By Novia Long
Novia is an incoming medical student at NUS who completed a 4-month internship at Skillseed.
Team Skillseed with Novia, second row: first from the left
What an extraordinary time to be alive.
I still remember searching for something to do back in January and coming across Skillseed - a social enterprise that inspires people to enact positive change in society, matching their passion with potential to achieve their purpose and vision. Say no more, Skillseed’s values resonated strongly with me and I couldn’t wait to get involved.
From researching experiential learning trends in China, making visual guides for the Safe Sound Sleeping Place (S3P) initiative during Circuit Breaker, to writing thought leadership articles and managing social media postings, I discovered the multidisciplinary nature of the work we do and found it very enriching. There was a great deal of autonomy in the work that we do and I am very grateful for the guidance and trust the Directors have placed in us to complete a project from end-to-end. I was also involved in design work and really appreciated the creative space I was given. Through the process, I learned to take ownership of my work. The Skillseed team is an embodiment of the ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development) methodology, promoting a work environment that celebrates each team member’s assets. I can safely say that I have never felt more valued, appreciated in any other work environment.
At Skillseed, we start off our weekly team meetings (which we fancily name it ‘scrum’) with a simple check-in activity to describe how we are feeling at the start of the week. These check-in activities take various forms depending on what the ‘scrum master’ for that week decides on. For example, sometimes, we find ourselves racking our brains for a kitchen appliance that describes our current mood. In other instances, we choose a picture that best represents how we are feeling. I appreciated these check-ins which served as an opportunity for me to look inwards and remind myself to be present, to see the glass full of water and air (instead of half empty or half full). Despite having experienced a turmoil of emotions in 2020, these check-ins have allowed me to regain focus and appreciate the diversity of everyone in the team. I feel more connected with the people I am working alongside; being grateful is an understatement.
Trying out yoga poses with fellow Skillseedees in office, led by our in-house Yogi, Raine
Besides the work itself, I am blessed with the opportunity to forge wonderful bonds with the Skillseed team. Despite only working together in person for a short 3 weeks due to social distancing measures, I have thoroughly enjoyed working in the cozy Skillseed office with everyone and the deep lunchtime conversations we shared. I fondly recall our ‘Prata Fridays’, where we have lunch at our favourite prata stall. We candidly shared about what triggers us, how we manage our anger and discussed the negative perceptions of assertiveness in women. Talking to Huijia about my ever-changing cultural identity as an immigrant, chatting with my colleagues about books, faith and our personal lives were all memorable moments that will stay with me for a very long time. If I learned anything during this quarantine season, it is to never take the people in your life for granted and the (extra)ordinary moments you share together. Breathe it all in.
Thank you Skillseed for a wonderful four months, see you all around hopefully in person (fingers crossed)!