Testimonials
Voices from community
SEED Journey testimonial from a young seedling
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Name: Aiden
Age: 9 years
Alanna, a 10 year-old SEED Course graduate & intern
I would never have been able to imagine what having an internship at Be Priceless would be like. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had. Like a web to a spider, or a wand to a wizard, Be priceless has become a very important part of me. For others, Be Priceless and its team is just one of the other non-profit NGOs, but to me,10 I see the Be Priceless team as some sort of a family to each other. Every seedling, every staff, every volunteer is special in their own way, so we shouldn’t expect people to be exactly the same, even if they are similar.
The team has to work together to reach Be Priceless’s dream: Well-being and safety for all.
I didn’t really like trying new things before I took the SEED course and joined Be Priceless. But then I realized that I was just afraid of getting things wrong. After the SEED course, I learned to embrace my imperfections and that it’s okay to not get things right sometimes.
Sometimes, I feel weak, and that I can’t do anything, but then I remember back to those lessons, and think, “No, I’m NOT weak, and I CAN do some things.” Be Priceless has had a great impact on my life. Not just having a positive attitude, but also, I feel more confident and happy each morning when I wake up. I used to look out the window to see it was raining and go, “Are you kidding me? Now I can’t go to the park!” But now, I see the rain as a blessing to all plants, helping them shoot up and grow stronger, taller, and deepen their roots further into the ground.
Everyone has mistakes and problems in their lives, but I think that that’s just a part of growing, learning, and knowing what not to repeat.
Now that I think back to the first time I helped Be Priceless with some integration, I feel good about helping out. For some people, mistakes are not to be tolerated, and everyone should be absolutely perfect. Not to me. To me, everyone is allowed to grow and learn at their own pace, taking their time to sink their roots deeper into the soil and reaching for the sun. When you have a positive mindset, sometimes you feel unstoppable. That the sky’s the limit and you have so much to share with others that you burst with happiness.
I’m especially grapeful for getting to experience this amazing new life and have this exciting and educational journey alongside the rest of the team.
One last thing I want to say: Remember that you are Priceless and Limitless!
Nychole, a 14 year-old SEED course graduate intern
In April of 2021, I had the opportunity to participate in the SEED course, where I learnt valuable aspects of growing and staying safe. An aspect of growth I experienced after the course was being able to put into words the methods to stay safe and make good decisions. During the course, we were also introduced to different ‘superpowers’ in a person which fosters their growth and development.
A superpower that was quite impactful towards me is having a growth mindset, especially towards academics. Prior to learning about it, I didn’t have the best mentality when I was under academic stress, and would usually cram all my schoolwork. With the understanding of having a growth mindset rather than a fixed one, I was able to face my problems more confidently, and learnt to accept the situation while striving to improve. Another superpower I decided to start developing is curiosity, as it made me realize how much more aware and in tune with possibilities I could be when trying to understand things on a deeper level. For instance, I am more curious towards the different perspectives of the people around me, which allowed me to understand how certain situations affect people in several was.
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Lastly, I also had the opportunity to help out as an intern during the summer. During that period, I was able to see the amount of thought put into how younger people can effectively understand how to stay safe and have a meaningful learning experience. The discussions on how to make the courses engaging and helpful for the children further showed me the great amount of consideration put into creating the course. Overall, the course allowed me to gain insight on how I should lead my life, and taught me the importance of fostering my growth.
Parents' views about their children's transformation resulting from the SEED Course
Marina, Partner formerly from SKH OTMC, SEED Educator-in-training
As a participant: I think I really enjoyed the learning, because those learning was quite difficult. Although I knew it, I was not aware of it, e.g. self-care, how to approach my own child, how to self-reflect. All these I knew but I seldom do it practically. This course made me adware and made me start implementing in my own life.
As a SEED educator (from a partner organization): I had a full conviction about the course, so I took another step of being the educator. Being an educator is more intensive than a learner. As a new seedling as an educator.
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The gap in the community whereby we lack intensive training for safety, it was always in the back of mind. To change and enhance their life, their relationships, mental health and self-care, it addressed the 360 of a person. After the intensive course is done, it is not a one-day supervisory level program, with the follow up actions.
One of the Pakistani mothers shared about the mental health issues of her daughter with Dr. L in class. Despite all the stereotypes, the other saught help.
Janet, Coordinator from Health In Action
The SEED Course has addressed some hidden needs of the community. One of the very memorable sharing by the kids is that she now knows how to react when she was being followed, that she would tell a trusted adult about it. The SEED Course has provided the young people with solutions to some dangerous scenarios, which is very practical and helpful when they are at risk.
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The SEED Course allows ladies (both mothers and kids) to have a better ownership of their body, and for boys to be more respectful to others including their family members and friends. Some girls would have put themselves in a subordinate position when it comes to ownership of their body, however, the SEED Course let them know that their body belongs to them and they have the rights to say "no" to unpleasant touches.
I think this is important for the ethnic minority community here as this is not mentioned at home or within the community. Although there wasn't a lot of participants in the first round, those who came to the class could spread the idea of ownership of one's body to other members of the community. We believe that the influence from peers works best for community change.
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I hope that more families from the community will see the importance of caring and loving yourself. The changes we see from some of the kids – for instance, being more respectful to others and protecting themselves from unpleasant touches - could cast a big impact on their personal growth. Thus, I hope that more kids can attend the course and take up a mentor role in their social circle. I hope that a loving atmosphere within the Ethnic Minority community can be built in the future
