Growing through Serving

Being a Young Union Leader with Singapore Union of Broadcasting Employees, Akidah has experienced personal growth through Union activities that she participated in. From being able to contribute to national dialogues to having great learning opportunities, this is a meaningful journey that Akidah.

17 Dec 2021

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From having little inkling of what a Union does to being a Young Union Leader with Singapore Union of Broadcasting Employees (SUBE), Nur Akidah Ramad has come a long way in her personal growth. Her participation in SUBE’s activities intially was motivated by a keen interest to serve the community in causes such as bringing joy to seniors in the old folks’ home and doing a part for the environment.

The involvement grew as Akidah got acquainted with the extensive programmes that the Union organises. “Through the many leaders before me, I started to see how union work is meaningful. Not only does the union lend strong support to members who may be facing issues at work or financial difficulties, it also avails extensive opportunities for personal development and contribution to national dialogues which address the concerns of our workforce,” recounted Akidah.

Despite her introverted personality, Akidah gained confidence progressively to lead and contribute as she grew from strength to strength by embracing training that came her way. Attending the NTUC Union Leadership Programme for Women prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 was one eye-opening experience for Akidah. She gained critical insights on her personality and approaches she could take to be an effective leader. Recently, she also underwent a WSQ-Certified Training in Peer-to-Peer Mental Well-being, a first-of-its-kind programme developed by Young NTUC and NTUC LearningHub, to learn psychological first aid skills to provide mental well-being support to co-workers.

Having benefitted from being a part of SUBE, Akidah hopes to encourage more peers to join the union. “Though I didn’t know what I was in for at first, I find it a worthwhile journey to step up as a leader in SUBE. Members can expect to learn and grow. The union also provides easy access for members to network and interact with people who can help with career development. It’s a ‘social club’ that brings individuals of diverse background together to do good, connect and support one another.”

Akidah described how such support warmed her heart during exceptional times such as COVID-19. Her willingness to serve through means such as volunteering with Young NTUC to put together carepacks for frontline workers came full circle when her co-workers were coincidentally among the recipients of the carepacks. It was rewarding for her to know how she could contribute to cheering her colleagues and others on, even through seemingly small gestures.