Partnering with the National Family Council, for family

If you’ve ever shared bathrooms with a sibling or found a character from the Simpsons disturbingly familiar in your life, you’ll understand just what an “accident” families can be. As Marsha Norman says, “Family is just an accident. They don’t mean to get on your nerves. They don’t even mean to be your family, they just are.”

In May 2011, The Switch ‘n’ Click Show organised by the National Family Council (NFC) offered a much called-for platform for youth to solve the giant riddle that is family life: by putting ourselves in another family member’s shoes and meeting them on common ground.

The forum, hosted by The Muttons, signalled the launch of a month-long national celebration of Family. It called upon young people to become the change they want to see in their households. More than 4000 students gathered in the Expo Max Pavilion to enjoy the morning with the newly minted Acting Minister of MCYS, MG (NS) Chan Chun Sing, Marine Parade MP Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Lim Soon Hock, Chairman of National Family Council and many others.

In one segment, former 98.7FM DJ Daniel Ong and Fly entertainment artiste Jaime Teo discussed how growing up with broken families empowered them to provide for their child what they never got to have. But it wasn’t all talk – leaving waves after waves of roaring applause in their wake were the spectacular performances by the O School dancers and the Urban Drum Crew, not to mention the warm-up dance that got everyone in the room up on their feet to shake their thang!

We had a wonderful time partnering with NFC in putting this programme together, feeling the love from our students and seeing them grin from ear to ear (which we suspect that it may have something to do with them not having to go to school on a weekday).

Still, let’s not forget why we were there and who we were there for! Our families are the people we start and end our lives with, so redefine and add meaning to your faily life today – start with a greeting in the morning, a smile, a touch, a kiss, a hug – and let it begin with YOU!