Meet the female coaches helping Singapore’s youth get ahead through sailing

They have been changing lives through its Big Bro Big Sis mentorship initiative since 2014 by promoting social responsibility and sustainable values through its Sailing and Sustainability Programme.

Head Coach Joelle Kong, and Assistant coaches – Shahadah and Li Ying, together with other Metazone coaches, work with school children from across Singapore to help identify their strengths and work on their weaknesses, build confidence, and teach them valuable life skills through sailing.

Joelle began sailing in 2011, and now teaches Level 1 proficiency as Head Coach. She says that the sense of family at Metazone, with whom World Sailing recently partnered for the first Para Sailing Development Program (PDP) in Singapore, is what kept her coming back and now she aims to share this feeling with others.

“Everyone can have fun together and sail here. Metazone brings in mentors from the various industries to share their experience with us. It helps every one of us. Not everyone comes from a privileged background and the mentors have inspired us,” she says.

“There is always someone you can talk to and understand what you are going through. There is always someone who has been through it too.”

“We all have an internal moral compass; it’s just how we calibrate it to move forward.”

This positive mindset embodies the Metazone ethos.

Joelle adds, “This year we have reached 1000 kids through three Sailing and Sustainability Programmes run through local schools, and they are amazing kids.

“Some may display leadership skills but are not aware of it, have problems at home, or display problems in school by getting attention from the teachers in a negative way. They are termed ‘naughty kids’ at school but we believe that inside every kid is a good heart, and we want to help them get ahead in life.

“Many of the kids come back to us to volunteer with the Big Bro Big Sis programme to help mentor the next group of secondary school kids.

“I am really thankful for the opportunity to step up and take on more responsibility, despite going through the lowest point in my life – fighting cancer and being a survivor, and becoming an ambassador for that – I would like to share more and make a difference in somebody’s life.”

Shahadah and Li Ying both took part in similar school programmes, and loved both sailing and the initiatives so much that they returned to give back to the next generation of school children.

Shahadah sailed for the first time aged 14, as part of a “keep youth in school” initiative. A year later she joined Metazone and now, five years later, she is Metazone’s Sailing Captain, passing on the lessons she learnt, while also developing to be a coach. She is in her final year studying for her diploma in Sports Science, and spending her weekends volunteering to teach her juniors how to sail.

She says, “I got to experience working with people of all ages, in universities and secondary school kids. There is a lot to learn in terms of values and how, as a 14-year-old at the time, to interact with adults and reach children.

“I already have my Level 1 in sailing, and really enjoy helping Joelle to coach the kids. I want to become a coach in the future.”

Li Ying’s experience at Metazone has been just as rewarding. “I had zero idea about sailing before joining Metazone. I didn’t know the difference between a sailboat and a powerboat. I thought all boats were the same,” she says. “Now I have come to know that in skippering a boat, you have different moves in sailing. It has inspired me to do more in the sport. I am in the process of learning how to sail better, how to windsurf and now diving. The process of learning has made me fall in love with the sea.”

She joined the Big Bro Big Sis Program as a volunteer while in university, and her first exposure was in a “Sailing and Sustainability” overnight camp to Pulau Ubin, an island in northeast Singapore. She have since graduated, and is working as a management consultant. She volunteers her time as an assistant coach during the weekends to nurture secondary school students who need the access and opportunities.

“I have found it to be a very enriching experience so far. The most important value I appreciate here is generosity. All of us come down here to interact with the children, to plan activities, to teach or assist as a coach. It is all voluntary.”

Joelle and her team are looking to make sure the lessons learned at Metazone continue to inspire others, and create a lasting impact to enrich the lives of young people across Singapore year after year.

“We start every day with a clean slate, so that we can create new positive memories. I try to do things right every day so it becomes a habit over time for me, and for the kids,” she says.

“I would like to pass this on to the next generation, and my juniors in BBBS so they can look up to me as a role model, and see me as someone they can share their life issues with.”