The well-being of a
family is crucial for a well-developed society. Therefore, Family and Parenting
Centre (FPC) from the Department of Psychology at HELP University, led by Ms.
Sybella Ng, a psychologist and lecturer at HELP University, is collaborating
with Malaysian Child Resource Institute (MCRI) to launch L.I.F.E. Program.
L.I.F.E. Program stands
for Literacy Impact and Family Education aims to improve literacy in children
and equip parents with the ability to empower their children. Parenting
workshops, Read Aloud programs and counselling sessions has been conducted to
move towards achieving the goal.
“As a society, we are
often quick to point fingers at parents whenever tragedy befalls a child.
However, parents are also voicing out that without support, resources or in
some cases, basic knowledge on child development, they feel powerless when it
comes to child care. Thus, this program is developed with an aim to equip and
empower parents to be better parents,” says Ms. Sybella Ng.
Parents who are working in a local manufacturing company joined these workshops and learned that they need to know the ways to
manage their emotions and not allow negative emotions manifest when they
interact with their children.
In addition, this
meaningful community project has attracted young people who are eager to help
out. Three second-year Psychology students from HELP University who are
currently completing their internship in MCRI has also made their effort to
support the program. Marie Tan, Wong Sheng Fu and Wong Sze Chien set up their
fundraising pages on simplygiving.com to support the L.I.F.E. Program.
They also assisted in
one of the workshops. “The workshop about stress management is practical and
easy to understand. Parents can participate in the activities prepared and gain
a better insight of the ways to handle their stress in order to prevent them
from hurting their children out of frustration,” says Wong Sze Chien.
There were also a number
of fathers who joined these workshops. It shows that there is a positive
transition in today’s families as fathers nowadays start to be more involved in
their child’s development instead of passing the responsibility of childcare to
their wives.
Read Aloud program shows
children some interesting ways to tell a story. These sessions mesmerized the
children and encouraged them to be participative in the stories. Children will
start to develop interest in knowing more stories through reading, then they
become proficient readers and writers. This is exactly what this programme
intends to do for children.
L.I.F.E. Program does
not only benefit the family, but our society as a whole in the future. The
abilities to read and write are crucial for every person to communicate and it
is the best to start from young. Moreover, parents also play an important role
in determining the wellbeing of the family.
After attending the
workshops, parents shared positive feedback and look forward to the upcoming
workshops. They have learned better ways in managing their own behaviour and understand
their children better. One of the parents stated that, “This topic (Raising Emotionally Healthy Children) was very helpful for
me in understanding more about my child's emotions.”
The outcome of the
L.I.F.E. program is not to be seen immediately, as it will take time to reach
out to each member of the society. However, it is an initiative that can change
the community to a healthier and more supportive one as well as produce a safer
environment for our children.
Kofi Annan once said,
“The happiness of any society begins with the wellbeing of the families that
live in it.”
MCRI is an NGO that
advocates children’s rights for more than 20 years. We organize training
programs and workshops regarding children’s rights, children’s safety, early
childhood education and other related topics, for educators or people from all
walks of life.
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