A 5-year-old girl’s creation at the Brickart sessions conducted by Mr Lee.
Photo credit: Mr Lee Aik Lam

For Taman Jurong resident Mr Lee Aik Lam, the possibilities for creation are endless with Lego bricks. “Ultimately it’s up to you to imagine what it is. I want to inspire kids to imagine and create,” he said.

And so he has. Since March this year, the 56-year-old, who has been conducting Lego robotics lessons in schools, has transformed the void deck at Block 336 Tah Ching Road into a flexible workshop space with Lego-inspired furniture designed by the residents themselves. Here, residents can unleash their creativity through brick art and get to know their neighbours.

To date, Mr Lee’s workshops have drawn more than 200 young participants in the neighbourhood. Ten parent volunteers have also come onboard to help out with this meaningful activity. Mr Lee even led a team of young residents who emerged as champions in a Lego competition recently.

These regular brick art workshops have also provided an opportunity for friendships to blossom between families in the housing estate, said Mr Lee.

Regular Brickart sessions are held at the void deck of Block 336 Tah Ching Road.
Photo credit: Mr Lee Aik Lam

When not in use, the colourful tables fold into specially made displays which house more than 100 creations by participants.
Photo credit: Mr Lee Aik Lam

Mr Lee’s project is just one of 38 projects that have been completed under the HDB Friendly Faces, Lively Places (FFLP) Fund launched in 2016. The initiative encourages residents to initiate and implement projects that contribute to the building of active and cohesive communities. These include physical projects such as converting an under-utilised grass patch into a community garden for budding gardeners in the neighbourhood, as well as community events like handicraft workshops and fruit parties.

To encourage residents to initiate more impactful community projects, the FFLP was enhanced this year to provide more funding for residents. Residents can now apply for a grant of up to $20,000 for their projects, up from $10,000 previously. The fund has also been extended to local shopkeepers and businesses, who play an important role in enlivening the HDB spaces near their businesses.

The enhancements to the FFLP Fund were announced in May by Minister Lawrence Wong at HDB Community Week 2018, an annual event which promotes and deepens community-building and bonding among HDB residents.

Visit the HDB InfoWEB to find out more about the FFLP Fund and start your very own community bonding project. Help spread the word about the Fund today so that many more can come onboard to liven up their communities!