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SINGAPORE – Since she started full home learning last month, 18-year-old Magdalene Koh has had to prepare for A-level exams from home.
Fortunately, in addition to teachers and friends, she also has access to her superiors for support.
The sophomore junior college student is part of Project Aegis, an academic tutoring program that combines participating students at Eunoia Junior College with alumni. Couples meet virtually for weekly sessions. Students can enroll individually or in groups.
“It is really moving to know that our older adults want to help us in this period of change. They can relate more to our struggles and explain concepts differently,” says Koh.
The Aegis project was started by a group of alumni from the university, including the project chief, Kenneth Hoh, 19.
With more than 100 mentors and 200 mentors, their goal is to go beyond mentoring by encouraging mentors to share their growth experiences.
Mr. Hoh says, “Previously, we had seen the previous group of alumni return to college to help. While we were unable to physically return to campus, we were determined to contribute in a meaningful and relevant way.”
Project Deputy Head Rebekah Seow, 19, adds: “We may not be health workers, but we do what we can to support each other.”
Another similar initiative is Project Circuit, in which volunteers tutor online junior college students.
While the tutoring sessions are free, the project encourages donations to groups like the Migrant Workers Center that support Covid-19’s relief efforts.
Project Circuit was started by Moh Jin Yin, Catherine K., Loh Su Jean, Dan Yuet Ruh, and 19-year-old Amy Lin, all of whom recently graduated from the Raffles Institution.
“With a number of other tutoring initiatives directly supporting disadvantaged students, we saw an opportunity to offer a similar service for a different purpose: to raise funds for communities affected by Covid-19, such as migrant workers and underserved households in Singapore. “says the teens behind the project.
Students interested in its tutoring services can obtain more information on the website. They currently have more than 50 tutors and around 70 students.
“Having completed our A levels last year, we remember the rush to finish the study program and can only imagine how this is due to interruptions caused by the circuit breaker,” say team members. “We hope to provide some support at a time when school life is barely recognizable.”
Most of the volunteers are juggling these projects with other commitments like national service, work, and internships.
Project Aegis Deputy Director Ong Chong Yu, 19, who is serving nationally, says, “At first I was concerned if we could get enough mentors in such a short time. I was really surprised by the strong response from our colleagues, some of the which are national military, interns, or volunteer mentors for similar outside initiatives. “
In addition to “happy challenges” such as managing overwhelming demand, the Aegis team is also working on technical issues with online communication channels. Still, these youth remain undeterred in their mission to help students.
Mr. Hoh says, “In the end, online media is just a platform for us to communicate, it is the sincerity of our mentors that will have an impact, regardless of the platform we choose to adopt.”
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