Suggestions and Reflection

RC should recruit more young people as they can relate to fellow youths and hence organise events that will be suitable and appealing to the younger generations. By working together with the existing RC members, the activities organised and planned not only attract all ages to participate, it also cultivates a sense of belonging and identity in the residential area through these common experiences. Therefore, injecting new blood into the organisation committee will help to energise the residential area, create a sense of identity in residents and build an effective common space for all.

Furthermore, RC should also hold events aimed not only at interacting with our neighbours but bringing it to a higher level where people embrace each other’s uniqueness and differences, especially accepting new citizens into the community. The former can be done through the constant feedback gathered from residents to have a holistic understanding of their needs and interests so that better, more suitable activities can be carried out. This can be achieved by recruiting “old” new citizens into the RC to help in the planning of the bonding sessions.  They will understand their needs and difficulties when integrating into the community as they have also been through the same stage. Hence, it allows for better communication between old residents and new citizens, as well as between neighbours.

However, these suggestions need time to implement and their effects are not immediate. Only after the residents become familiar with each other and willing to open up, the aim of these suggestions will be achieved as residents are now more bonded with each other. Moreover, I feel that the attitudes of both the organising committee and the residents are important. The RC must have the intention and the will to change the situation for the better. Existing members should be open about new and creative ideas that will improve the activities so that more people can be included. If not, just by recruiting new blood into the committee will not result in any change. Residents, on the other hand, should also be willing to embrace and accept one another by actively participating in the events and activities so that efforts by the RC are not wasted.

Another crucial part is the recruitment of new members. Young people should be willing to take 

responsibility of the residential area and have the capability of organising and executing the plans. I feel that those who have been staying in the area since young will be a better choice as they will be more familiar with the culture and environment of the place and most importantly, have a sense of belonging to the residential area. Therefore, they will be able to give better and more effective suggestions.

Gathering constant feedbacks from residents on the quality of the events organised will help the RC to improve. However, not all residents are willing to give feedbacks and not all feedbacks are constructive. This is because some residents are more conservative and less willing to voice out their opinions. Furthermore, feedbacks should be carried out in different ways, such as conducting surveys online or door-to-door, organising focus groups and making use of social networking sites. In this way, the information collated will be a more holistic opinion of the residents and more benefitting for the organising committee.

In conclusion, I feel that it is important to involve residents in the planning process of the different activities so that the events organised will be suitable, accepted and appreciated by the residents.