Services

There are 4 area of work under Shelter's Family & Community Services

1. Prison Educational Development Work
2. Food & Financial Aid
3. Youth Centre (DropZone)
4. Single Mothers' Support Network
   

Prison Educational Development Work

We first started this work in June 2005 at Kajang Prison. Our mission is:

• To educate and train remand juveniles to help them regain their self-respect so that they can become ethical and productive members of society.
  
• To focus on helping juveniles to develop victim awareness and victim empathy, along with personal insight and growth.
  
• To provide legal assistance (in partnership with the legal aid bureau) to speed up the trial process of the juveniles.

There are about 1,000 juvenile delinquents in Kajang & Sg. Buloh prisons. These juveniles are kept in prison from three months to a year. They are suspected of committing petty crimes (such as selling pirated VCDs, petty thefts and illegal racing) to more serious ones (such as murder or rape).

The current focus of our work is among those who are still under remand.

We have organised rehabilitation programmes for the inmates at the Kajang prison such as tuition and group and individual therapy classes. We also conduct SPM and STPM tuition classes.

We have set up a few key resource materials to be used in our education programmes. They are: teaching aids, modules for character building, introductory lessons for skills training and computer laboratories.

Apart from running classes, we were also involved in a few ad-hoc projects with the prison authorities. Some of these projects were carried out in partnership with other organisations. Among the activities carried out regularly are gatherings for festivities, medical check-ups, legal aid and other social activities.

Food &
Financial Aid

Shelter Home provides food and financial aid to families. Its purpose is to preserve the family unit by providing the basic needs for their children such as food; finance for tuition, school fees, school bus expenses, etc. We believe that poverty should never be the reason to remove any child from concerned and loving parents. By providing "on-site" assistance to the parents, we hope that the assistance will filter down and benefit the children.

All our cases are generally referred to us by the general public. On hearing of a particular need, we would normally evaluate the case carefully and assess how we can effectively help the family. The focus is always on the children - mainly the needs of parents relating to their children's education and well being.

Call us at 603-79550663 and speak to a community service officer if you know of anyone in need of assistance in this area.

Youth Centre (DropZone)

DropZone is a youth community centre project which aims to develop a membership youth centre, taking after the concept of a second-home, which runs youth related activities in the hope that it becomes a healthy hangout alternative that focuses on the personal development of youth. It seeks to respond to the positive qualities of young people in recognition of their role and contribution to nation building.

It is a drop-in centre to help keep youths from engaging in undesirable activities and to provide self-development opportunities to the underprivileged youths by:

• Providing counselling to troubled youths.
• Providing wholesome activities (movies, board games).
• Developing musical talents (jam sessions with guitars, keyboard and drums).
• Providing a positive environment and human mentors/models.
• Instilling good habits (e.g. making payments for drinks and usage of equipment).
• Helping with school work.

The objectives and rationale are:

• To be a non-residential centre which provides before and after school programmes that will complement our residential homes in our work among teenagers with difficult behaviour.
• To be an intervention centre for troubled youths.
• To be a place of learning, whereby good and wholesome activities can be experienced.
• To be a contact point to reach the many disadvantaged youths.

The target group is 13 - 20 years old. The current operating hours are: Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm and closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Location - DropZone is located at PJ Old Town because of its youth attractions, youth populace, proximity to schools, and accessibility.

Address:
No. 92A (First Floor)
Jln Othman 1/14
46000 Petaling Jaya (Old Town)

Tel: 03-77827448

Download DropZone's Brochure & Application Form

Single Mothers' Support Network

The purpose of setting up this single mothers' support group is to give the single mothers support and to empathize with them so that the single mothers can be helped to cope being a single parent.

It also aims to create a core group of single mothers who can be the catalyst of change in the plight of single mothers.

This group carries out various activities that help the children and parents to foster better understanding and relationship with one another. As such fun-filled programmes and appreciation programmes between mother-child are carried out. Single parents also get-together to share their joys and trials with one another as a form of therapy to overcome their fears, rejection and low-self-esteem. Practical classes like baking and having tea together are also part and parcel of their activities.

Through the group and its activities, we hope to uphold compassion, justice, love and peace that is lacking in our modern society. As we continue the work of creating awareness of such needs of the single mothers, we hope the Malaysian society will respond to our cause.

We welcome any case referrals, so if you know of any single mother in need, kindly contact our office-in-charge of single mothers' support network.

Download Single Mothers' Support Network Membership Form