FAQ

General Questions

  • As a participant, you can take part in the activities organized by our respective community partners to learn more about the lifestyle you can adopt to age healthily. Sign up for the event or activity you are interested in and get ready to make new friends while you learn new things!
  • As a volunteer, you can pick up the knowledge and skills of the programme through the E-Learning Courses before volunteering your time to help our respective community partners facilitate the activity planned for the participants. Trainers will be there to guide you during the activity or event.
  • As a trainer, you have to go through our Train-the-Trainer Workshop to be officially certified to coach new volunteers on how they can better facilitate the activities with the participants. You will be the first ones to access information about new initiatives and activities when the programme content gets refreshed with the new research findings.
  • AWE Programme is a community initiative, implemented through our respective community partners. It involves face-to-face activities, workshops and events. The current programme activities include Health Education, Physical Exercise, Mindfulness Practice, Art and Music Reminiscence, Horticulture, Choral Singing & Therapeutic Rainforest Walk.
  • AWE E-Learning Courses were created to inncrease accessibility and flexibility of AWE key topic contents for the public and potential volunteers. With the online modules, anyone can learn any time, anywhere.
  • AWE Programme activities are guided by Mind Science Centre’s ongoing research in the area of seniors’ well-being. We are continuously in the works to roll out new activities and initiatives to refresh the programme. Stay tuned!

For Participants

  • If you are a senior or retiree looking for interesting activities to participate in as a pastime, approach any of our community partners to find out more about their activity schedule.
  • You will participate in activities and workshops that will keep you informed about new ways to enhance your physical and mental well-being, as guided by research. Beyond that, you can even make new friends and form your own community friend group to enjoy the various planned initiatives together!
  • It is not compulsory to attend all activities, but we will highly recommend you to attend all the content sessions as you will benefit from the knowledge gained in the key topic areas relating to your physical and mental wellbeing.
  • Depending on the community partner, there may be a nominal fee for some of the activities. Please kindly check with the respective community partner. For ad-hoc webinars and workshops by Mind Science Centre, it is usually free for the public to join.
  • You will benefit physically and mentally from the active ageing lifestyle you adopt after learning the essential knowledge from the content sessions. You will get to participate in activities designed to delay cognitive deterioration, instil a resilient mind and increase socialization amongst seniors. All in all, the programme aims to delay the onset of dementia and improve the senior’s quality of life.

For Volunteers

  • There are two ways for you to join AWE Programme as a volunteer. 
  1. Sign up for the E-Learning Training Course Full Suite (required for all volunteers) and approach any of our community partners to start volunteering your time for their planned activities. 
  2. Approach our community partners to register yourself as a volunteer before getting nominated into the E-Learning Training Course.
  • No, it is not compulsory to attend all activities, but for a start, it is recommended that you take the chance to facilitate all the main activities in order to grasp the content holistically for your own personal growth. Also, you will get to build rapport with the same group of seniors, which will make your volunteering experience more fruitful and meaningful.
  • To become a AWE volunteer, you will have to go through the full suite of E-Learning Training Course, which will cost SGD248. Our community partner may be able to subsidise the cost of training. Please approach them to find out more.
  • Mind Science Centre (MSC) does not impose minimum required months of commitment as an AWE Volunteer. You may be required to go through a refresher course if you have not volunteered for an extended period of time. However, do check with the respective community partner for their requirements as it is outside of MSC’s purview.
  • We are open to all legal adults joining as AWE volunteers. Yes, this means seniors can join as volunteers as well! As long as you are enthusiastic about active ageing and ready to share the knowledge with seniors, family and friends, we welcome you. Some skills that may be needed, but not compulsory.
    • Able to speak English and/or Mandarin
    • Good at interacting with seniors
  • Yes, you will be guided by trainers during the activity sessions to familiarise you with the content and programme structure.

For Trainers

  • Once you have completed the full suite of E-Learning Training Course and accumulated a wealth of experience with facilitating the activities, our community partners will recommend you for further training to become an AWE trainer. You will then need to sign up for the ‘Teaching and Facilitation’ module, where you will learn the core skills of being a mentor and teacher. Thereafter, you will go through a comprehensive ‘Train-the-Trainer’ Workshop Series to enhance your knowledge further before participating in an official certification test. Once you passed the test, you will become a certified trainer for the AWE programme.
  • For now, Mind Science Centre (MSC) does not impose minimum required months of commitment as an AWE Trainer. You may be required to go through a refresher course if you have not volunteered for an extended period of time. However, do check with the respective community partner for their requirements as it is outside of MSC’s purview.

For AWE E-Learning Courses

  • It’s for anyone who wants to gain relevant knowledge about active ageing! In particular, it is suitable for individuals who want to engage in active ageing, caregivers of seniors and community volunteers to acquire knowledge and skills.
  • AWE will run its full suite of e-learning training 24/7 throughout the year! Interested participants and volunteers will no longer be restricted to a quarterly fixed course schedule.
  • Upon registering for the E-Learning Courses, the modules will be open for a duration of 2 months for participants to complete on the portal.
  • Living a long good life is a common wish for many. While the life expectancy in Singapore has risen over the years, it is the quality of life at old age that matters most. Successful ageing is multi-dimensional, encompassing the avoidance of disease and disability, the maintenance of high physical and cognitive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activities.
  • The full suite E-Learning Training Course comprises 6 online modules (Depression, Stroke, Dementia, Caregiving, Lifestyle Management I & II), 2 Mindful Awareness Practice sessions and a webinar session with qualified healthcare professionals.
  • Participants who have completed the full suite of AWE E-Learning Training Course can sign up for an additional Teaching and Facilitation E-learning module to be embark on your journey to become an AWE Trainer.
  • Yes, you may enrol in individual modules to gain knowledge of specific interest areas.
  • We have launched all modules in Chinese and are working on the Malay version of the programme! For participants who are more comfortable grasping the content in Chinese, you can now enrol in the respective modules, professionally written just for you.

 

Note: For other languages, we are in the works to produce the content and we will let you know when it’s ready for launch.

For quick reference, here’s the pricing (inclusive of GST):

  • Full Suite Programme Fee: SGD250.30
  • Lifestyle Management Programme Fee: SGD117.10
  • Individual Modules: SGD33.30

*Note: Singaporeans aged 50 and above are eligible for National Silver Academy subsidised fees. For more information, please view the respective course details.

  • As we continue to explore ways to expand our resources, the 2 Mindful Awareness Practice sessions and Healthcare Professional Webinar will still be kept at 4 times a year. So, do keep a lookout for key dates.
Click here to go AWE

If you have further queries, please drop us an email at pcmbox6@nus.edu.sg and we will assist you as soon as we can.