Issue 6 - Association of Muslim Professionals

CounsellorsINSPIRASIHIGH TEA SERIESby Rosedah Anuarcommon problems these families face and the issuesthat arise when dealing with such families. To that end,INSPIRASI@AMP organised a sharing session under itsCounsellors High Tea Series entitled “Working withMalay/Muslim Young Couples and Their Families” on 19March 2010, attended by 60 counsellors, social workersand welfare officers from various social service agenciesand family service centres (FSC).During the session, Mdm Rasimah Jar of ProWISE Consultancy shareduseful insights on issues that young Malay/Muslim couples often faceThe problem of dysfunctional families in the Malay/Muslim community is a worrying one, especiallysince the issues they face are often multi-faceted.This is made worse by the limited number of Malay/Muslim social workers in the community. One way tomitigate the situation is to equip non-Malay/Muslimsocial workers with an in-depth understanding of theThe participants, 70% of whom were non-Malay/Muslims,benefited from a presentation by Mdm Rasimah Jar,Managing Director of ProWISE Consultancy Pte Ltd, onthe profile of young Malay/Muslim couples and theirfamilies and the common issues they face. She alsohighlighted some issues that may be highly sensitiveto such families that the counsellors need to considerwhen working with them.The participants found the session helpful and gave thema better understanding of the mindset and unique needsof these families. These insights, they said, will betterenable them to assist their Malay/Muslim clients.GIVING THANKSby Habibah Mohd Salehhelping the young couples to strengthen their marriages.She acknowledged that it was definitely not easy dealingwith these young couples, given their unique challenges.However, she noted that many of the mentors had gone theextra mile in helping these couples and expressed hope thatthe mentors would continue their dedication towards theprogramme.A total of 27 mentors attended the tea session held in appreciation of theirdedication towards helping young married couples.As a way of thanking the mentors of Club INSPIRASI fortheir hard work over the past year, both INSPIRASI@AMPand partner, INSPIRASI PPIS, organised the MentorINSPIRASI Appreciation Tea at Royal Plaza on Scotts on20 February.The event began with a short note of appreciation from MdmZaleha Ahmad, Centre Director for INSPIRASI@AMP. MdmZaleha applauded the effort put in by the mentors towardsThe highlight of the event was the sharing session withMdm Siti Hamidah Bahashwan, a renowned family therapistin the community. She shared with the mentors on whatcontributes to the positive outcome of the mentor-menteerelationship. She also gave them practical examples and tipsbased on her vast experience to help them overcome theirchallenges in their mentoring journey. As one mentor aptlycommented: “Mdm Hamidah provides a new dimension inhow I see myself as a mentor. I am now more motivated toget to know my mentee better.”The Mentor INSPIRASI is a mentoring programme launchedin 2009, where married couples act as mentors to youngcouples, aged below 21 years old, who have been marriedfor less than five years.3

ENHANCED PLANSFOR AFYS IN 2010 by Celia HamidClients of AMP’s Adopt a Family & Youth Scheme (AFYS) canexpect more employment assistance this year as it steps up itsreceive basic religious educationthat will enhance their holisticefforts to ensure all its adult clients secure employment this development. Some 120year. Those who are already employed will be equipped withadditional skills to ensure they remain relevant and employed.More homemakers who are unable to join the workforce will alsochildren are now attendingpart-time madrasahs all overthe country.be encouraged to enrol into AMP’s Micro Business Programme,which will allow them to earn supplementary income to helptheir families. This is in line with the scheme’s goal in ensuringthe low-income families under AFYS achieve financial stability.AFYS currently assists approximately 500 beneficiaries from 100families, who receive a combination of financial, economic andsocio-educational assistance. As a transitional scheme, AFYShopes to strengthen these families holistically, for them to beAdditionally, AFYS will also enrol all school-going children self-reliant within two to three years.under the scheme into part-time madrasahs where they willGrooming youths into future leaders for the community – this is Young AMP’svision for the years ahead.Hoping to become a ‘Hub for Young Professionals’, Young AMP’s focus towardsproactive networking will include students and working professionals fromvarious educational backgrounds, namely the ITEs, madrasahs, polytechnics anduniversities, to involve them in Young AMP programmes and activities. Young AMPrecently hosted a dialogue session with students from the Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity (NTU) Muslim Society to discuss areas of collaboration and views onvarious issues. Tea sessions with more schools are in the pipeline.A directory of Malay/Muslim professionals has also been placed in the YoungAMP website (www.youngamp.sg) for youths and emerging professionals to tapon. Students can write to these professionals to seek advice or listen to theirexperience as a way to prepare them for their future careers. At the same time,young working professionals can sign up on the website to support and prepareour aspiring students for their careers.Young AMP also hopes to involve more youths and young professionals in “handson”community programmes this year to raise their awareness of the situationon the ground. This will provide them the necessary tools to complement theirleadership and thought process when they discuss potential strategies for thecommunity.For more information or feedback on Young AMP programmes, please log on towww.youngamp.sg.WHAT’S IN STOREFOR2010?by Sheikh Farhan Salleh BawthanYoung AMP Essay Competition deadline extended to1 July 2010!Win up to $3,000 and have your essaypublished in Young AMP’s second book!Visit www.youngamp.sg for more details.The Giftof GivingSeveral generous individuals recentlystepped forward to offer donations in kindto selected families under AMP’s Adopta Family & Youth Scheme (AFYS). Severalfamilies received new vinyl sheet flooringfor their homes while others had their flatspainted by a group of volunteers. Somealso received brand new furniture fromthese kind-hearted donors.In addition, an AFYS beneficiary, AbdulHafiz Haron (pictured), recently received anew pair of soccer boots from a generousradio listener, who tuned in to AMP’s radiocampaign in January this year. Hafiz’smother spoke on the air about herfinancial struggles after herhusband left. She mentionedin particular, how proud shefelt when Hafiz was electedas the team captainof his school soccerteam yet dejectedthat she wasunable to buy hima pair of soccerboots, which heneeded.AMP would liketo thank its donorsfor their generouscontributions andlook forward totheir continuedsupport.by Suzieyati Malimar5

PLEDGINGHELPfor Their Peersby Nurul Jannah Mohd IsmailFour collectors emerged top in the RFS Donation Card Drive 2010,colckwise from top L to R: Beh Yuan Cheng, Mohd Anaqi Ridz Syakib,Teo Jun Kei and Irsyad AbdullahA total of 2,000 students from thefollowing schools participated in theReady for School Fund (RFS) DonationCard Drive. Together, they raised morethan $26,000 towards the Fund.• Canberra Primary School• Elias Park Primary School• Fuhua Primary School• Griffiths Primary School• Henderson Secondary School• Kidz Meadow Child Care @ Buangkok• Kidz Meadow Child Care @ Yishun• Kidz Meadow Child Care@ Woodlands• Kidz Meadow Kindergarten@ Pasir Ris• Lianhua Primary School• Northland Primary School• Whitley Secondary SchoolA big shoutout to the top four collectorsof the drive!• Beh Yuan Cheng– Whitley Secondary School• Irsyad Abdullah– Kidz Meadow Childcare @ Yishun• Mohd Anaqi Ridz Syakib– Kidz Meadow Childcare @ Yishun• Teo Jun Kei– Kidz Meadow Childcare @ BuangkokSpecial thanks goes to Mdm Siti RosmalaRahmat from Northland Primary Schooland Mdm Nurni Isnain from Elias ParkPrimary School for their strong supportand assistance over the past four years.FALL IN LOVEWITH MATH!by Aspalela Mohd Salleh1. MATHEMATICS BEGINS @ HOME!Inculcate the love for numbers in your children when they are young. Let themimmerse in the world of numbers at home and make it a part of your daily lives.2. FUN WITH NUMBERSMake learning mathematics fun. Playing games like UNO or Snake and Ladderwill make the learning of numbers for our children much easier and fun!3. FACE YOUR FEAR IN MATHDo not instill fear in your children towards Maths. Instead, motivate them to lovethe subject.4. IDENTIFY THEIR WEAKNESSSpot your children’s weakness in learning mathematical concepts. For example,if your child is good in multiplication but poor in understanding fractions, focustheir learning on understanding the concept of fractions but still continue topractise multiplication!SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT!by Sofiah Jamil1. Reduce, reuse, recycle2. Take or buy only whatyou need. Do notwaste.3. Reduce your carbonfootprint. For example,take the public transportor walk, take the stairsinstead of the lift, switchoff the lights when notin use.4. Know your stuff: Findout more about theenvironment beyondwhat you hear in themedia and engage yourfamily and friends.5. Always believe thatevery action (howeversmall) does count, asothers around the worldare doing it too.5. PATIENCE, PASSION & PRACTICE!You need to have patience in teaching mathematical concepts in order for yourchild to have passion for the subject. However, passion without regularly practisingmathematical problems will not be enough. So, Practice! Practice! Practice!6 ISSUE 6 • APR – JUN 2010

WE ARE ON FACEBOOK!Add AMP to your Facebook friends list to find out the latestevents in AMP!Simply search for “AMP Singapore” in Facebook and click“Add as Friend”.You can also add:1) AMP’s youth unit – search for “Belia AMP”;2) AMP’s youth wing – search for “Young Associationof Muslim Professionals”; and3) AMP’s subsidiary, Centre for Research on Islamic &Malay Affairs (RIMA) – search for “Rima at AMP”YOUNG AMP’SNEW LEADERYoung AMP, the youth wing of AMP,has a new president – Mr SaktiandiSupaat, a Lead Economist with theMonetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).Mr Saktiandi, or Andi, as he prefers tobe called, has been a Young AMPvolunteer since its inception in2004. He takes over the vacatedseat of Mr Mohd Nizam Ismail, whois now the Chairman of AMP.NEW FACES IN AMPWe welcome four new members of the AMP and RIMA families:1) Lendra Putra Nurezki, 28Research Officer, RIMALendra worked as a producer-presenterwith MediaCorp Radio and OperationsExecutive at the Port of SingaporeAuthority (PSA) prior to joining AMPon 1 February 2010.2) Muhd Sirajuddin Jumat, 22Executive Officer, Young AMPBefore joining the youth wing of AMPon 1 February 2010, Sirajuddin workedas a Library Officer in the AmericanClub and volunteered with a number ofMalay/Muslim organisations includingYayasan MENDAKI and 4PM.3) Sheikh Farhan Salleh Bawthan, 30Executive Officer, Young AMPFarhan was an infantry officer with theSingapore Armed Forces for six yearsbefore he entered the private sectordoing finance and operations work. Hejoined Young AMP on 25 January 2010.4) Tito Husein Batubara, 22Research Officer, RIMATito moved here from Jakarta, Indonesiato pursue a double degree programmein economics and electrical engineeringin the National University of Singapore(NUS) in 2005. He became the newestmember of the RIMA team on 1 March2010.LONG SERVICE AWARDSThe management of AMP thanks Mr Jailani A Rahim (left),62, and Ms Zarinah Omar (right), 45, for their service since1994. Mr Jailani is AMP’s Finance manager while Ms Zarinahis a senior administrative assistant with the CorporateCommunications department of AMP. They both receivedthe Long Service Award for 15 years of service last year. Welook forward to more years of dedicated service from them!WHAT’SHOTbyWinda GuntorAFYS NEEDS YOUR HELP!The Adopt a Family & Youth Scheme (AFYS) needs $400,000each year to help the 100 families under its care. Call theAFYS telepoll lines at 1900 112 4020 to donate $20 or1900 112 4050 for a $50 donation. The lines will be openuntil 21 July 2010. Call now!AFYS IS NOW ONLINE!Check out AMP’s Adopt a Family & Youth Scheme (AFYS)website on www.amp-afys.sg! Visit the website to findout more about the programme and its beneficiaries. Youcan also donate to AFYS or adopt an AFYS family on thewebsite.7

MARKETPLACEBUNBOXThe proud owner of BunBox, Ms Noraisa Majid, owns a home-based business specialising in halalcakes and pastries. With prior experience in sales and product design, coupled with her passion forbaking, the former engineer is currently pursuing the National ITE Certificate (NITEC) in Baking at theBaking Industry Training Centre (BITC). BunBox offers customised birthday cakes, log cakes, basketweave cakes and 3D cakes. She also takes orders for pastries ranging from éclairs, pastry tarts, Oreopuffs, mini apple crumble pies and many others.For more information or orders, please visit http://bunbox.multiply.com or contact Ms Noraisaat 9823 3056 or e via email at bunbox_mail@yahoo.com.sg.NANNY CREATIONNanny Creation provides a wide range ofwedding crafts services including customisedhantaran gift sets, bunga paha, sirih daraand hand bouquets.Nanny Creation also offers customisedcostume jewellery made from beads andSwarovski crystals. You can choose fromvarious designs of brooches, bracelets,earrings, tasbih and mobile phone holders.MAIMON TRADITIONALKUEHSMaimon Traditional Kuehs offers simple yetdelectable breakfast and tea time treats. MdmMaimon, the owner, has been baking and sellingMalay traditional cakes such as kueh kaswi,lompang, ondeh-ondeh, keria and many othersto stalls, individuals and corporate bodies since2005.For more information or orders, please visit http://nannynora.blogspot.com orcontact Mdm Noraini at 8222 3102 or via email at norjayakarim@yahoo.com.sg.SAMEEQ CATERINGMdm Saripa started her home business small, by selling homemade frozen food to order.However, Sameeq Catering has since grown to include catering services for individuals andcorporate bodies. It also offers take-away dinners for busy mothers staying in the East area.Different selections of food are available daily.For more information or orders, please visit http://sameeqcatering.multiply.com or contactMdm Saripa at 9370 9100 or 6640 1301 or via email at sameeqcatering@gmail.com.For more information or orders, pleasecontact Mdm Maimon at 6581 7341or 9364 2270.All products and services featured in Marketplace are offered by AMP’s clients who run home-based businesses to supplement their household income.UPCOMINGAPRIL■ AFYS Family RetreatMAY■ AFYS Examination PreparatoryWorkshop for Parents & StudentsJUNE■ Youth Enrichment Programme Camp■ Madrasah Aljunied CharityGolf TournamentHIGHLIGHTSAFYS Examination Preparatory Workshopfor Parents & StudentsMay 2010In sync with the Adopt a Family & Youth Scheme’s (AFYS) enhancedplans for 2010, a focused preparatory workshop will be conductedfor AFYS families whose children are sitting for the PSLE, GCE ‘N’or ‘O’ level examinations. The workshop aims to equip the studentswith essential tools and techniques to tackle pre-examinationanxiety and revisions. Their parents will also pick up useful tips onhow to motivate their children in their examination preparation.Youth Enrichment Programme CampJune 2010With the aim of pushing their personal limits and unleashing theirreal potential, 150 youth participants from AMP’s Youth EnrichmentProgramme will be roughing it out at the Sarimbun Scouts Campduring the June school holidays. This camp promises to be anexciting experience for the youths.ASSOCIATION OF MUSLIM PROFESSIONALSAMP @ PASIR RIS, 1 Pasir Ris Drive 4, #05-11, Singapore 519457 | Tel: 6416 3966 | Fax: 6583 8028Email: corporate@amp.org.sg | Website: www.amp.org.sg | Co. Reg. No: 199105100D10 ISSUE 4 • OCT – DEC 2009