Annual Report 2013/14 - PDF Free Download

Annual Report 2013/14 Brahm Centre is a registered charity (No: 200200167M), an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) and a full member of the National Council of Social Service.

Our Mission Although Singapore is modern, efficient and safe, there appears to be a general sense of discontentment among those who live here. The rising rates of depression and suicide are indicators that not all is well in the sparkling clean and efficient city state. Brahm Centre s focus in 2013 14 was to create a Happier Singapore by offering a combination of fun-filled activities and happiness programs that imparted wisdom and the necessary skills to create happiness for oneself. Since inception, Brahm Centre s mission to promote happier and healthier living targeted primarily adults of 30 years and above. In 2014, Brahm Centre made a concious decision to take the happiness program to the younger generation, particularly the youths in schools. 2 brahm centre

Table of Contents 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 23 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 40 Patron s Message Brahm Centre Board Chairman s Message Highlights Happiness & The Mind Forum Book Launch: The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce Meditation and Yin Yoga Working with Youths Training for Volunteers Outreach Seminar at School Of The Arts MacPherson Community Club Social Service Institute for VWO Volunteers World Mental Health Day Serangoon Community Club Outreach to Companies Fundraising Charity Golf & Dinner for Happier Singapore Volunteer Appreciation Dinner New Initiatives Virtual Hospital Program Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Program ipad Lessons for the Elderly Brahm Centre Toastmasters Club Financial Statements Code of Compliance brahm centre 3

Patron s Message I am especially grateful to Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, for being the Guest-of-Honour at the Charity Golf and Dinner event on 1st October 2014, which raised over $700,000 for Brahm Centre s The Happier Singapore Program. My heartfelt thanks to Mr Lim Boon Heng, Chairman of Temasek Holdings, Mr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman of Keppel Corporation, Professor S. Jayakumar, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, and all the donors and sponsors for gracing the event and their generous support! In a short span of time, Brahm Centre has been able to spearhead programs to proactively address the state of unhappiness in Singapore in an effective manner. I would like to congratulate the Brahm Centre Board Members, the management, staff and volunteers for what has been achieved to-date. I urge Brahm Centre to expand the programs and cast your efforts far and wide on the island to make an even greater impact in the years ahead! All the Best! Mr Choo Chiau Beng 4 brahm centre

Brahm Centre Board as at June 2014 Angie Chew Chairman & Founding Member Patrick Goh Founding Member Henry Baey Dr. Lee Cheng Chuan Jesilynn Luar Treasurer Dr. Ho Eu Chin Dr. Hoo Hui Kim Dr. Tan Bhing Leet Dr. Tan Geok Leng Yap Eu Win Serena Yong Tan Siak Hee Legal Advisor Non-Board Member brahm centre 5

Chairman s Message On behalf of the Board, I would like to express our deepest appreciation to our Patron, Mr Choo Chiau Beng for his support. Due to his patronage and Mr T.N. Lim s assistance, the Charity Golf and Dinner event on 1st October 2014 raised more than $700,000! We are especially grateful to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam for being our Guest-of-Honour. Proceeds from the event will fund Brahm Centre s The Happier Singapore Program, to address the undesirable suicide and depression rates in Singapore with proactive programs. On 1st April 2014, Brahm Centre launched The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce, a book that was co-authored by Dr Peter Mack and the brother of a suicide victim who took his own life on 1st April 2013. The book tells the story of a 16-year-old teenager who hung himself after experiencing relationship problems and anger issues. This heart-breaking tragedy is but one of an increasing number of suicides in Singapore and regrettably brings into sharp focus the growing number of people suffering from depression. Such tragic events provide greater impetus to our work. A December 2012 Gallup report showed that Singaporeans were the least happy amongst people from 148 countries polled. There is clearly more to 6 brahm centre

Number of members: 2,167 be done, and urgently. We will reach out to a wider spectrum of people and we will conduct even more courses to help alleviate stress and empower individuals with life-changing tools to create happier lives for themselves and their families. Our efforts are paying off as we now have more than 2,100 members and are delighted that we have had over 14,000 attendees at our Health and Happiness Outreach Talks. These talks were conducted at our centre as well as at educational institutions, companies, non-profit and grassroots organisations. We also collaborated with restructured hospitals in the Virtual Hospital program in which Brahm Centre volunteers sign up as befrienders to visit the elderly at their homes with the aim of reducing hospital readmission rates. To date, our dedicated befrienders involving almost 50 volunteers have chalked up over 380 visits to more than 90 homes. I would like to thank my fellow board members, our staff and volunteers for their selfless efforts and passion for our cause. We are grateful to all our supporters and sponsors and are inspired to work even harder to reach out to a bigger audience, impact more lives and increase happiness in our nation. Angie Chew brahm centre 7

8 brahm centre Highlights

Happinesss & The Mind Forum FY14/5 kicked off with the Happiness and The Mind Forum on 13th July 2013. Dr Gregor Lange, NUS Department of Psychology Dr. Peter Mack, Singapore General Hospital Dr. Wong Yin Onn, General Practitioner Mr Benjamin Yang, Positive Psychologist The topics included: Mindful Psychology Regression Therapy Art of Happiness Positive Psychology The Tan Tock Seng Hospital theatrette was filled to capacity. Above: From left, Brahm Centre Founder, Angie Chew, Patron of Brahm Centre, Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Board Directors Mr Henry Baey and Guest Speakers, Dr Gregor Lange and Dr Benjamin Yang, Ms Joycelyn Bay brahm centre 9

Book Launch: The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce To highlight the rise in the suicide rate among youths and the common problems faced by of adolescents in their growing up years, Brahm Centre launched the book The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce, coauthored by Dr Peter Mack and the brother of a suicide victim who took his life on 1st April 2013. It was edited by Ms. Yap Su- Yin. People queuing for Dr. Peter Mack s autograph 10 brahm centre Board members, staff and volunteers with Mr S. R Nathan at the book launch

Book Launch: The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce At a tender age of 16, the suicide victim hung himself after feeling rejected by his girlfriend and having had problems managing his anger and relationships with his friends at school. Perhaps he had other problems too...the truth will never be known as there was no suicide note. However, the pain that the family had to endure over the loss needed to be shared to create awareness and help to prevent other young people from contemplating suicide to escape their mental pain. They need to know that this pain is simply being passed on to their loved ones. Instead they have to understand that they can bounce back and that even the most difficult of times will pass. The Book Launch of The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce on 1st April 2014 was graced by the former President of Singapore, Mr S. R. Nathan. It was held at the Social Service Institute Auditorium. The author of the book was Dr Peter Mack and Ms Yap Su-Yin was the editor. brahm centre 11

Book Launch: The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce The event was widely covered in the press. 12 brahm centre

Meditation and Yin Yoga To help people cope with stress and enhance their level of happiness, Brahm Centre launched Meditation for Beginners and Yin Yoga. The Meditation course was supported by the Health Promotion Board. Each intake comprised 25 30 participants. A large class was conducted at the Social Services Institute over 4 weeks. Students from Temasek Polytechnic trying out meditation at Brahm Centre. brahm centre 13

Working with Youths Cedar Girls Secondary School students with Vincent Chua, Brahm Centre s staff Yin Yoga and Life Coach Chrissie Tan conducting a session at SHATEC 14 brahm centre

Training for Volunteers Brahm Centre staff and volunteer attending a well-being workshop by organisational psychologist Trisha Kendall. brahm centre 15

16 brahm centre Outreach

Seminar at School of the Arts To create the awareness of depression among teenagers, Dr Peter Mack, Dr Gregor Lange and Dr Chan Keen Loong spoke at the Understanding The Psychology of Teenagers Seminar at the School Of The Arts on 23rd of August 2014, co-organised by Brahm Centre and the SOTA Parents Association. Copies of The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce and Thrive provided by Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, were distributed to the parents. The seminar attracted almost 100 parents and was also attended by the School Principal, Vice Principal and faculty members. Singapore Book Fair Dr. Peter Mack was also invited to speak about the book The Day The Ball Didn t Bounce at the Singapore Book Fair on 15 June 2014, held at thesuntec City Convention Hall. brahm centre 17

MacPherson Community Club Brahm Centre and MacPherson Community Club collaborated since November 2013 to bring Health & Happiness Forums to its residents every Saturday. Above: Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (middle) graced the event at the MacPherson Community Club to mark the opening of the new clubhouse. From left, the speakers, Dr. Gregor Lange, Ms Angie Chew, Dr. Wong Yin Onn and the Chairperson of the Community Club, Ms Rosemary Lim. Brahm Centre also participated in Serangoon Community Club Wellness and Active Ageing Programs 18 brahm centre

Social Service Institute for VWO Volunteers Above: Meditation trainer, Mr Wong Tai Wee, conducted a session on Mindfulness In Daily Life at Social Service Institute for the staff and volunteers of VWOs. World Mental Health Day at Singapore Expo Meditation trainer, Mr Jeffrey Khoo conducted a Basic Steps to Meditation workshop. brahm centre 19

Serangoon Community Club Dr Ang Beng Choo gave a talk on Be A Happy Senior Citizen at The Serangoon Community Club. 20 brahm centre

Outreach to Companies Talks on Mindful Living, Mindful Parenting, Mindfulness and Nutrition were conducted at HSBC, DBS, Keppel and A*Star. Yin Yoga classes were also offered to companies that wanted to improve the staff s well-being. HSBC in MapleTree Business Park and their head office in Collyer Quay. Wong Tai Wee conducting mindfulness sessions for employees at A*Star and i2r brahm centre 21

22 brahm centre Fundraising

Charity Golf & Dinner for a Happier Singapore Mr Choo Chiau Beng, CEO of Keppel Corporation hosted the Charity Golf & Dinner on 1st October 2014 to raise funds for Brahm Centre s The Happier Singapore programs. The Guest-of-Honour was Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minster and Minister for Finance. The event was also graced by Mr Lim Boon Heng, Chairman of Temasek Holdings, Mr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman of Keppel Corporation, Professor S. Jayakumar, former Minister for Foreign Affairs. M1 was the sponsor of the Hole-in- One Prize: BMW M1. Patron Mr Choo Chiau Beng thanked Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and all the corporate and individual sponsors for their support! brahm centre 23

Charity Golf & Dinner for a Happier Singapore Clockwise from top left, Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Mr Lim Boon Heng teeing off!, and Mr Lee Boon Yang s birthday celebrations at the event. 24 brahm centre

Charity Golf & Dinner for a Happier Singapore Keppel team with Mr Lim Boon Heng and Mr Choo Chiau Beng Bank of Singapore Keppel Corporation team Above & Below: The golfer and team from American International Industries. DBS Bank team brahm centre 25

Charity Golf & Dinner for a Happier Singapore In the background are 3 silk paintings, that were auctioned, created by internationally-acclaimed fashion designer and artist, Benny Ong. From left: Angie Chew, Brahm Centre Founder; Eugene Loh, Managing Director of Woh Hup; Choo Chiau Beng, CEO of Keppel Corporation; Hannie Hay, Brahm Centre volunteer. Internationallyacclaimed fashion designer and artist, Benny Ong (left) with Mr Lim Boon Heng. 26 brahm centre

Charity Golf & Dinner for a Happier Singapore Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and the guests at the VVIP Table Guests at Mr Lim Boon Heng s table. Singers entertaining the guests brahm centre 27

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Brahm Centre hosted a dinner to thank all the volunteers and staff on 20th April 2014 at Toa Payoh SAFRA Club, graced by Brahm Centre s Patron Mr Choo Chiau Beng. 28 brahm centre

New Initiatives brahm centre 29

Virtual Hospital Program 86 Number of patients Brahm Centre collaborated with Tan Tock Seng Hospital in the Virtual Hospital (VH) program to provide the elderly with befriender service with the aim of reducing hospital readmission rates. Many elderly residents with disability who live on their own and are unable to move about freely, welcome the volunteer befrienders who take them out in wheelchairs to the neighbourhood coffee shop or to enjoy some fresh air and watch the world go by. Number of befrienders 68 Depression is common among the elderly, many of whom have little family support. With the volunteer befrienders cultivating social relatedness and providing the support required, it can make a difference to their well-being and bring joy to their lives. The befrienders provide social support and a listening ear, as well as basic therapy to encourage mobility among the elderly and reduce the risks of developing health-related issues by being bed ridden. Brahm Centre has since expanded its befriending partnership with Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Ren Ci Community Hospital and Kembangan Chai Chee Senior Activity Centre to serve their patients under a similar program. Brahm s Virtual Hospital staff and befrienders, with the Nurse Manager of Tan Tock Seng Hospital after visiting a patient s home in Geylang Bahru. 30 brahm centre Training session for the befrienders

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Program Brahm Centre organized a Mindfulness- Based Cognitive Therapy seminar by Dr Ong Seh Hong of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for staff and volunteers at the Social Service Institute. The seminar room was packed and there was very keen interest in the 8-week course. Brahm Centre plans on offering it in 2015. brahm centre 31

ipad Lessons for the Elderly To help the elderly connect with their children and friends, Brahm Centre conducted lessons to enable them to learn how to use the various apps on the ipad. The classes were very popular. The ipads were sponsored by ida. 32 brahm centre

Brahm Centre Toastmasters Club To help enhance communication skills and increase the self-confidence of our members, Brahm Centre Toastmasters Club was launched with the assistance of the District Governor and Toastmasters from other clubs. brahm centre 33

34 brahm centre Financial Statements

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40 brahm centre Code of Compliance

S/No. Code Description Code ID Compliance BOARD GOVERNANCE 1 2 Are there Board members holding staff appointments? Remarks: (Skip questions 2 and 3 if No ) If the governing instrument permits staff to become Board members, they should comprise not more than one-third of the Board. No 1.1.2 NA 3 Staff does not chair the Board. 1.1.2 Complied 4 5 6 There is a maximum term limit of four consecutive years for the Treasurer position (or equivalent, e.g. Finance Committee Chairman). There are Board committees (or designated Board members) with documented terms of reference. The Board meets regularly with a quorum of at least one-third or at least three members, whichever is greater (or as required by the governing instrument). 1.1.6 Complied 1.2.1 Complied 1.3.1 Complied CONFLICT OF INTEREST 7 8 There are documented procedures for Board members and staff to declare actual or potential conflicts of interest to the Board. Board members do not vote or participate in decision-making on matters where they have a conflict of interest. 2.1 Complied 2.4 Complied BOARD GOVERNANCE 9 10 The Board reviews and approves the vision and mission of the charity. They are documented and communicated to its members and the public. The Board approves and reviews a strategic plan for the charity to ensure that the activities are in line with its objectives. 3.1.1 Complied 3.2.2 Complied brahm centre 41

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 11 12 The Board approves documented human resource policies for staff. There are systems for regular supervision, appraisal and professional development of staff. 5.1 Complied 5.6 Complied FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND CONTROLS 13 14 15 16 17 18 The Board ensures internal control systems for financial matters are in place with documented procedures. The Board ensures reviews on the charity s controls, processes, key programmes and events. The Board approves an annual budget for the charity s plans and regularly monitors its expenditure. The charity discloses its reserves policy in the annual report. Does the charity invest its reserves? Remarks: (Skip question 18 if No ) The charity invests its reserves in accordance with an investment policy approved by the Board. It obtains advice from qualified professional advisors, if deemed necessary by the Board. 6.1.2 Complied 6.1.3 Complied 6.2.1 Complied 6.4.1 Complied Yes 6.4.4 Complied FUNDRAISING PRACTICES 19 Donations collected are properly recorded and promptly deposited by the charity. 7.2.2 Complied DISCLOSURE AND TRANSPARENCY 20 21 The charity makes available to its stakeholders an annual report that includes information on its programmes, activities, audited financial statements, Board members and executive management. Are Board members remunerated for their Board services? 8.1 Complied No 42 brahm centre

Brahm Centre 71 Irrawaddy Road, Ren Ci Hospital #03-09, Singapore 329562 Tel: +65 6258 0831 / Email: info@brahmcentre.com