Dialogue in the Dark - Our Thoughts - BZSE Entreprise Creation 08

Sunday, November 8, 2009 . Glory's Take
7:04 PM

I thought the tour to be a very enlightening and humbling experience for both my peers and I. Sight is something many regard as a basic necessity, 'as a matter of fact', and a part of us. But for many in the community, sight is not a part but apart from them. I was really curious about how the various places of the tour will be like, and also wondered how I'll do walking inside. Will I fall down or trip over a curb? Will I walk around in circles? I wouldn't want to do that.

My greatest takeaway let me see how limited or unlimited our lives can be when we choose how we are going to face and overcome life's circumstances. The absence of light may hinder our sight, yet the presence of sight may hinder our flight. Even in the bright, we undermine our might because we look at what's the barrier ahead of us and cause us to pull back in fear. At DiD, the role reversing experience allows us to understand that a disability does not mean incapability. When you enter DiD, it is not just about being wow-ed at how able the blind are in the dark, or just knowing more about these individuals that 'stand out in the crowd', but about having empathy and social inclusion in our community so that those without sight can develop their potential too.

I think DiD's function as a social enterprise is apt to inculcate employment and empowerment for a marginalized community. On top of allowing employment, this is a platform for our community to be aware and understanding about losing sight. It shows the world that DiD's beneficiaries do not depend on mere handouts, but make an impact with their skills and ability to lead abundant lives. This goes to show the distinct difference between a not for profit organization and a social enterprise. The latter works on the concept of sustainability and a system that is capable of bringing charities to become self-sufficient and effective in fulfilling their cause.

This is a suitable learning model of students of PCS and BZSE as it is a living example of what seems to be a possibly green concept (social entrepreneurship) in Singapore. From the aspects of empowerment through employment, the opportunity for the blind guides to shine in the darkness, and the capacity for students to be interns at the final semester, it is a good approach to put what has been taught in class to practice. As a learning model, students of BZSE can understand how addressing a social cause with a profit making business is like. Meanwhile, students of PCS can observe how social stigma can undermine the potential and development of a marginalized community.

BZSE people can make use of what has been taught during the semesters to add value to the functioning and cause of DiD. From helping to create much awareness to the general public about social entrepreneurship, to marketing DiD's cause so that life is enhanced for their beneficiaries, students can put their competence and skills into action to let DiD become a world class channel that eradicates social stigma towards the absence of sight. Through word of mouth and genuine experiences shared, the zest and power of DiD can make an impact on our community to a substantial extent. Having gone through the DiD experience ourselves, we can also evoke (apart from our sight) the other senses of our society to shed some light on the darkness of their minds.

Glory Tan
BZSE T02

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Welcome to the blog of BZSE 2008 about our takeaways after visiting the one-and-only Dialogue-in-the-Dark (DiD) exhibition in Singapore, at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
BZSE 2008 represents the pioneer cohort of students from the Diploma in Business & Social Enterprise (BZSE), the one-and-only such diploma programme in Singapore.

BZSE is housed in the School of Humanities in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It's the coolest diploma ever - we learn about creating businesses with a social cause.

Our whole cohort had a really great tour in the DiD exhibition, and it was so fantastic we decided to post up our experiences as a blog to share the experiences we had during the tour.
We hope that after reading our reflections, you will consider coming down to DID yourself! Just as we have been impacted, we believe Your life will never be the same again. (=

To find out more about the DiD tours, you can call the Booking Hotline @ 64606222 or check out the website at www.dialogueinthedark.com.sg Navigate around using the tabs above.