We conducted a fun community mural painting activity at Penjuru Recreation Centre, where we invited migrant workers to paint on a wall mural.
Overall, it was a positive experience for migrant workers. They described their experiences in the following four ways:
1. Felt Rejuvenated
After working relentlessly in their daily lives, migrant workers enjoyed participating in the mural painting activity, and felt refreshed.
2. Had Fun Together
The mural painting activity was a chance for friends to get together and have fun. There was a lot of joking around and laughter among migrant workers who participated with their friends.
Individual migrant workers also shared how they felt a sense of connection and pride for contributing to a community effort.
3. A Different Experience
The mural painting activity was novel to the migrant workers. They were curious about its purpose and were enthusiastic about getting involved. They wanted to use their prior knowledge and interest in art and painting to take ownership of the mural and contributed beyond what we expected of them.
4. A Sense of Belonging
Working together on the mural facilitated open conversations between migrant workers and volunteers, allowing them to interact, get to know each other, and bond. This in turn created opportunities for initiating ties with the community.
Testimonials
Tips for Conducting a Mural Painting Activity
Based on our findings, here are some tips for conducting the mural painting activity:
1. Make sure your event is well-advertised
Because the activity was unfamiliar to many migrant workers, they were hesitant to participate because they initially thought it was work. Make sure you let the migrant workers know it is for fun and their participation is voluntary!
2. Participate in the activity yourself
Working alongside the migrant workers on the mural will provide for interesting and fun bonding opportunities to understand the migrant workers’ life stories and experiences, and to create a sense of community and belonging!
3. Let the community take the lead!
Plan for the event while staying hopeful and enthusiastic that the migrant workers are talented, creative and have good ideas for the mural! Engage them right from the beginning, starting at the conceptualization of the design, to ensure the mural is relevant and to increase community ownership of the mural.
About the Researcher
Divya Hemavathi is a research assistant with My Brother SG, who is keen about exploring new ways to conduct research to re-imagine power in knowledge production and researcher-participant relationships. She hopes that her work in My Brother SG can help raise awareness about the lived realities of migrant workers in Singapore and push for structural change.
