SINGAPORE - In April last year, with the coronavirus outbreak worsening in the United States, the Singaporean community in California came together to address their concerns about school and workplace closures, access to healthcare, and the rising level of anti-Asian sentiment.
This was accomplished through initiatives by SingaporeConnect, a social club for Singaporeans in the Silicon Valley region.
An official support group was set up with the help of the Singapore Consul-General in San Francisco and Singapore Global Network, a branch of the Economic Development Board that seeks to connect Singaporeans living overseas.
The group provided timely and accurate information via e-mails and their social media pages about what was happening in the US and in Singapore during the pandemic.
The SingaporeConnect club also set up forums where specialists from the community stepped up to share insights on Covid-19 concerns such as how to wear masks and manage mental health, as well as the progress made on coming up with Covid-19 vaccines and immigration issues.
Club co-founder Jasmin Young, 47, said the crisis has strengthened the community and led to the club's expansion. Its Facebook page now has more than 600 followers.
SingaporeConnect will host a gathering on Sunday (Aug 8), with food from several Singaporean restaurants in California, including Dabao Singapore and Shiok Singapore Kitchen, in support of these businesses. Familiar hawker dishes such as beef hor fun, beef rendang, Hainanese chicken rice and Hokkien prawn noodles will be available.
The gathering will take place both in person and over videoconferencing platform Zoom.
The SingaporeConnect club also made a commemorative National Day mug featuring scenes of Singapore by artist Nemu Abe-Chik that will be visible over Zoom calls to remind Singaporeans in San Francisco of home.
"I'm looking forward to connecting in person, since the majority of the Singaporean community here has been vaccinated and we've grown so much as a community this past year," said Ms Young, chief executive of IT management and software company Netreo.
She moved to Silicon Valley in 2000 and used to visit Singapore once every four to five years.
"Through our community engagement activities, it was heartening to see Singaporeans in the United States at the forefront of Covid-19 medical care and drug discoveries. It was amazing to experience how we stepped up and supported one another during this period, and I hope that we will continue growing our kampung spirit," she said.
