What does ‘Ramadan’ mean to you? If you are a Muslim, is it about ‘breaking fast’ or practising compassion, self-control and self-discipline during the holy month? For non-Muslims, is it about being sensitive to our Muslim friends through small gestures such as avoid scheduling lunch meetings?  Growing up in a multiracial country like Singapore allows us to foster racial harmony and celebrate festivals of different races every year. At Singapore Children’s Society, we adopt the same approach and mindfully instil this kampung spirit amongst our beneficiaries.

In that vein, one of our youth centres, The Fort @ Children’s Society, organised their annual iftar event on 20 April this year. iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims. It was an initiative by our staff to allow our Muslim youth to break fast together, and for our non-Muslim youth to understand what fasting is about.

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Learning the importance of Iftar: Youth coming together to break fast together at our youth centre 

Apart from the youth, our non-Muslim staff also decided to participate by abstaining from food and drinks the whole day! During the day, the non-Muslim youth helped prepare food and drinks for the iftar. There were also quizzes designed to educate the non-Muslim youth on the fasting month tradition. During this iftar event, youth and staff bonded over a sumptuous spread of pizza, drinks and finger food!

The team gathered feedback from both the staff and youth about how they felt towards this meaningful event.

Let’s hear what our youth had to say. 😊

"It was a fun experience. It was nice for the staff and other youth to break fast together. The food was good too!"
"It was a thoughtful event because the staff chose to fast together with us. I appreciate the event. I felt that I belonged in the community."
"As a non-Muslim, it wasn’t easy to fast (although I only started fasting in the afternoon 😃) because I was not used to it. But seeing my friends and the Fort staff fast together motivated me and helped me appreciate the pizza more!"
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fostering racial harmony
Our staff, Ms Sharlene Amelia Hafidz Stewart (above) also shared her thoughts on the event.

I feel that the event was a great success. Not only did we have a diverse group of attendees, but as a Muslim staff, it was heartwarming to see that even the non-Muslim youth were willing to fast for the whole day to show their support and solidarity. The focus of the event was inclusivity, and providing an opportunity for youth, regardless of their race, to experience different cultures and connect with others from different backgrounds. Overall, the iftar event was a wonderful way to bring people together and celebrate the spirit of Ramadan while promoting cultural exchange and understanding.

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