SINGAPORE – Some 300 Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) students spent the afternoon on Nov 3 repainting walls, cleaning window grilles and replacing old, worn mattresses of residents in Teck Ghee.

       The students had joined hands with NYP staff and grassroots volunteers to spruce up the homes of 56 seniors or low-income families in the estate, under a home refurbishment initiative called Project Rejuven-Aid.

       “We worked with different Active Ageing Centres around Teck Ghee to find seniors who were in need of such help,” said Ms Gloria Chua, 18, a second-year Diploma in Mass Media Management student. “Some were hoarding cases, while some just had dirty walls, ceiling fans and windows that they are not able to reach.”

       The project was flagged off earlier in the day by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Teck Ghee Community Club, as part of the launch of Eco Fest, which was attended by around 1,000 residents and students. The event by NYP and Teck Ghee grassroots organisations was organised to encourage sustainable lifestyle habits in the community.

       Four or five volunteers visited each of the pre-assessed homes on Nov 3, where they cleaned or painted from 1pm to 6pm, said Ms Chua, who is also the president of NYP’s Leo club, which focuses on community service for the seniors, children and persons with disabilities.

       Ms Chua and her team gathered volunteers for the event through the school’s student union, CCAs, academic clubs, posters and social media.

       Project Rejuven-Aid is the one of several programmes launched by NYP under NYP X, an initiative which seeks to kick-start sustainability-driven activities that can be replicated in different communities and neighbourhoods across Singapore.

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       NYP plans to hold the home refurbishment project periodically and in other neighbourhoods, although no dates have been set for subsequent editions.

       The Eco Fest on Nov 3 – the first of a series of efforts between NYP and the Teck Ghee precinct – showcased these initiatives.

       These include NYP students and alumni running free-cycle markets, where second-hand items can find a new lease of life; e-waste collection drives, where old or faulty devices can be brought in for proper disposal or assessment by experts; and a Repair Kopitiam, where residents can learn to fix their broken appliances instead of disposing them.

       Teck Ghee, which is in NYP’s immediate neighbourhood, is the first community the school is working with under NYP X.

       “Teck Ghee, which is an ageing constituency, had the need, and the community, and NYP brings the innovation, youth, manpower and support,” noted Mr Gerald Singham, chairman of the Teck Ghee Citizens’ Consultative Committee.

       “Besides making things more convenient for residents, it also gives opportunities for youth volunteerism... our youth are very keen to be engaged but they want it to be purposeful activities,” said Mr Singham, who added he was encouraged by the strong turnout of student volunteers.

       In a speech at the event, SM Lee, who oversees the Teck Ghee ward in Ang Mo Kio GRC, thanked NYP for working with Teck Ghee to spruce up the homes of the residents.

       “With NYP and with our own grassroots activists together, I think we can make a difference, and at the same time, make not just a more sustainable, but a more cohesive and warm community,” he said.

       Earlier on Nov 3, SM Lee took part in Ang Mo Kio Town council’s annual tree planting day, where he planted the 10,000th tree within the town in 2024.

       The tree was planted near Block 535 Serangoon North Ave 4, it marked the first time 10,000 trees and shrubs were planted by the town council in a single year.