For his causes, social entrepreneur painted dustbins and wants to see murals across the island
Agatha Koh Brazil, Today Online 23 Dec 08;
HE DISARMINGLY calls himself “rojak”, and carries the theme through on the website of the social enterprise that he founded.
Of Social Creatives, Faris Basharahil writes: “We are a cocktail of a youth organisation, arts group, NPO (non-profit organisation), NGO (non-governmental organisation) and environment group. We are a rojak.
“But isn’t that what society needs?”
His Arab/Malay heritage aside, the third-year Temasek Polytechnic student of Hospitality and Tourism is anything but mixed up.
At 20, he is startlingly single-minded. Long term, he wants to be a “social leader”. Right now, he just wants to“integrate and grow creativity in the social-community sector” by connecting his peers to social issues. This he hopes to do through “artistic expression” in activities-based community projects.”
“By nurturing an artistic culture — for each other, our home and community”, he hopes to change the way people see things.
“If you ask a Singaporean to draw a house, a typical interpretation would be a square-shaped building with a triangular roof. Perhaps there is a chimney while on the front there are two windows and a door.
“But where can you find a house like that in Singapore?
“Surprisingly not many people draw HDB flats with poles hanging out by the many windows ... This exercise shows how there is a misalignment to what we see and how we feel for our home.”
If you recall seeing — sometime this year — brightly painted dustbins along Orchard Road, that was Faris’ idea which he took to fruition under the auspices of the National Environment Agency.
“We live in a clean and green city ... However, is it because of effective governance and cheap foreign labour or because there is an emotional connection — no littering — with the environment?”
About 60 youths aged between 13 and 25 painted the dustbins under Project Creative Home. It raised almost $100,000 in sponsorship to cover costs — no mean feat for an unknown entity “without even a bank book”.
Faris’ vision took root last year when he was on a trip to South Korea as part of his involvement with the Young Changemakers, a body of the National Youth Council.
“I was at (South Korea’s) biggest amusement park, Everland. I got talking to a local there who was dressed in white and holding a humble broom. He was a cleaner, and he was very proud of his work. And he was an undergraduate working part-time.”
That encounter, says Faris, made him wonder about the youth of Singapore.
“The problem is the way we look at things. Our perception breeds elitism, generalisation, lack of ruggedness and lack of empathy.
“It is this perception that leads to kiasu-ism,” he says.
I’m dyslexic, not stupid
And dealing with perceptions is something he knows about first hand.
His personal motivation is to remind himself that he isn’t stupid just because he is dyslexic. This drive has seen Faris become youth president of the Siglapian Alumni Association and a panelist with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports feedback unit panel, among other things.
Out of the dustbin project, Social Creatives was born.
Incorporated as a limited company in July and given charity status early this year, it is positioning itself as a self-sustaining initiative. Board members providing guidance include Mr Gerard Ee, chairman of the National Kidney Foundation.
Among the dreams of its young director: “Murals anywhere and everywhere”. Under this “Skincare” project, Farishopes to raise awareness for his causes by giving a new face to walls in MRT stations or public walkways with a fresh lick of paint or by pasting stickers.
He also wants to convert public walkways into walkthrough art galleries, and by establishing community art galleries in the heartland.
But visions need support. So Faris is on the go, juggling his studies (he is currently interning at Changi Airport with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore) and his work as director of Social Creatives.
The latter entails making the rounds talking about Social Creatives’ goals. He bemoans the fact that “a lot of government organisations take a very bureaucratic stand and a submit-approve/reject stand rather than a nurturing approach”, but concedes that he has learnt much patience along the way.
He barely has time for anything else, socialising included.
“Someone said: ‘Faris approaches girls like he approaches his work’,” he tells me wryly.
But all this will have to change by the middle of next year. “I will take a backseat,” he says. Not because he is running out of steam. But because of another calling which he has to be single-minded about.
The youthful visionary has to enter National Service then.
