Who says Final-Year Projects have to end there?

Many students bid their final-year project goodbye after submitting it, but three Ngee Ann Polytechnic girls refused to do so.

By Nur Farahjihan Binte Rasid and Nur Syaqirah Binte Ahmad

Looking into the future: (From top to bottom) Tay Hui Ann, Naylee Juani Binte Juraimee

and Fok Xin Yi after their group discussion on the future of Sparkling Sprouts.

(PHOTO: Fok Xin Yi)

Often, we see students putting an end to their progress for their final-year project (FYP). Yet, in September 2023, three students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) decided to take a step further by continuing their FYP project that sheds light on children’s emotional well-being.

This project was initially started by six year three students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

The team consists of Naylee Juani Binte Juraimee (21), Tay Hui Ann (19), Fok Xin Yi (19), Ye Siling (20), Alston Leong (21), and Rakshana D/O Gopalakrishnan (19) from the Diploma of Community Development.

Despite the project starting with the entire team, Naylee, Xin Yi and Hui Ann decided to carry on with Sparkling Sprouts even after the conclusion of the FYP.

They call themselves the "Sparkling Sprouts" because “Sparkling” signifies that every child is a unique star which they will embrace no matter what. “Sprouts” symbolises a child's continuous growth and learning. With these two words combined, they are dedicated to nurture these children into successful individuals.

The Start of Something New: (From right to left) The leaders of Sparkling Sprouts, Hui Ann and Naylee, in front of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the birthplace of Sparkling Sprouts.

(PHOTO: Nur Farahjihan Binte Rasid)

Naylee, the leader of the team expressed: “We believe that the social cause that we are doing, which is the mental wellness of children, is very important in this day.” According to a study by the National University of Singapore together with the Ministry of Education and the Singapore Institute of Mental Health, around 1 in 3 children in Singapore have reported feelings of sadness, anxiety, and loneliness. With the hope for children to understand ‘mental health’ in a more simple, creative, and imaginative manner, the team has created and self-published a book called, “The Magical Magical Fluffy Friends”.

A Magical World of Emotions

Recently, on October 31, 2023 the Institution of Mental Health (IMH) released storybooks and graphic novels about mental health for children varying topics from mental disorders to social media addiction. As for Sparkling Sprouts, their self published book, "The Magical Magical Fluffy Friends" centers on childrens' journey of recognising different types of emotions, designed for the young ones to easily comprehend them.

A Magical Purchase: Pre-orders for “The Magical Magical Fluffy Friends” storybook can be purchased via the Sparkling Sprouts Instagram page link (@Sparklingsprouts). Pre-order closes on 20th November 2023. (PHOTO: Nur Farahjihan Binte Rasid)

The book's main objective is to educate children on emotions regulation through identifying four types of emotions, Happiness, Sadness, Anger and Fear. The story revolves around two main characters named Henry and Angela.

“On one fine day, they accidentally time-travelled into a magical world where they meet 4 interesting characters that represent various emotions, which are anger, sadness, anxiety and happiness. Each of these characters have a quest for Henry and Angela”, shared Naylee.

With the help of this book, Naylee hopes to teach children the value in managing their emotions and create a positive space where they can pick up helpful coping mechanisms.

Additionally, the team created original characters of emotions plush toys which they use as a tool to make storytelling more engaging and enjoyable for the children at The Little Library. However, the plush toys do not come with the book if it is purchased.

A Rainbow of Emotions: Plush toys of the different emotions hand-sewed by Naylee.

(From left to right) Shan for anxiousness, Leon for sadness, Lee Lee for

happiness and Ann for anger. (PHOTO: Nur Syaqirah Binte Ahmad)

A Roller Coaster Ride

Self-publishing a children’s book was not a simple task. The team had to raise money by holding a fundraising event called the “Beaning event” from 5 May to 10 May 2023 at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, where they made and sold over 200 handmade bracelets.

Significant Event: It took four days for the team to make 200 handmade bracelets and they had to make more during the beaning event. (PHOTO: Sparkling Sprouts)

Hui Ann, another leader, beamed with pride as she remarked: “To us, bracelets symbolise social support. Social support is a key element of mental health. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, one bead cannot thrive on its own, you need many beads to form a bracelet.”

Through the beaning event, Sparkling Sprouts managed to earn $1,940.

However, that is only the beginning of their adventure. The team had to go through a crafting process by utilising each members’ strengths to start working on the book.

The team members all had a role to play. For instance, Naylee was tasked with leveraging her creativity as the illustrator for the storybook.

Hui Ann chuckled and said: “Naylee is our Pablo Picasso,”

On the other hand, the team's creative thinkers are Xin Yi and Siling. They came up with the idea for the plot of the storybook after being inspired by the beneficiaries.

The Magical Magical Fluffy Friends storybook took five months to create, according to Hui Ann.

The final step entailed collaborating with other NP schools that had their own talent pools to tap into. Sparkling Sprouts joined forces with three Biomedical engineering third year students to create an interactive version of the storybook

“They focused on the installation of interactive parts. Interactive elements included LED lights and audio sensors. This enabled (the) story to come alive.” shared Hui Ann in excitement.

The group also worked with Needle Thread, a small local business in Singapore, to design and make handmade keychains featuring their emotion characters.

Children can attach these keychains to their school bags in the shape of a tiny plush toy.

A part to play: In collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission Boys Home, Sparkling Sprouts conducted activities for children from abused or neglected households, to improve

their mental wellness. (PHOTO: Ramakrishna Mission Boys)

Additionally, they worked together with Ramakrishna Mission Boys Home and Faith Acts conducting skill and emotion-based activities, ten puppetry and journaling sessions.

Penning down emotions: Journaling booklets to achieve a deeper objective and expose children to other different emotions. (PHOTO: Nur Farahjihan Binte Rasid)

As for the challenges the team faced, it was the lack of data about children’s mental health in Singapore.

Hui Ann acknowledged the difficulty and stated: “During our research phase, children’s mental health data was limited, compared to other demographics.”

After conducting in-person interviews with social workers, the team discovered that external factors, such as insufficient parental attention, can have an impact on children's mental health.

Furthermore, ensuring the long-term sustainability of Sparkling Sprouts was another challenge they faced. The team admitted that relying solely on selling handmade bracelets and storybooks may not be the best strategy.

“We had been discussing ideas such as applying for a grant or partnering with another organisation. However, we are still exploring the best options.” shared Xin Yi

Let’s Grow Together!

After meeting different individuals, be it parents or children, the team has taken all the feedback given to them as a motivation to expand their small project into something bigger.

During their exhibition at The Little Library, the founder complimented them about how their books and the incorporation of using plush toys for storytelling was executed excellently. Buyers have also shown their support through friendly praises.

“We conducted one exhibition at the Little library to showcase our project. One of the buyers mentioned that our book was very kid-friendly because we provided very cute illustrations of the book representing several emotions,” explained Hui Ann as she grins.

Just as they thought that things could not get any better with the support that they have received, Mr. Chan Chun Sing, The Minister of Education, expressed his support by posting about ‘Sparkling Sprouts’ on his Instagram and TikTok page to spread more awareness about this project.

A sense of pride: Mr. Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Education, introduced ‘Sparkling Sprouts’ to his Instagram followers, expressing his pride and joy for having students taking charge in raising awareness for children’s mental wellness. (VIDEO: Mr Chan Chun Sing Instagram account)

They even got invited to showcase their project to CNA938 for ‘Family Ties with Susan Ng’ talk show on 15 july 2023 at 4pm. “She was interested to know why we chose mental health towards children and we explained our project to her. These opportunities really gave us the platform to showcase our project,” explained Hui Ann.

In tune: CNA938 promoting ‘Sparkling Sprouts’ to their Facebook followers and encouraging users to join their live to watch Ms. Susan Ng’s conversation with

the team. (SCREENSHOT: Nur Farahjihan Binte Rasid)

With the immense support from everyone, the team sees this project as a success and it manages to encourage the team to push their project even further. ​ Our Sparkling Future ​ Apart from planning to have more books published, the team intend to continue their collaboration with their current partner, Ramakrishna Mission Boys Home to sustain their project and emotion-based activities such as their journaling booklets. They are also planning to expand their collaboration opportunities with several organisations such as ‘Faith Methodist Church’ for Thailand children orphanage and ‘The Little Library’. The Sparkling Sprouts team feels the need to continue this meaningful project because not just are they able to make an impact and influence other individuals but also forge deeper connections with others. “Witnessing how they treasured my presence and engaged in profound conversations filled me with an indescribable sense of fulfillment and granted me priceless insights,” beamed Xin Yi with contentment. Naylee also noted that the exceptional rapport that they have established with the children at Ramakrishna Mission Boys Home is a special bond as the childrens’ identities are kept confidential from the public. This connection was a strong motivation factor for the team to continue Sparkling Sprouts. “They (Ramakrishna Mission Boys Home) requested for us to create more programmes with the children focusing on different objectives like maybe being kinder to themselves or being kinder to others,” Naylee shared with a bright smile on her face. The team has managed to show everyone that their involvement in social service goes beyond their pursuit of academic excellence. Every learning opportunity such as school assignments that is given in school can be turn into a catalyst of change making a positive impact to the community. So those students, who are currently in the midst of your FYP, remember that your FYP can just be the start of something impactful and an opportunity for you to ignite an authentic zeal in helping others! If you care about the social cause that you are doing, do not let the opportunity go to waste, expand the FYP and who knows where life can take you? For those who are keen to purchase and support Sparkling Sprouts' “The Magical Magical Fluffy Friends” book, you can pre-order by clicking on the link that is available on their Instagram page, (@Sparkling.Sprouts)!