MP for Sembawang GRC Mariam Jaafar strengthened her commitment to mental health advocacy after helping a woman who was caring for family members with mental health conditions.
In an interview with Petir, Ms Mariam recalled meeting a resident who had approached her for help in transferring HDB flat ownership to her son. As they talked further, a poignant story emerged.
The resident was grappling with family tragedy. She had recently lost her son to suicide, who had struggled with bipolar disorder – a condition her husband also lived with. Her other children suffered from depression.
” She was this tough woman trying to hold it all together, managing work while caring for her family,” Ms Mariam shared. “She told me there was a time when they were really down, they had to go scrounging for food in in the bins.”
This encounter inspired Mariam to become a passionate advocate for mental health. She raises mental health issues in Parliament and serves on the steering committee of the People’s Action Party’s Mental Health group.
“There are gaps in both the system and society [that we need to address],” Ms Mariam said. “We need to make things better and [prevent losing more lives]. As we say, one suicide is one too many. With youth suicide rates continuing to rise, this particular case remains one of the key reasons why I care so much about mental health [advocacy] today.”
Mariam launches an adulting series for Woodlands youths to teach them essential life skills
Since entering politics in 2020, Ms Mariam has overseen Woodlands constituency. She has identified four priorities for serving her residents in this term. First, to increase youth participation in the community.
In April, her grassroots team initiated the Woodlands Youth Adulting Series, offering workshops for constituents aged 18 to 32. These monthly sessions attract 70 to 80 participants who engage in three to four hours of activities.
They are run by the Woodlands grassroots organisation with support from its youth network and consulting firm BCG, where Ms Mariam serves as a managing director and senior partner.
The workshops equip participants with practical skills for everyday challenges, covering financial literacy, problem-solving, and mental wellness. They also focus on developing interview skills, understanding GenAI and Agentic AI technologies, navigating dating, and managing workplace relationships.
“The youth today have many options on how to spend their time. They are independent, with social media all around them,” Ms Mariam noted. “You need to give them something that adds value, whether it is [empowering them] in their careers or giving them a voice. So, we must think extra hard what is the thing that they will find valuable and keep coming back.”
Separately, Ms Mariam’s team launched the Fantasy Premier League initiative to engage with youth football fans. The fantasy league began alongside the Premier League season on August 15.
“Anyone who knows me knows I am a Liverpool fan,” she said. “The Fantasy Premier League allows participants to act like a football manager and select their teams. They compete against me and track their team’s performance.”
Players can compete against other football enthusiasts in the community, work their way up the leaderboard, and earn exciting prizes throughout the season.
Ms Mariam also intends to create more programmes to engage teenagers aged 13 to 17.
“While we have always had many school holiday programmes for primary school children,” she explained, “it’s hard to get those aged 13 to 17 to come for grassroots events. They get lost along the way. So, we are going to focus on what we can launch for this group.”
Mariam wants to keep heartland businesses vibrant
Second, Ms Mariam said, would be to keep heartland businesses in Woodlands vibrant, and strengthen relationships with local merchants.
She explained that with the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System opening next year, heartland merchants have expressed concerns about potential business impact, as many residents already shop in Johor Baru.
“One focus is to see how we can come up with win-win programmes to keep drawing people to our heartland stores. We want to continue to build strong connections with our heartland merchants,” Ms Mariam said.
Her grassroots team has collaborated with Woodlands merchants on various initiatives. During the SG60 celebration, they launched the SG60 Belanja a Meal BAM@Woodlands programme, supported by Northwest CDC. This provided over 10,000 Woodlands Singaporean households with a $50 stored-value card for use at participating local hawker stalls.
“I am a big supporter of our hawker stalls, so we want to support our hawkers. This initiative helps residents defray cost of living while allowing them to try different stalls that they have never tried before,” she said.
The initiative also encouraged community involvement. Residents needed to participate in an hour of community activities—such as festive celebrations, block parties, or talks—before receiving their cards.
“We want people to feel that they are part of the community,” Ms Mariam explained. ” I have met people who have never been to a grassroots event in their lives. Some participants who came initially for the card have since attended other events.”
Following positive response, the team launched a second round in September, offering residents an additional $30 card. It also expanded the programme to include more hawker stalls and market stores.
To further support both residents and local businesses, her team collaborated with merchants to create a new merchant dollar deal initiative from March to August.
Fifteen participating merchants offered over 5,000 special $1 deals monthly. They included essential items like rice and eggs, and prepared meals such as breakfast sets and chicken rice. Residents could choose from eight to 12 different items each month.
Her team also digitalised the Belanja a Meal (BAM@Woodlands) initiative. This programme enables residents to sponsor meals at local hawker stalls for fellow residents in need. The initiative has successfully provided nearly $100,000 worth of hawker meals to low-income residents.
“Of the $100,000, only $10,000 came from Northwest CDC. We raised the remaining funds from donors, corporates, residents, and the general public,” she said.
Ms Mariam’s third focus is to get to know the approximately 2,000 households residing in flats along Woodlands Ring Road. They recently came under her jurisdiction after electoral boundary changes. Over the next six months, she wants to understand their concerns and infrastructure challenges.
She conducts house visits twice weekly. For the other areas, she has completed three rounds of block visits over the past five years.
“The timing is good since this area is getting neighbourhood renewal programme and HIP (Home Improvement Programme). It’s a good chance to quickly get a pulse of their needs and wants, implement tangible estate improvements, and integrate them into our system.”
Mariam continues her previous term’s work of promoting health initiatives for seniors
Ms Mariam’s fourth focus is promoting health initiatives for seniors, with special attention to the Malay-Muslim community. She started this during her previous term.
In September 2023, she launched the Woodlands Health Club through her grassroots team. The club encourages community members, particularly from the Malay-Muslim community, to maintain healthy lifestyles while strengthening bonds with family and neighbours.
The health club hosts varied exercise activities every Sunday, including Piloxing, Zumba a-go-go, Jalan Kakis, trekking, and kampung cycling. Ms Mariam noted that on the first Sunday of each month, the Jalan Kakis group conducts brisk walks in different parts of Singapore, while the trekking group explores various nature reserves, including Bukit Timah Hill, on the third Sunday.
“Exercise is a social thing, some people may not feel so included,” Ms Mariam explained. “Some Malay women prefer not to exercise with men, while language and cultural barriers also get in the way. Zumba A Go Go, which features Malay music and dancing, is very popular. We have gotten many people who have never attended grassroots events to join us, so it’s great.”
Ms Mariam’s team has expanded the programme to include yoga and aquarobics, while also launching a gym buddies initiative to engage younger male participants.
Beyond this, she hopes to build a community that her team can engage with for various health programmes in collaboration with Woodlands Health Campus and the mosque.
“The Malay-Muslim community still has very low screening rates,” she noted. “Through these programmes, we want to empower people to take better care of their own health.”
| Mariam starts new study group and tutoring programme for primary school children Ms Mariam announced plans to launch a study group and tutoring programme for primary school children in Woodlands in January next year. She plans to expand it to secondary school students in future. “We want to provide a safe and conducive environment for kids in Woodlands to get help with their homework and clarify concepts,” she said. “This initiative helps fulfill our GRC’s election promise to provide free tutoring for 500 children across the GRC. We target 100 students in Woodlands.” The programme will complement existing services, including free tuition for families under ComLink+. Unlike current programmes which emphasises one-on-one coaching, this new initiative will focus on group learning, Ms Mariam explained. |
