Date : 26 July 2010
by Sharon Zheng Xuelun, Cheryl Chan, Sharlene Wong Chun Shyuan (River Valley High School), SG United Journalists
SIXTY-four participants embarked on a new journey on 17 July 2010 – the Singapore United Journey.
They were participants of the Community Engagement Executive Development (CEED) Programme organised by the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) Secretariat of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The programme equips CEP community leaders with knowledge and skills for a crisis. Among them were some who had gone further to attend the Train the CEP Trainer Programme. The latter programme was to build capability among the CEED alumni in helping to spread the CEP message to their own clusters and groups.
Speaking to the graduates and other CEED alumni at the graduation ceremony, Assistant Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, stressed the importance of CEP especially in Singapore, a multi-racial and multi-religious society. He expressed the hope that the CEED alumni would treat CEP as a lifelong vocation, laying the foundation and helping to keep Singapore united.
The graduates were keen to proceed on the Singapore United journey. Mr Gary Haris, 35, Senior Business Development Manager of KH Security Agency Pte Ltd, believed that he could play his part through educating the people in his organization so that the CEP message could be brought to the ground.
"I learnt never to be complacent, and that everybody has a part to play," Mr Haris said, adding that he hoped he could inspire youths to come forward with 'fresh ideas different from our generation'.
Ms Margaret Seow, 50, Chairperson of Thompson C2E, expressed appreciation for the CEED Programme as it equipped her with new skills and knowledge. Her organisation has been incorporating CEP into their various activities, by ensuring that they engage the various races for racial harmony.
A photo indeed tells a thousand words, as the CEED alumni posed during the photo-taking session, their joyful beams more than made up well for the absence of graduation hats.
Go Do It
"When you have an idea, go and do it. Go find the resources. Don’t wait around." Mr Ann Ah Thong PBM, Chairman of Geylang Serai C2E, advised.
Mr Ann was sharing with other participants of the Community Engagement Executive Development (CEED) Programme what he did after the CEED Programme and the follow-up Train the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) Trainer Programme.
Despite the heavy rain in the morning, some 60 CEED alumni took part in the CEED alumni gathering and graduation ceremony on 17 July.
Three CEED alumni who have gone through the Train the CEP Trainer Programme shared their experience in spreading the CEP message and promoting involvement in CEP.
Mr Ann spoke of the need to collaborate with like-minded organizations to carry out CEP activities in Geylang, the area he volunteered in. He has worked closely with clan associations, bringing together the different racial groups to organize activities, such as training at mosques and churches. Training in this area equipped the people with skills for emergencies.
"We have to take the lead because we’re familiar with CEP," said Mr Ann, encouraging other CEP community leaders to approach and invite other organisations to conduct CEP events together.
Other key speakers likewise shared their learning experiences through the CEED Programme with other present members.
Customise, Customise
Mr Tan Say Pin, 37, National Education coordinator from New Town Secondary school, stressed during the CEED alumni gathering, the importance of customising materials to suit the target groups.
Taking materials from the CEP Secretariat of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr Tan and his colleagues have developed a customised CEP Teaching Package that was launched on 21 July, for teachers to effectively insert CEP elements into the lessons.
"Teachers are role models and they get to use creativity in conveying the CEP message to students through their subjects, for example, history which can stress the importance of racial harmony," said Mr Tan.
Mr Tan also expressed the importance of letting youths take charge of their own CEP activities to deepen the engagement . "In New Town Secondary School for instance, a student-initiated musical concert was held, which included students from all races, to showcase their talent," added Mr Tan.
Starting from Young
Ms Leo Kwang Lin shared with fellow CEED alumni the importance of the spirit of CEP. She spoke of fostering friendship and trust among people, as the CEP spirit.
"Starting from the young," she emphasised, was important in building a close-knitted relationship among people in a community. Ms Leo shared about working with kindergartens to foster friendship and trust from young, by involving them in activities together.
Involving the various organisations was key, said Ms Leo. She cited how in Woodlands, the Inter-Racial and Religious Circle (IRCC) worked with other organisations, such as the Citizens' Consultative Committee, schools and kindergartens, in promoting the CEP.