Over 60 spots at five carparks across S’pore become health awareness spaces for Parking Day 2024
Published on
15 Sep 2024
Published by
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE - Instead of manning his shop, Mr Francis Tay took a Saturday afternoon away from his traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice on Sept 14 to show people how to relieve pain symptoms in a Queenstown carpark.
The TCM practitioner was part of the 2024 Parking Day event, which saw more than 60 parking spots at five carparks across Singapore transformed into spaces for participants to share ideas on how to improve their health and wellness. The Parking Day event was introduced here in 2013.
Mr Tay, who usually operates out of his shop at Everton Park, told The Straits Times that he took the opportunity to educate visitors on the finer points of TCM during the Queenstown event, which was run by the community group Queenstown Kakis and was held at a carpark in Stirling Road.
He dished out tips on how to massage one’s acupoints and meridians to relieve symptoms of back and shoulder pain or insomnia. According to TCM principles, acupoints and meridians are crucial healing points that correspond to various vital organs in the body.
The 2024 Parking Day event across Singapore – organised by Bold At Work, a platform that prepares young people for the future of work – took place at carparks in Chai Chee, Lengkok Bahru, Queenstown, Yishun and Jurong East. About 1,000 people attended the event, the organisers said.
It is part of Bold At Work’s Design The Good Life initiative, which comes under the nationwide Movements For Health programme, a social movement led by the Ministry of Health’s Office for Healthcare Transformation.
Over at Chai Chee, 14 carpark spots were transformed into activity spaces that included an interactive self-care installation booth and a de-stress zone where families created terrariums – sealable glass containers containing soil and plants that can be opened for maintenance to access the plants inside.
The Chai Chee event was organised by Filos Community Services, a not-for-profit social service organisation.
Many of the booths at the space in Chai Chee Avenue were created by students from Temasek Secondary School.
These included SolaceSphere, an online safe space for users to discuss their mental health struggles, which uses artificial intelligence tools such as chatbots to provide emotional support and solutions.
Another project by the students was Lights, Camera, Action!, a scenario-based role-playing game that helps family members foster empathy by placing family members in one another’s shoes, according to team member and student Aliza Mohammad Noh, 14.
Filos Community Services also launched a new children’s book - Can We Play Together? - written by Singapore author Emily Lim, at the event. It is the first in a four-part series of health-themed books for early readers, focusing on themes of play, eat, exercise and rest.
Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, and National Development, who was one of two guests of honour at the Chai Chee event, said that it was a good way to bring awareness about mental health into the community, and he was impressed by the way the students stepped up to bring their ideas to fruition for the event.
“I have been working very closely with partners like Filos on the ground for a number of years, and I am very happy to see the partnership working on a very important topic,” the East Coast GRC MP told ST. The other guest of honour in Chai Chee was Dr Choo Pei Ling, second adviser to the Marine Parade GRC grassroots organisations (Kembangan-Chai Chee).
Among the participants at Chai Chee was Ms Sudha Subramaniam, 36, who was there with her two children, Danyassi and Navilan.
The Chai Chee resident told ST that her children were drawn to the booth for creating terrariums, while she was keen on booths by Filos containing information on how to create healthy meals for her family.
The event was a fun day out for her children, who were also interested in the role-playing card games organised by the students.
“It was a really fulfilling day for the children, and they really enjoyed it,” she said.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Reproduced with permission.
ALL views, content, information and/or materials expressed / presented by any third party apart from Council For Third Age, belong strictly to such third party. Any such third party views, content, information and/or materials provided herein are for convenience and/or general information purposes only. Council For Third Age shall not be responsible nor liable for any injury, loss or damage whatsoever arising directly or indirectly howsoever in connection with or as a result of any person accessing or acting on any such views, content, information and/or materials. Such third party views, content, information and/or materials do not imply and shall not be construed as a representation, warranty, endorsement and/or verification by Council For Third Age in respect of such views, content, information and/or materials.
