SAGE - S'pore Action Group for the Elders is regressing with their culture of practice!
Amy, you hit the nail right on...I was helping SAGE on many problem of old folks and handled phone counselling..We make it a point to refer them to the relevant authorities..
SAGE is under the preview of MCYS and SAGE- S'pore Action Group for the Elders, received funds from MCYS...
But when they shifted to Jurong East from Toa Payoh...they stopped the volunteers transport allowance...It is a surprise and we have to travel so much further to Jurong East than when it was at Toa Payoh!
So, I talked to the Executive Director (ED) on the grouses of the volunteers..And he said MCYS did not give them enough funds..and they spent much on the shifting..Subsequently..after a while, the ED reinstated our transport allowance but reduced by $2 to 6 from $8 and we must do a minimum 4 hours with them..it was not like that when we were at Toa Payoh.
So ..many volunteers were not happy and I talked to Phua KOK Tee . the CEO and till today he did not get back to me...And I just fade away from SAGE..It is not the money but the principle of things.
For 6 years I been helping them..first in Toa Payoh without any transport allowance..It was OK because I stayed near..And when they give $8- and stopped it and said that MCYS did not give them enough fund...I just felt..the government organistation are making use of us to do volunteer for free..,I did 3 consecutive year emcee for their annual appreciation Lunch and never asked for anything..So I really felt swarmed and disillusioned..And I stop helping them.
The Executive Director Wong Lit Shoon ..sat there for donkey years and CEO Phua Kok Tee too....They wasted resources to train so many volunteers but the failure rate of volunteering was so high..Many never help to volunteer ..because of the poor culture of the management on the volunteers..SAGE took many of us for granted.
It was feedback to me...I just resigned to the fact that it is time to change the people who runs SAGE...I left them after June last year..(2011)
In all I stayed with them about 6 years...Many just felt shortchanged and the distant of going there to volunteer did not help..yet the culture was really one kind..and the imposition of a 4 hr cap to do volunteer just for a mere $6-transport allowance..OMG!
I hope MCYS Chan Chun Sing (CCS) will look into it...If they need to contact me ..my mobile is 8168-8248..I just do not want to deprive the old folks of the assistance they required.
Me and my nephew in the picture!
Me and my nephew in the picture!
No comments:
Post a Comment