I approached Elizabeth from Singapore, first as a student wishing to explore dance therapy as a long-term goal. I was all jittery when she first proposed to Skype me from Netherlands, but it went nice and smooth, thankfully, due to her open and warm demeanour. Eventually, we managed to concretise thoughts into actions — we pulled together a short-term volunteer project with my school dance club, for a handful of youths at a drop-in centre in Singapore. Throughout this journey, Elizabeth’s mentorship had been a valuable asset to the team. She had been extremely approachable and warm, always probing in non-intrusive ways to understand what we wanted to get out of the project, what were the possible risks involved, and how we could mitigate them. After realising that most volunteers had not had any formal training in facilitation, she crafted a person-centred facilitation workshop to help us engage the youths more meaningfully. The workshop had been an eye-opener as it taught us how to explore movements and intention in nonjudgemental ways. These preliminary facilitation skills had been especially useful in interacting with vulnerable individuals; it spurred me to pursue it more professionally in my further education.
When I approached her for further individual volunteering opportunities, she responded promptly and went the distance to help get me on-board in her training sessions. In those sessions, she was observed to be a constantly warm, energetic and creative figure, who would look out for participants and volunteers alike, all to maximise their learning within our limited interactions. She has the ability to attune to the needs and wishes of clients and volunteers, acknowledge subtle strengths and motivate actions in the parties she interacts with.
Outside of facilitation and mentorship, she is a kind and bubbly individual, who actively shares relevant opportunities help develop individuals professionally. She remains attuned to others’ emotions and readily offers advice and support. If I were to name her superpower, it would be ‘to understand people, for who they really are’.
Thank you Elizabeth!
~ Skylar Ong Si Qi is 23 years old and works as Child Protection Officer
