A DATE with the seniors

By Jasmine Tiong

Led by NTU alumna and current PhD student Sheryl Lee (SOH/2016) and Master’s student Donovan Tan (ADM/2022), Digital Art: Touching hearts, Engaging minds, also known as Project DATE, is an NTU Graduate College’s Community Engagement Project that seeks to promote active ageing by engaging seniors through art.

Sheryl Lee and Donovan Tan (front, in blue), together with Gerald Tan (back, in yellow), Manager of Active Ageing at Yong-en Care Centre, posing for a group photograph with the senior participants of Project DATE.

"Given that seniors are often left out while society charges forward, Project DATE is a way for us to value their contribution in building the nation while giving back to society,” said Sheryl, whose project was inspired by her grandparents, with whom she lives and shares a close bond. “Unlike the younger generation who can connect with others online, the digital gap among seniors may heighten the loneliness that they may already be facing during the pandemic,” she added.

For Donovan, Project DATE is an opportunity to cultivate a community where there is engagement across different groups. He said: “While the Singapore government does what it can to provide seniors with the basic needs to stay safe during the pandemic, for example by providing masks, ART kits and vaccines, we want to go one step further and provide them with a form of emotional backing by creating a better quality of life.”

In December 2021, Sheryl and Donovan conducted Project DATE for the first time, for 16 seniors at Yong-en Active Hub. The duo ran their second workshop for 14 other seniors in January this year. Thirty student volunteers from the NTU Graduate College were paired with the seniors during the online workshops.

Each painting workshop began with Donovan teaching participants the basics of sketching and the mixing and blending of colours, while Sheryl assisted in facilitating the programme with Mr Gerald Tan, Manager of Active Ageing at Yong-en Care Centre. 

Donovan demonstrates painting techniques to the participants.

Each senior-student pair then discussed an everyday item that the seniors feel gives them hope, the theme of the paintings, via a Zoom call. 

“The heart of this theme is about encouraging the seniors to communicate their thoughts by creatively expressing themselves through art,” said Sheryl, elaborating on how introspection and optimism were also encapsulated within the theme. “While the seniors reflect on their experiences during COVID, they also reflect on the message of hope, all of this which makes up a process of mutual learning, healing and growing.”

She added: “Through Project DATE, not only do the seniors learn new art techniques, but the Graduate College students also learn to be aware of the sensitivities involved when interacting with seniors.”

Some of the 30 pairs of paintings done by seniors and students, centred on the theme of hope.

After deciding on their theme, each pair worked on their art, which were all featured in an exhibition held at the Nanyang Auditorium during the launch of NTU’s inaugural Service Week on 22 January 2022.

Mrs Mary Suresh, wife of NTU President Subra Suresh, was particularly impressed with the paintings displayed. Following the art exhibition at Nanyang Auditorium, she accompanied a team of NTU staff to spread some festive cheer to the seniors at Yong-en Care Centre ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Mrs Suresh snaps a photograph of Mdm Khong, 78, who smiles brightly beside her artwork.

“Seeing the smiles on the senior’s faces was a motivating factor for me,” said Sheryl, who found satisfaction from facilitating the project from its infancy to its fruition. “It was great to see the seniors and volunteers learning, growing and laughing with each other during the online interaction.” 

Speaking about how he would encourage the OneNTU community to participate in subsequent iterations of Project DATE, Donovan said: “It is not just about being fully immersed in the process of painting your own masterpiece. It is about making cherished memories while learning something new. To me, participating in Project DATE or any volunteer activity just because ‘I want to’ is the purest form of volunteerism.”

He added: “Even though they were only able to enjoy each other’s company online, the seniors and the volunteers had a lovely time with each other. If the pairs had met in person, I’m sure that the bonds forged would be stronger.”

Donovan and NTU President Prof Suresh exchange a greeting at the Project DATE art exhibition which was held at the Nanyang Auditorium during the launch of the inaugural NTU Service Week on 22 January 2022, while Mrs Suresh (far left) and Sheryl look on.