I was not always drawn to children. There was a time I disliked them and saw them as immature, entitled and unmanageable. 

This might sound strange coming from a co-founder of 32 Pages — a ground-up initiative started in 2021 that helps children build motivation and resilience in learning. 

My change of heart was a surprise to me, too. It all began with serving children in the community.

As a psychology undergraduate in 2021 who was yearning for hands-on experience in the field, I sought internships that would equip me with the tools to provide therapeutic support to children and adolescents in the future.

After learning ways to manage children’s behaviour and nurture their socio-emotional development, I was eager to apply these skills in a relevant setting.

Fast-forward to 2024 — Chloe Ng, Cheryl Lee and I have been running 32 Pages for nearly three years.

What began as a volunteering stint to serve communities living in rental flats and to hone my skills soon morphed into a profound journey that reshaped not only my perception of children, but also the course of my career.

Our initial programme, Little Readers: Big Dreams, focused mainly on English literacy for children aged four to 10.

It was met with tantrums, inattention and other classroom avoidant behaviours that tested our teaching prowess.

This pushed us to confront a pressing need we saw within children in these communities — emotional resilience.

Recognising this gap, we modified the programme to integrate socio-emotional growth as well, to develop motivation and resilience in learning among children.

While our curriculum incorporates diverse tools — ranging from storybooks and worksheets to crafts and games — the crux of our approach centres on adult modelling.

We see ourselves as our children’s role models, leading by example to show them how to navigate the world with empathy and resilience. In essence, we as adults shape their journey through our own actions and examples.

Today, 32 Pages has served more than 100 children across three neighbourhoods — Redhill, Henderson and Bukit Panjang — with the help of a supportive voluntary community of more than a dozen members who feel as strongly about our children’s potential.

We have also received support from partners such as South Central Community Family Service Centre, Leng Kee Community Club, and We Love Learning Centre, among others.

The most impactful story for me comes from my interaction with a five-year-old boy who quickly became the nightmare of every volunteer during our time at Bukit Merah. He was the “naughty kid”, “problematic child” and “hyperactive boy”.

It was difficult to work with him; he was disobeying instructions by refusing to sit properly and not taking part in our activities. It was after working with him for quite some time that I realised the problem. We were not listening to him.

I should have known this; I was once a child who felt like her opinions were sidelined and actions were misinterpreted as defiance. 

Rather than reprimanding him for his outbursts, I made it a point to sit with him and hear his side of the story. Over time, as I listened, he reciprocated in engagement and participation, and even began to enjoy our shared reading sessions.

My experience at 32 Pages has taught me that children fall behind not for a lack of resources, but because they associate learning spaces with negative experiences and feelings. 

The places we inhabit and the people we meet influence the stories we tell ourselves — about who we are and the people we can become.

That is why we also train our volunteers to build meaningful relationships and hone emotional literacy — to allow children to feel heard in their struggles.

Other times, the struggles we faced were more practical.

Our programme relies heavily on the dedication of our volunteers, who enable us to provide one-to-one support for our children. Yet, sustaining this weekly commitment over a 10-week period, alongside full-time studies or jobs, is no easy task.

What keeps us going is the improvement we see in children, such as witnessing them take deep breaths to soothe tantrums and having them share their lives, worries and aspirations with us.

For children, suppressing these feelings translates into “challenging behaviour”. Instead of recoiling at such outbursts, I have found it empowering to treat these moments as opportunities for understanding what might be holding them back from learning.

We believe our work also helps build up a generation of adults who can provide an empathetic space for children to grow. It not only encourages us to withhold personal judgement and model empathy towards children, but also towards ourselves.

Over time, I’ve come to realise: I didn’t like children. It was because I felt disliked as a child. This was a personal narrative that fuelled my desire to support others who shared similar experiences.

However, even though personal stories inspire us to foster change, it’s the stories born from that change that will keep us going.

As changemakers, instead of dwelling on our personal past, we should focus on future narratives — new narratives that unfold within the lives of those we serve, the volunteers who join us in our mission, and even deep within ourselves.  

ABOUT THE WRITER: 

Tamara Tan Ann, 24, is the co-founder of 32 Pages and works full-time as an associate psychologist. She graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2023 with a psychology major and communications and new media minor. She is passionate about building empathetic and meaningful relationships with children that inspire self-growth and resilience. 

32 Pages is supported by Bagus Together, an initiative that helps changemakers and ground-ups start and sustain their work.

If you have an experience to share or know someone who wishes to contribute to this series, write to voices [at] mediacorp.com.sg with your full name, address and phone number.