Volunteering is a learning experience

After graduating from university with a degree in Mathematics, 67-year-old Ms Kendra Ong went into the IT field, starting off as a Programmer before moving on to the position of a System Analyst and then a Project Manager. Ms Ong worked full-time for 18 years before she decided to semi-retire and become a freelance trainer for commercial companies. “I used to be less of a people-oriented person and preferred to work behind the computer, but after conducting many courses over the years, my personality has since changed, and I now really enjoy interacting with others!” Ms Ong shared.

 

In 2013, Ms Ong joined the StarHub Golden Guru contest, where she was eventually selected to be one of the final few ambassadors tasked with imparting IT knowledge to seniors. It was then she met Dora, a Cyberguide Trainer in RSVP, who later on introduced her to the opportunity of being a Mandarin trainer at the Silver IT fest.

 

Ms Ong happily stepped up to take on the role and sometime later, RSVP contacted Ms Ong and invited her to join them as a member. She was initially hesitant about becoming a member as she wanted to stay as just a simple volunteer, but she was really interested in being a trainer under them so she accepted the offer.

 

Ms Ong is now a Cyberguide Trainer in RSVP and she helps equip seniors with the IT skills necessary in this increasingly digitalised world. Some courses that she teaches are “Cloud Storage and Sharing (Google Drive) – Introduction” and “Maximising the Usage of Samsung Smartphones”, with the latter being conducted in Mandarin. Coming from a Mandarin-educated background, Ms Ong particularly enjoy teaching in the language as she finds that she connects more with the participants and contribute better to their learning, especially since many app interfaces are in English and she can help to explain them in layman’s terms.

 

Having been both a commercial and volunteer trainer, Ms Ong finds that volunteering brings her much more fulfilment. The seniors at RSVP Singapore are easy-going and appreciative of her efforts, which fills her with a sense of satisfaction at the end of every session when she sees them being able to understand and apply the new knowledge that they have learned. “I still remember after a course, one of the RSVP participants actually crafted a piglet ornament for me, which was the first gift I ever received as a trainer!” Ms Ong recalled.

 

Apart from Cyberguide, Ms Ong is also active in RSVP’s Episodic Volunteering Programme and have participated in sessions such as “Cooking with Ex-Offenders at HCSA” and “Food Distribution at Yong En”. She likes being a part of RSVP as they allow her to explore different volunteering opportunities, according to her interests instead of fixing her to a specific role.

 

Outside of RSVP, she also enjoys taking on other IT ambassador roles to help even more people become tech-savvy. In 2019, Ms Ong was appointed as a Silver IT Wellness Ambassador (SIWA) by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to help seniors embrace technology. She was also a Digital Ambassador working with the SG Digital Office to educate and encourage hawkers and seniors to go digital.

 

Over the years, Ms Ong has come to realise that volunteer work has allowed her to grow as a person. “When I teach, I must listen first instead of jumping to conclusions. This has made me more patient and a much better listener. On top of that, when I listen to the stories of others, I also learn from their experiences, which is an opportunity that I did not have when I was in the working world.” Ms Ong explained.

 

Ms Ong continued, “When I was busy with my career, I used to think that volunteering was just a waste of time. Now, having gone through it, I realise that there is so much to gain and that I have truly learned a lot from all my experiences.”

 

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**If you would like to be a volunteer like Ms Kendra Ong to help others, check out the various volunteering opportunities available here.

 

Source: RSVP Singapore. Reproduced with permission.