The sky is the limit
7 February 2022
by Neshan Anantha Rajah
Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences
I started the ‘Fireplace’ project when I was chronically ill. I was the former head of the Toastmasters Club and had leadership experience running teams. I noticed a lack of visionary leadership among the clubswhere leaders genuinely take an interest in followers and the people. Most people did these things for recognition or finance.
What I wanted to do was build a community. A safe place for people to share and talk. I adapted my experience into a group format and structured discussions using gamified tools in the Toastmasters Club.
It became the bedrock of the Fireplace project. I then ran events weekly with different tools and activities. To power this, I worked with program coordinator Season Chan, who designed some of the activities and monitored the counselling students facilitating the project. The counselling student received practicum hours for the amount of time spent doing group therapy and facilitating these workshops.
I gladly appreciated their help and the support from the counselling unit for proofreading my tools and assisting their development. I ran a survey to develop several card games to express my interest in teaching people empathy, communication and understanding. It became the foundation of my later success in gamification, writing to the media and facilitating small scale to massive group projects.
At first, I hoped to gain a network to support my illness. Later on, it progressed into a thing for others. I genuinely wanted other people to be supported in their emotional and mental health challenges because society allows people to speak out and be heard.
If my mental health cum “speak-out” platform can do that, it would integrate both activism, sharing, community and mental health support. With the right intentions – everything falls in place.
Challenges
I was a victim of severe bullying in school. I had no friends. I had little faith in myself and no “true” friends I could count on with these circumstances. I used to work from a shell – a mirror – a looking glass I used to see through to work with people but not trust them.
This program helped me see my worth, assuming I was not so self-focused. I learned how to channel my drive into helping others and break out of my shell. There is always a chance for a different season where things turn around in life.
I had no one. I did everything on my own. Most of my time, I spent trusting my gut and instincts. Nothing can tell you what to do better.
My advice to current students
Trust yourself more than anything else. You already know who you are meant to become. Don’t succumb to peer pressure and the environment surrounding you. Find the proper support.
Life will not be easy. I had lived life with my mother's death, my father’s disability, no friends, and sickness. Despite that, I graduated with the best grades. It does not mean I'm smart; all it means is that you cannot expect people to support you. Often, you got to do it on your own – and people will come.
Have faith and trust the process, as my friend JJ from the School of Business would say.