Noah Phan
Pioneer Participant of FamChamps & Active FamChamps Council Member

From the first FamChamps camp in 2014, I learnt two important concepts: 

• To maintain strong family bonds in my family as a son
  
  
• To ground my future family with values as a husband and father. 
  
  

A core memory from my camp was when someone mentioned he missed homecooked food. I was puzzled as I often ate my parent’s cooking for my daily meals. 

He enlightened us by sharing that his mother had recently passed on and he dearly missed the salty beansprouts she used to cook as it sparked fun conversations between them.

Mindful of the sharing, it taught me to be grateful for the little efforts that my family makes and to cherish their presence as a son. 

Additionally, it compels intentional engagement with my future family as a husband and father. 

Conscious of the larger society, I returned to FamChamps and contributed in the capacity of a mentor and council member.

Holding firm to my aim to share the importance and value of family to others around me, I desire to influence them to be a proponent of family values in my various capacities.

All in all, I’d encourage those seeking to strengthen their family bonds even through difficult journeys that “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”  

Moreover, there is no perfect time to start being the change as “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is now.” Keeping yourself accountable is as equally important as taking action.  

Persistently surround yourself with and build a community of like-minded people who advocate for family as it complements your focus and consistency.

Summarising, I hope my generation will have what it takes to believe in, live out, and champion family as a community of FamChamps by understanding the importance and value of family, acting on it, and keeping the passion for family alive in the generation to come.