THIS IS US! CHIT CHAT WITH ROWSHAUN
- Audrey Teo
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
When Rowshaun first started hanging out at Block 176, he was just 14. Five years later, he has become a trusted anneh (older brother in Tamil) to the children, a Lion Dance Club leader, a youth volunteer, an intern, and now an Assistant Coach with Lion Dance Club.
From afternoons spent playing with younger children, to taking on real duties as the “community policeman”, creating edutainment videos, or leading the Lion Dance Club, his influence grew through connection and care. Along the way there were setbacks, times he was too strict, mistakes during his internship, moments of doubt, but each became a chance to learn.
His story is one of growing up with Tak Takut Kids Club (TTKC), where leadership is built not from titles but from trust, care, and responsibility in supporting everyday life in the community.
Starting Out
Interviewer: Let’s start from the beginning. How did you first come to TTKC, and why did you keep coming back?
Rowshaun: I came in when I was 14 years old, back in 2020. That time I had this vision of providing care and protection for children. I wanted to become a mentor, find ways to give back. But honestly it was quite messy lah, community centre got so many activities, but none of them really aligned with me.
My father was the one who suggested TTKC. He said, “Why not try this place, see whether you can mentor or volunteer.” So when I came in, they told me no youth volunteers yet, so just join as a member first. Then in 2021, they opened a proper youth volunteer programme and I joined the pioneer batch.
Interviewer: What made you continue?
Rowshaun: Because it’s a space where I can connect with the kids. All come from different walks of life. And looking at them, I could see that they really need someone to provide them that sense of care and a brother figure.
Interviewer: What did you learn about Block 176 in those first few months?
Rowshaun: Well, I was a very adventurous kid, so I was just all around finding ways to find joy. Being the only child, it can be quite lonely sometimes, so my neighborhood is quite quiet, actually. So it's not very hectic as compared to Block 176 where you have many children around, many unexpected situations happening.
Over the years I got to learn that Block 176 is really a place where anything can happen. I think to put it in perspective, because as I go down every day, I see different things. Throughout my early days, the first thing I learned about Block 176 is that it's a very lively area. We have many people around—we have people who come and create trouble, we have people who come and create nuisance, but also we have people who are caring for the community and want to make the community better, right?
One thing I learned: every kid got their own story. They don't come here just to play. They come with an intention, maybe they need care, maybe they need someone to be with them. Block 176 got all kinds—some people create trouble, some disturb neighbours, but also people who care and want to make the community better. That's the reality.
Becoming the “Community Policeman”
Interviewer: I hear Teacher Madam Lin (Shiyun, Founder of TTKC) sometimes refer to you as the “community policeman.” How did that come about?
Rowshaun: (laughs) Not official lah. Madam Lin kept calling me that. I always said I want to be a policeman in future, and I was very protective of the kids.
Last time if anything happened, like kids hanging on the purple playground and flying off, injuring themselves, or disturbing neighbours late at night, I’d check if they were safe, and even write incident reports. I was always looking out for them. So slowly the “community policeman” name stuck.
The kids also started calling me “anneh.” Got one time Theevi shouted from his bicycle, “anneh!” and after that everyone followed. Now the whole TTKC family calls me that. Actually, before "anneh," there was "abang", that was another one but mostly used by the Malay kids. But after this "anneh" thing came in, then even the Malays started following, and the Chinese too. Some multicultural thing going on.
Interviewer: Why do you think the kids listen to you more than some of the other adults here,
especially the boys? What does it mean to you that these younger boys are looking up to you?
Rowshaun: I think it's just my close relationship with them because actually one privilege is that I live near TTKC. So sometimes when I go down I simply just play with them and try to build rapport with them. Yeah so it's simple things like this that I can understand them and understand who they really are as a child, you know what they're going through.
And coming from LDC is also another privilege where I can see their potential and they get to see how I progress and lead them. So what sets me apart from the adults, the closeness between me and the boys is that I can be like them, not in the bad way, but in the sense that I can be a very brotherly figure to them. Because I do see that they would like someone older to engage them with their jokes, with their playfulness, with their ability to stay active like 24/7. These sort of things that I can relate with and I'm able to find joy with them.
So I think through the years I'm able to build their sense of trust. They believe they have seen me and they trust me also because it's like a mix of me being here for such a long time, building it over the years. And then I play with them also. When TTKC is not open, I'm also around playing with them. Whereas the staff, most won't be around.
From Member to Youth Volunteer and LDC Leader
Interviewer: How did your role shift when you became a youth volunteer?
Rowshaun: As a member, I was just exploring. But as a youth volunteer, more responsibility. Back then TTKC had food pack distribution every Saturday, and many events. I’d step up to help.
In secondary school I had more free time, but once I went tertiary, it was harder. Still, I prioritised LDC, Lion Dance Club, because I wanted to give back in one way or another.
Interviewer: Tell me how you joined LDC.
Rowshaun: Actually I was learning to dance quietly at home. Never tell people. Then in June, Coach saw a video of me dancing with O, the boy who inspired the formation of LDC. He said I got potential. So I joined.
Interviewer: And how did you transition into a leadership role?
Rowshaun: Craft-wise, I still needed to learn when I joined. But I think on the other hand, when it comes to leadership, I think I was already at that level of trying to—I think simple things like gathering them and getting them to understand simple manners and respect towards the coaches and that. Over time, they got used to my instructions. They knew when Rowshaun is here, must listen.
Interviewer: So it wasn't like you weren't formally like the leader of LDC, but because the boys listen to you, they respect you. Like, you could help manage them a bit better, is it?
Rowshaun: Yes. So then I told Teacher Lin, can I take on the title of the lead of this team? Eventually I asked Madam Lin, "Since I've been leading the boys, can I take the official title?" She said yes. That's how it became formal.
Interviewer: Leading the boys can be difficult sometimes. How do you balance being playful and being strict?
Rowshaun: I always tell the kids, “Right time for the right things.” Most of the time I have to wear different hats.
Last time I was too strict until they lost interest, no motivation. I realised the approach matters. Must be patient. Cannot just be strict all the time, even though discipline is important.
During internship I learnt more, many kids already kena scolded so many times at home. If they come here and still get scolded for small things, it’s very triggering for them. So being firm is okay, but got limit. Must be firm with care.
Got one time the team wasn’t united. They gave excuses, skipped training, lied. Motivation really dropped. Teacher Lin suggested a one-month suspension for the whole team, and I told myself, “You have to wake up already. This is major.”
We sat with the boys, asked what they were going through, some said school stress, some said tired. Then we came up with a carrot-and-stick system: proper attire, bring water bottle, show care for teammates. If they cannot meet, got consequences.
During suspension, they became motivated because they wanted to come back. Slowly, unity came back too. That was when I learnt: the boys don’t actually want to give up. They just needed structure and accountability.
Interviewer: Now you’re preparing new leaders. How’s that going?
Rowshaun: I told myself, leadership is not doing everything myself. It’s empowering the team. I saw how Teacher Lin leads, even if she is not around, her team still can function. I want to be like that.
So I delegated: some boys handle logistics, some handle warm-up, some gather their peers. They became more motivated because they had real roles.
When I asked the team who should be the next leaders, they chose two members they trust. Another boy was eager, wanted to lead, but he admitted he gets angry easily, cannot handle. He himself said better not. That kind of self-awareness also very important.
Internship at TTKC
Interviewer: Your internship was quite different from being a volunteer. How did that feel?
Rowshaun: Wah, totally different world. Internship more structured, must be professional. As a youth volunteer, still semi-structured, can be playful. But as an intern, professionalism is very big.
I remember first day at Subway with Imran (HR and Volunteer Manager) and Teacher Lin. Even though I could smell the bread, my brain was just nervous. Very serious. Got fear because if you screw up, things can fall apart.
Interviewer: What challenges did you face?
Rowshaun: One was group dynamics. With LDC, during rehearsals for events like March On, boys got demotivated easily. I had to be a motivator, remind them why we do this.
Second was mistakes. I once posted a magazine to the same address twice because I looked at the wrong email. That mistake really made me wake up, after that I double-checked everything.
Another was energy management. I actually fell asleep at work. Paiseh lah. My mom told me, “You must change your lifestyle, manage your time better.” After that, I replanned my routine. Professionalism is about habits.
Interviewer: What made this internship special?
Rowshaun: Already I had connections with the people here before. It’s a nurturing environment where I can learn every day. These nine months really shaped me.
I feel I changed a lot. Now I’m more careful, not blindly following. Life-wise, I picked up cooking, hygiene, better time management. Work-wise, I learnt to better engage children through trainings, social emotional learning, art therapy.
Left: Rowshaun in the kitchen, making sure clean-up gets done Right: Rowshaun cooking with the children as part of the Chef Programme
Left: Rowshaun (2023) as a TTKC member, participating in general art-making activities.
Right: Rowshaun (2025) guiding a child through an art-therapy inspired activity.
Interviewer: How do you feel about your internship ending?
Rowshaun: I feel happy. Not because I hate this place, but because I made it this far and learnt so much. I met new people, new children, understood my colleagues better, picked up skills. It taught me resilience.
Even though internship ending, I’ll still come back on Wednesdays as an Assistant coach for LDC. That’s my way to give back.
Interviewer: Looking back — from 14-year-old member to now — what sticks with you?
Rowshaun: My whole journey with TTKC. From member, to youth volunteer, to LDC leader, to intern. This place shaped me. TTKC’s mission is to help every child reach their full potential. I think they did that for me. They made sure I reached my potential, not just for work, but for life.
So ya, I will never forget this place. Mission impossible became possible.
Comments