Surely the mention of a stress ball would conjure up the image of a yellow, squishy ball with a goofy smiley face. Well, the stress ball for Keith took a different form.
Struggling with anger management, Keith was prone to using physical aggression. He had kicked his teacher once; quarrelling and fighting with his peers are not new to him either.
Fortunately for Keith, he found a healthier way to defuse his anger and stress - Tchoukball. Through the PEARLS Tchoukball programme and the Experiential Learning and Mentoring Programme (ELMP), Keith met Joshua and Emmeline, his caseworkers at YGOS. While Emmeline counselled Keith, Joshua taught him tchoukball which is now a big part of his life.
“Em and Joshua were very important in making me who I am today. They are the constants during my time in YGOS: some of the friends that I came to YGOS with no longer come anymore.”
Keith recalled a time when he could not participate in a tchoukball competition because he misbehaved and was suspended by his principal and discipline master for 2 days.
“I would always remember this as a sad memory and also a lesson to myself for being naughty."
Now, he is proud that he no longer unreasonably burst out in anger. He is much more understanding of his teachers and more patient with his friends too.
With encouragement incentives such as a movie or McDonald’s treat from his mother, Keith is proud that he has made improvements in managing his anger. It has been a long journey, with lapses in his anger management for the past few years. Now, he is proud that he no longer unreasonably burst out in anger. He is much more understanding of his teachers and more patient with his friends too.
Keith’s parents were both very supportive of him joining YGOS’s programmes. While Keith’s relationship with his mother remained good as always, his relationship with his father improved after his father changed his job. Keith’s father is now able to spend more time to be with him.
“My family goes for outings every weekend and eat together as a family after church on Sundays. I’m not very close with my sister but we will still spend some time together as a family.”
“I used to think that the world is not a very good place. But now I know there are good things about the world too.”
In Primary 6 now, Kenneth is motivated to do well for PSLE to enter the secondary school of his choice. To him, YGOS is a place where he can seek advice, have fun and make trustworthy friends.
“I used to think that the world is not a very good place. But now I know there are good things about the world too.”
By: Keith (name has been changed to protect youth's privacy)
12 years-old, Experiential Learning and Mentoring Programme (ELMP), PEARLS Tchoukball Programme