedious planning process, it was all worth it to see our efforts come to fruition in the smiles on the seniors' faces as they were crafting. In fact, at some parts, they were also teaching us some handy sewing tips which formed reciprocal exchanges. This definitely warmed our hearts to see the project come to life. Adding to that, we were also able to dispel their own age-related stereotypes about themselves and empower them as active contributors to the society. 

We had many fruitful conversations with everyone at the workshop and even motivated some of them to join us as volunteers. We cannot hold our excitement to see how Social Gifting will continue to expand and excel through many more milestones like this.

Above all, teamwork was essential to ensure that this workshop was successful. With the encouragement and help of our founder and the other CE7 teams' Finance, Logistics, Sales and Development, and Marketing teams by our side, we managed to make the event a successful outing despite our commitments at hand.

This experience has humbled us to be empathetic leaders, build an ecosystem of care through forming relationships as well as advocate for Social Gifting in a larger scale. 

We foresee ourselves continuing to putting our best foot forward to engage in novel creations with Social Gifting. We believe that, together, the potential we hold is endless!

Signing off, 

Gita, Kristal & Sruthi on behalf of the CE7 Team <3