Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate – SG Enable Launches Enabling Lives Festival | Inclusive Event

SG Enable presents the inaugural Enabling Lives Festival this December in conjunction with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the 5th anniversary of the Enabling Village!

Location: Online
Date: 3 Dec – 22 Dec 2020
Hour: Varies
Fee: Free (unless otherwise stated)

Themed Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate, the inaugural Enabling Lives Festival seeks to strengthen connections within the disability community, spark collaborations that drive positive outcomes, as well as celebrate disability inclusion efforts and the achievements of persons with disabilities.

In addition to the annual i’mable Gift Market, there will also be a series of virtual workshops and activities that persons with disabilities, their caregivers as well as the public can participate in. 

Here’s a look at some of the events and programmes you can look forward to!

1. Singing Stories for the Festive Season by Story Connection 

Date: 4 Dec 2020
Hour: 3 pm – 4 pm 

Led by industry veteran and award-winning storyteller Roger Jenkins, multimedia storyteller Alice Bianchi-Clark and musician-storyteller Wan Wai Yee, Singing Stories is a virtual interactive performance that celebrates one’s aural senses rather than visual through tales, music and movement.

Embark on a musical adventure with your family and celebrate the values of generosity and kindness with songs, dances and stories such as The Happy Prince, Cut and Tell Me a Christmas Tree and Violets in Winter by Oscar Wilde!

2. Ho! Ho! Home! An Online Christmas Sing-along Experience by Voices of Singapore

Date: 4 Dec 2020
Hour: 8.00 pm – 8.45 pm

Ring in the festivities with Ho! Ho! Home!, a virtual Christmas sing-along experience led by award-winning composer-conductor, founder and artistic director of Voices of Singapore, Darius Lim.

The chorale features the angelic voices of persons with disabilities combined with the lyrical, instrumental, and theatrical elements in entertaining renditions of our festive favourites.

3. Smart Home Workshop by SG Enable

Date: 10 Dec 2020
Hour: 10.00 am – 11.30 am

Join the SG Enable team as they share tips and tricks to turn a house into a Tony Stark-inspired smart home.

Learn how to secure, equip, and automate homes with the wonders of technology; at the same time, it accommodates persons with disabilities. With the use of virtual assistants, infrared blasters, and automation, you can save both time and electricity and worry less!

4. Just Ask Me! By SG Enable and Volunteers

Date: 10 Dec – 11 Dec 2020
Hour: 7.30 pm – 9.00 pm (10/12) | 12.00 pm – 1.30 pm (11/12)

Just Ask Me! is a virtual session where you can more about disability from people with special needs. The session will start with an introduction to disability from SG Enable and co-trainers who are persons with disabilities who will share their lived experiences. This will be followed by a Live Chat session with persons with disabilities, where participants can ask them all the questions they have always wanted to ask.

Not only will you be able to gain basic knowledge of the different types of disabilities and understand the constraints and challenges faced by persons with disabilities, but you will also be able to acquire adequate skills to communicate effectively with persons with disabilities. 

5. YMCA Y Dance Outreach by YMCA

Date: 11 Dec 2020
Hour: 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm 

YMCA Y Dance Outreach aims to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. With music that is measured with Beats Per Minute (BPM), heart rates will increase to allow for a stress-free exercise session. This way, participants can burn calories while having fun!

6. Art Moves by Extra.Ordinary People

Date: 10 Dec 2020
Hour: 4 pm – 5 pm 

Art Moves is a group therapy programme designed to integrate the complementary specialities of both Art and Occupational therapy; where motor and sensory developments are facilitated. While the session is designed to help individuals with neurodevelopment disorders live a more balanced life, it is open for all to experience.

Senior Occupational Therapist Muddasser Baig and Art Psychotherapist Chee Li Ping will teach you how to connect with your body while creating beautiful expressions on paper through this experiential art and movement session. You’ll need a large piece of paper, masking tape, crayons or markers before you begin.  

7. i’mable Gift Market

Date: 5 Dec – 12 Dec 2020
Hour: -

This year, the i’mable Gift Market by SG Enable returns as an online retail experience. You will be able to find a myriad of original works, artisanal gifts, as well as premium items that showcase the artistry of talented persons with disabilities from over 30 vendors from various non-profit, social and commercial enterprises! 

Photo credits SG Enable