Speaking Out and Breaking the Status Quo: The Concerns of a Community Advocate

By doing so, he believed that it helped his cause as it was looked at positively by the participating agencies. He continued, “Speaking out to government agencies may make them think that you are going against them, but I discussed the issue to them in a way that says ‘Hey, I’m here to supplement your policies and activities’’’. By partnering and being the channel through which government agencies can support migrant workers, he believes that it has created impact.

Naturally, there are concerns that may arise from governmental collaborations. Reflections in the ‘Rethinking Impact: Reputation and Communication of Our Non-Profits’ journal by Nanyang Technological University find that NGOs and initiatives may be seen as too close to the government when collaborations between them arise², resulting in lowered trust and interest in engagement by the public. Also, differences in the direction of the governmental agency and vision of the community advocate can result in structural issues in the collaboration³. Positive collaboration can occur if these matters are addressed at the start of any conversation.

Action Oriented and Focused Efforts

Faiz discussed about the importance of backing up our advocacy with action and focus on specific areas of the cause to drive meaningful impact. “When we want to be an organisation for change or fight for something, we must have an activity or engagement for the cause that you believe in,” he stressed, “How F-FRY survived for the past 5 years was because we could come up with solutions that supported our voice”. Speaking out is important, but more support can be garnered when action is taken. “I believe that social advocates need to have an implementation of a clear outcome through action,” he highlighted. Through his efforts, volunteers became increasingly interested in his cause and gave their time and effort to assist F-FRY in their activities for the migrant worker community, and funding became more accessible because of the tangible actions taken.

How about advocating for issues that are potentially outside the realm of action? Global climate change or the war on Palestine can lead advocates to find that speaking out is the only action they can do. There is a sense of helplessness in certain advocacy spaces, which could lead to disenfranchisement and disillusionment towards the cause. Faiz acknowledges this and encourages advocates to think beyond our borders. “The internet is the greatest leveller of all time right now,” he surmised, “Connecting to organisations which are taking positive action elsewhere is a possibility, and you can take some level of action through engaging these organisations.” It is important to confirm the legitimacy of these charities and organisations by doing due diligence in researching on their efforts. Beyond his advocacy work at F-FRY, he has also collaborated with a reputable travel agency to organise educational trips to Al-Aqsa as his way to support the Palestinian cause.

Leading back to his efforts locally, Faiz highlighted how the migrant workers that he supported faced a variety of issues, from low salary and being cheated by work agencies, to mental health concerns. Faiz understood, however, that it would be impossible to solve all their problems through F-FRY. Instead, he decided to focus on one important issue: food. “I asked myself; how could I help? And the first thing that came to mind was food. If I can alleviate their spending and help them in this area, then I can at least make some change.” He said that there are several organisations working with the same demographic, and finding a niche will give you more clarity in your objectives as a community advocate. “That’s how you can achieve consistency, by finding a niche and focus on one specific issue”.

By focusing his efforts, Faiz has served food to over 100,000 migrant workers and engaged over 300 volunteers over the past 5 years. F-FRY is also recognised as a partner in the Singapore Kindness Movement, Ministry of Manpower ACE (Assurance, Care & Engagement) Team, and Temasek Foundation.

Facing Backlash

As per most advocacy work, there will be some degree of disagreement from opposing voices. Commenting on how advocacy efforts are affecting the status quo of society, questioning the motives of the advocate – even insinuating that these motives are sinister – or deflecting the issue as trivial, are just some of the backlashes faced by advocates like Faiz. “I received some hate at the start of my journey,” he reminisced. “Some asked, ‘Why must we help the migrant workers? This is the life they chose’ or ‘It is not on us to help them. To me, this is normal. I know that I cannot please everybody, so I just carry on and ignore’.” He stressed that feedback is important for any advocacy work, but comments which are not beneficial or are purely from a place of hate should never be entertained.

Facing backlash and resistance to advocacy efforts can be detrimental, potentially discouraging continued efforts and deterring other advocates from engaging in similar work. Having strategies to address and combat backlash is important to ensure that advocacy work can be sustainable across time. Faiz advised, “If you really believe in your cause, you need to engage and be around like-minded people and get people in positions of influence to support your efforts. At the end of the day, your resilience will keep the hate quiet”.

Ultimately, Faiz believed that the recognition that F-FRY has received from larger organisations focusing on the same cause will supersede the small percentage of discouragement, as it provides legitimacy and endorsement for the work he has done.

Positioning and Positivity

Wrapping up the conversation, Faiz mentioned about how community advocates need to position themselves in a way that leans positively. “The youths have passion and energy and want to do better for the community, and sometimes the way we raise issues can come off too harsh or negatively. I think the tone and approach needs to be positive so that others will rally with you”. Beyond gathering support, positive positioning can also build confidence towards your cause and credibility with other institutions. He encourages more young people to take part in causes that they care about and begin advocacy in a way that focuses on upliftment above purely criticism.

The community advocacy journey can be long and arduous, with moments of struggle from hindrances by opposing voices or a lack of progress despite all the valiant efforts. Regardless, the journey can lead to a shift in the community and a change in mindset. Faiz ends by saying that he is unsure on where F-FRY will be in the future, but he is certain that every small step the social kitchen takes will always be for the betterment of the community.

“I live in the moment and as long as I’m consistent, no matter how small my actions are, I can advocate for the migrant workers".

Asyraf is the Department Lead of Young AMP, where he oversees initiatives in youth career exploration, leadership development, and community advocacy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Graduate Diploma in Non-Profit Management. In addition to his professional role, Asyraf serves on the management board of Darul Makmur Mosque, contributing to community development and governance.