Teen Challenge Singapore Today

Teen Challenge Singapore started in 1976 in response to the alarming rise of drug abuse among youth in Singapore.

From a humble flat at MacPherson Road, we have grown to our present 2 comprehensive centres namely, the

1.	Teen Challenge DARE Centre (TCDC): a residential centre for recovering addicts,
2.	Bukit Batok Hostel (BBH): a residential centre for young offenders between the ages of 16 and 21, and the
3.	Teen Challenge Student Centre (TCSC): which operates the TC Streetwise Programme, a drop-in programme for Youth gang members, aged from 13-19, who are either offenders or non-offenders, as well as youth who may not be affiliated to gangs but have committed secret society related offences.; The Y Groove, for Youth aged from 13-18 who are either offenders or non-offenders, with delinquent behaviours and youth-at-risk.; and the X' Groove which is a youth fellowship that conducts workshops, bible messages, praise and worship sessions and evangelistic events, as well as biblical counselling for youths in crisis.

Through these 3 centres, 8 programmes and services are provided for people with life-controlling behavioural and substance addictions and issues, juvenile delinquency, gangs involvement, criminal behaviour, beyond parental control, as well as members of families in crisis.

Healing Communities

These 2 words sum up the whole philosophy behind why we do what we do. Each programme and service that we provide has 3 basic motivational and therapeutic processes that we believe in. These are:

Redemptive Love:

We believe that the love of God knows no boundaries and each staff is charged to demonstrate the redeeming love of God to every beneficiary of Teen Challenge Singapore. This is the type of love that will touch a cold heart and bring about a desire for Kingdom living; a love that will cause the beneficiary to be willing to let go of sin, hate, anger, bitterness, hurts, resentment, and help bring him into meaningful relationships, with a desire and ability to be loved and give love in return. This kind of love is also known as agape and can only be shown and given by close involvement. It can only come from genuine concern and desire to see a beneficiary's life delivered from the problems and definitions of the past. This means 'commitment to' and 'close involvement with' a beneficiary, in and through his/her ups and downs.

Relational Confrontation:

Redemptive love within our 'Healing Communities' must be demonstrated with a quality of 'toughness' – a balanced love that cares enough to confront with the truth, without fear. Many call this 'tough love' but we call it 'relational confrontation.'

This type of confrontation is based on the basic building block of being a 'family'. That is why we call each other 'brother' and 'sister' within our premises. Each family member is valued, and has to be confronted when necessary because we value him/her as an individual. In the past, the individual can retreat into a world of their own and even get away with things, but now with this new family, he/she must face reality at all times without fear of getting upset, losing control of emotions or bringing tensions into the Centres, or even the fear of leaving the Centre.

This type of confrontation is not to 'find fault' or 'nit-pick' but it is to confront the discrepancies that are displayed while the individual is on the road to change and walk a new life! These discrepancies are highlighted in our weekly family meetings where lying, deception, rationalizing, scheming, skiving, negative attitudes, rumour mongering, and other socially unacceptable behaviour is confronted in an atmosphere of openness and love. There is a verse in the Bible Proverbs 27:6 that says 'Faithful are the wounds of a friend'. It is hoped that the individual will be grateful for such a 'relational confrontation'. Not to tear down but to build up.

Re-learning New Habit Patterns:

It is obvious that the end goal for each beneficiary in Teen Challenge's 10 programmes and services is behaviour change! Through our many years of experience we are convinced that new behaviours do not appear automatically simply by mental assent! It has to be re-learned. Values have to be impacted and new concepts and principles must be internalized so that the new behaviour is intrinsic and not cosmetic.

Being a residential setting, the individual must learn these new patterns of behaviour that will become the acceptable manner of living, and the way in which stress situations are handled in the future. No one can run away from failure, stress, sorrow, crisis, etc. but through this re-learning we aim to increase the capacity within the individual to cope with future frustrations and crisis in life. Among the areas that residential living reinforces this re-learning is in building new relationships, learning new principles based on a spiritual understanding of God and the Bible, worship and music that helps the individual break free in their emotional and spiritual needs, increasing faith in the living God through personal prayer and devotional life, re-training in new skills and work experience, community service and social responsibilities, and having good nutrition and health while learning to rest, relax and enjoy recreation.