Perseverance is key - Revathi Thangavel

Revathi Thangavel
Social Worker Care Corner Family Service Centre (Admiralty)
In-service professional

For Revathi, the values and skills that she picked up pursuing her passion in Indian dance back in school proved to be remarkably similar to the traits needed to thrive in the social service sector.

In the course of her work as a Social Worker in the Care Corner Family Service Centre at Admiralty, Revathi interacts with people from all walks of life and handles myriad complex issues for her clients, which can run the gamut from domestic violence to gambling addiction. In order to handle these issues effectively and aid her clients in improving their lives, Revathi demonstrates hard work, discipline, perseverance and team work – features that were equally prominent in dance practices.

Her years of dancing have also influenced the way she views the outcome of her work. “Every action has a ripple effect,” she said. “In helping my clients, I’m also improving the lives of their loved ones.” This knowledge pushes her to always do her best for her beneficiaries. Similar to practising for a dance piece, the work can be hard and even painful at times, but as Revathi puts it, “I don’t give up because I never know who I can help if I don’t push on.”

This tenacity was demonstrated when she worked with youths, nurturing their self-belief and self-confidence. Instead of focussing on the usual academic aspects, she encouraged her young charges to explore their potential in other areas, developing their technical skills and engaging them in outdoor activities. For her efforts, Revathi was awarded the National Youth Achievement Award (Gold) in 2014.

Keen to further her career as a social service leader, Revathi decided to apply for the Sun Ray Scheme, a new initiative launched by the Social Service Institute, NCSS’ Human Capital Development arm. Employees on the Sun Ray Scheme are rotated across different social service agencies and sub sectors to gain exposure and develop expertise and will eventually take on leadership positions.

It was a decision that she has not regretted. “I’ve been on the scheme for only six months,” she said, “but its provision of milestone programmes and coaching sessions has already opened up a world of opportunities for me.”

To find out more about the Sun Ray Scheme, visit Sun Ray today.

To apply, you can submit your CV to us at Sun_Ray@ncss.gov.sg.