I believe that stories have the capacity to not only reach out to huge masses but also reach out to the hearts of people, to create shifts and narratives that deeply transform them.
I am also a hopeful idealist!
I am discontented with the way our world is today and I dream of a better world where equality is emphasized upon, where businesses and corporations are also socially-responsible, where we do not thrive on the expense of others.
I think a lot of injustice happens because people do not understand and appreciate one another well enough to value them and perceive them as a fellow individual who is, after all, not all-that-different.
This is why human trafficking still exists, for example, because one values profits more than the individuals they exploit – one does not see that the very people they exploit, have stories, dreams and passions, just like them.
I bring this together and I dream of using films and storytelling to shift people towards a more inclusive narrative, one that creates a space for individuals to flourish as one community.
Because… one love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right ~~~ (Thank you Bob Marley!)
So why VSS in particular?
Having once worked at a place where individuals were unmotivated, unpassionate and were simply doing their jobs as a means-to-an-end, I realized how badly I needed to work alongside people who were passionate and have a genuine vested interest in the work that they do.
I also really wanted to be in a team where everyone cares about treating people and our environment right because that is exactly my heart-cry.
As it is, people at VSS are beaming and radiating of all these values and traits!
Everyone is driven, and they are so, precisely because they love what they do and constantly strive to better themselves and the people around them.
There is also a very valuable work culture/environment here at VSS, where everyone is open, encouraging and value each individual as they are. Being still an undergraduate and having no experience at all in the field of filming,
VSS offers me, with open arms, the platform to explore, learn and fall, because after all, that is how we learn best.
I also love that VSS is made up of people from very varied background – the diversity excites me because that also means there are lots to learn from one another, and all the more proves that differences, when dealt with open hearts and minds, only brings us more united.
Basically, VSS shares the same heartbeat as I do, so I am more than excited to be on board! :D
Weilee Yap - A Sociology undergraduate who is particularly interested in social justice and sustainability of our planet. Passionate about the arts, she has dreams of using films as a medium to empower the marginalized and eventually unite people across the globe.
