How do prejudices arise, and how can they be overcome? Tulip, a facilitator at Migrant X Me, guides students through Farrer Park, sharing the lived experiences of migrant workers in Singapore. This eye-opening tour fosters understanding and empathy for often overlooked communities.
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#MigrantXMe #community #Singapore
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00And something I realised is that despite the difference in backgrounds,
00:04everyone has wisdom to share and everyone has something to learn from the other person.
00:14So hello, my name is Tulip and I'm a facilitator with Migrant Exmoor.
00:19And on the side, I also am part of a social club in school which plans events around social causes.
00:26So that is actually how I chanced upon Migrant Exmoor.
00:30As a facilitator at Migrant Exmoor, I help to lead learning journeys with
00:35students from tertiary and secondary schools.
00:37And essentially what we do is we bring them along on a two-hour walk along in the Farrer Park region.
00:44So we cover different areas of Farrer Park.
00:46During each station, we actually cover a different aspect.
00:49So through the whole learning journey, essentially what we are trying to do
00:53is raise awareness about the migrant workers' lives
00:56as well as the different issues that they face living here in Singapore.
01:00We hope to foster a bit of empathy and understanding in the students about the
01:05migrant workers' lives and expose them to such realities that they would otherwise not know of.
01:11At Som Road Playground, we introduce the notion of prejudice to participants
01:16and we also give them a very quick overview.
01:192020 research that was done by the International Labour Organization, which short form is ILO,
01:26they actually conducted a research to assess the public's perceptions on the migrant worker
01:31community in countries such as Singapore, Japan, Malaysia.
01:35And they found that 53% of respondents mentioned that they felt that
01:42migrant workers were a threat to the country's culture and heritage.
01:46SGAHC, Singapore Accident Healthcare Centre, is actually a partner NGO of migrant ex-mies
01:51and we introduce to the participants all the different issues that migrant workers have to grapple with.
01:57This ranges from financial worries to the risk of the jobs in which they work in.
02:04Have you guys heard of traditional Chinese medicine?
02:08So these needles are actually used in acupuncture as well.
02:11So apart from just these needles and cups, there are a lot of other medical equipment that you will
02:15see on these trolleys that are used to help injured workers with their physiotherapy services.
02:25At Mustafa, where we cover some stereotypes that people typically harbour towards migrant workers,
02:31that they might be dangerous or they might commit crimes.
02:34We try to get the participants to stand in the shoes of the migrant workers
02:38to think a little deeper than just purely seeing and hearing things at face value.
02:45Actually, one of the stops that we'll be going to later, which is Lembu Square,
02:50it's a very popular hangout spot for migrant workers on their off days.
02:54And over the weekends, it used to be the case that you cannot,
02:59like it's so crowded that you can barely breathe.
03:02But since COVID, it's become a lot more, it's not as crowded anymore.
03:08Now, at Rowell Road is where we really try to get the students to understand
03:12more about the psyche of a worker.
03:14How it is for them emotionally and mentally to be away from their families.
03:18While looking in your youthful eyes and will not stop seeing your soft hands.
03:23Can we have a round of applause?
03:26This poem was actually written by a migrant worker who misses his son, right?
03:30While he was staying in Singapore.
03:31So how do you guys feel after reading this poem?
03:35So what do you cook usually?
03:38This thing once again, sometimes this one.
03:41To cook side dishes, like vegetable side dishes.
03:45Then no have ice box, that's why everyday buy.
03:50So those of you who didn't catch it, right?
03:51He mentioned that he has to buy groceries every day
03:54because in their dorms, they don't have fridges
03:56or they don't have refrigerators or ice boxes to chill
04:00these vegetables and these produce,
04:02which is why he has to buy them fresh every single day.
04:05Now we are at Lembu Square.
04:07So this place actually has three names.
04:10So Mini Mart is actually what the migrant workers used amongst themselves
04:14to call this place because there are a lot of grocers around this area, right?
04:17So this place actually symbolises familiarity
04:21and companionship for a lot of migrant workers.
04:24So in fact, this is a very common first point of contact for a lot of migrants.
04:29By that, I mean a lot of migrant workers actually transported here directly
04:33from the airport where the employers pick them up on their first day in Singapore.
04:39I got to interact with a migrant worker.
04:42His name is Iqbal.
04:43In our interactions, we went beyond just the scope
04:47of what was to be covered during the sharing.
04:50But while we had a bit of free time,
04:52I took it upon myself to ask him a few questions
04:55on his personal life in Bangladesh, about his kids.
05:00For example, he asked me about my life in Singapore.
05:05His kids don't have the same opportunities that I do
05:08to be able to receive a higher education
05:11or to have tertiary education in the first place.
05:15So just being grateful that I have the opportunity to pursue higher education
05:22when there are people of my age in different countries who can't.
05:31I think the biggest thing that our volunteer work addresses
05:35is the prejudices that Singaporean youths have against migrant workers.
05:40Prejudices arise because of society's generalisations,
05:44one's own upbringing and one's inaccurate analysis of their own personal experience,
05:49which are everyday life things.
05:52We are always surrounded by other people.
05:54By doing our own research into facts and opinions,
05:58it's something that the learning journey here at MigrantXMU
06:01really tries to drive into students.
06:03Another thing is that knowing that I'm a youth myself
06:07definitely gives me the power to make an impact on other Singaporean youths.
06:13So knowing that I have that tangible impact
06:15to change how Singaporean youth view migrant workers
06:20is definitely a very powerful cause to me.
06:28MigrantXMU
06:30Singapore
06:32MigrantXMU