Kidleidescope of Dreams
(credits: Kidleidoscope)
“Be the light, inspire a kid today” is the tagline of Kidleidoscope, a community service initiative led by students from SMU, to inspire kids to achieve their dreams. The word 'Kidleidoscope' is an interesting amalgamation of “kids” and “kaleidoscope”, and also a literal reflection of the students’ ideals to bring an array of colours to the lives of the children they work with.
To spread joy and happiness via a meaningful initiative, Kidleidoscope hosted a fantastic iridescent finale for members of the public at City Square Mall last Saturday, on July 30th. The Blue and Gold was invited to the event and upon reaching the venue, I was greeted by a stunning display of vibrant colours and loud cheers. Children were all around me having fun, eating colorful candy floss, and staining their hands with paint. Everyone was all smiles and it was genuinely heartwarming sight, to say the least.
Here are some of the highlights from the event:
(credits: Kidleidoscope)
Colourful shirts have always a hallmark of Kidleidoscope. Through presenting kids with a white shirt and giving them the option to color it however they like, allows children to unleash their inner creativity (and Picasso!) to create their own unique tie dye shirts. Many children were fascinated by this station: many stared in awe as their plain white tees - sporting favorite cartoon characters that volunteers were imprinting - magically transformed into personalised kaleidoscopes. And all this magic - using nothing but fabric paint and rubber bands!
(credits: Kidleidoscope)
Next, volunteers and children alike got to strut their stuff down the runway during the finale. Walking hand in hand to show off their multi-coloured shirts, the student volunteers inspired and encouraged their tiny friends to be proud of their own vibrant shirts with confidence. Despite being seated some distance away in the audience, I could feel the joy and spirit radiating from the kids' wide smiles and even brighter eyes above their colourful tees.
To conclude the finale, the volunteers and organizing committee of Kidleidoscope put up a series of spectacular performances to thank the public for their active participation and support.
(credits: Kidleidoscope)
The volunteers also invited the public to join in on the fun by initiating a mass dance! This fervent and enthusiastic dance certainly hyped up the already festive atmosphere, and when the finale ended, it was with beads of perspiration and a sigh of relief from the volunteers - but not without a rousing round of applause right after.
(credits: Kidleidoscope)
The amount of effort that the volunteers devoted to the performance of a seemingly seamless blend of art and entertainment left me not only eager for more, but also in admiration of the team that pulled this feat off. The finale was indeed an eye-opener: seeing children get inspired by simple gestures, and learn about having fun made me realise that the act of empowering children is key to motivating them to pursue 'colourful' dreams. So let's all be a light that inspires a kid today wherever we can!
This Kidleidoscope initiative is held yearly between July to August, and if you are interested to be a part of it, check out on their Facebook or catch them at VIVACE (SMU’s annual CCA festival) on August 26th!