TEACHING EMPATHY CREATIVELY
Instead of being taught an “abstract” concept of what living with poverty is like, Ms Tyebally, the participant at DOT’s workshop, said being able to try out the perspective of someone living hand-to-mouth was far more impactful in showing the stress faced by someone experiencing financial hardship.
She noticed other participants being more liberal about their spending at the start of the workshop, such as being willing to fork out sums on reskilling courses or healthier groceries, before becoming more hesitant to spend later as they realised how limited their resources were.
While employers may be aware of the limitations faced by those in financial hardship through reading articles or being aware of workforce statistics, “it’s an incredibly different experience to say, ‘I’m going to block out two to three hours of my time, and going to be present for this’,” said Ms Tyebally.
“(This workshop) causes you to reflect and resonate with an issue in a very different way,” she added.
On why this method works for poverty sensitisation, Ms Kua said the charity hopes to educate attendees on common misconceptions about poverty in Singapore by sharing insights into “multi-stressed” lower-income families.
Noting that the charity was aware of public feedback regarding similar poverty sensitisation workshops in the past, Ms Kua said the charity draws the examples it uses from “real-life scenarios” and aims to present the chronic effects of living on limited means, albeit in a condensed form.
She highlighted that a majority of DOT’s clients live in one- or two-room HDB rental flats but face obstacles such as limited access to resources and networks as well as possess lower educational qualifications, which impede their ability to secure higher-paying jobs.
Thus, having an experiential workshop can spur employers to redesign jobs to accommodate more suitable working hours while fulfilling their manpower needs, said Ms Kua.
Likewise, raising awareness this way and learning how to be empathetic to others helps medical workers provide better healthcare, since professionals have to interact with patients in complex ways.
Dr Tanya Tierney, assistant dean of clinical communication at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, said: “By exploring patient and clinician stories, for example, students cultivate empathy for people in various situations.
“The rich discussions invite them to think about medical topics and the human experience in different ways and explore how they may respond.”
Associate Professor Devanand Anantham, director of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical Humanities said that while the clinical practice of medicine will always be the priority, incorporating the arts and music can improve observational skills and listening skills, making doctors “better diagnosticians”.
He said such courses can help medical professionals understand cultural and religious sensitivities too.
Assistant Professor Michelle Chiang of NTU’s School of Humanities and its Medical Humanities Research Cluster added that such an understanding goes beyond creating an emotional connection between doctor and patient.
“It enhances the ability to provide holistic care by affording healthcare professionals with multiple points of view to regard the patient as a whole person, instead of just a sum of their symptoms,” said Asst Prof Chiang.
Reflecting a similar goal of building empathy through real-life scenarios, a Tower Transit spokesperson told CNA TODAY that the transport course aims to build a more inclusive public transport experience by attuning commuters to the needs of “vulnerable commuters”.
“We understand that many people want to help but may hesitate due to uncertainty or fear of offending others. Our goal is to shift that mindset and encourage more proactive support,” said the spokesperson.
The Tower Transit spokesperson said the course’s case scenarios and content were designed in collaboration with disability services and support organisation SG Enable, the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped and Guide Dogs Singapore.
As the course is facilitated by Tower Transit staff members who are wheelchair users, they can share their personal experiences during the workshop.
Mr Kishon Chong, 32, a senior customer experience and inclusivity officer from Tower Transit and facilitator, said a workshop like this is a “good start”.
“Public awareness of disability is not very common and it’s also not something that is taught in our education system,” said Mr Chong, who is also a wheelchair user.
“By providing a more realistic space with experiential, hands-on case scenarios, they (participants) can learn and empathise a lot.”
He added that Tower Transit is looking to expand the course to cover conditions like dementia, intellectual disabilities, and autism in 2025.
Tower Transit’s spokesperson said the course does not make participants “experts in disabilities”. Rather, the goal is to help them better understand commuters with different needs and equip them with the “empathy and confidence” to help someone in need while taking public transport.
He added that there is also a complementary course designed for persons with mobility challenges and disabilities to train their confidence in taking public transport. This course includes route planning and practical sessions to practise boarding, riding and alighting.
