THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S INTERNATIONAL AWARD GLOBAL AWARD HOLDERS NETWORK [GAHN] WORKSHOP, SINGAPORE
On the 16th of August the delegates arrived at the National Community Leadership Institute [NACLI] in the evening and to begin with we went out for a nature work around Kent Ridge Park, which was an amazing experience, this gave us time to get to know each other.
Day 1: 17th September 2012, the day began with a warm welcome by Prof Leo Tan, Chairman, National Youth Achievement Award Council [NYAA], followed by an introduction and overview by Jenny Jacob who represented the International Secretariat.
We had the opportunity to visit the residence of the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Antony Phillipson. A lavish afternoon tea spread along with his very kind and supportive words marked the beginning of the day’s activities.
The main topic taken up that afternoon was ‘Beyond Gold- How to remain engaged in the Award.” This discussion became even more interesting as we were joint by NYAA gold Award holders and current participants putting forward their practices and challenges as well. We managed to have a detailed discussion, which was very well summed up by Major General Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence. His very inspiring words helped us consolidate all the ideas brought out by the various groups during this session.
A chance to witness a Meet-the-people-session conducted by Members of Parliament on a weekly basis to hear the grievances of the public and support them with all possible aid was the perfect way to end the day.
Day 2: 18th August 2012, we started the day with a keynote address on ‘Servant Leadership” by Dr. Tan Chi Chiu, Member NYAA Council.
Followed by which we were split into five groups in order to discuss the five main issues:
- International Award Network and Opportunities
- How to set up an Alumni/Award Holder Association
- Life after Gold-Engagement
- Life after Gold- Advocacy
- Life after Gold- Events
All the groups began working and were given the next few hours to prepare presentations to put forward all challenges and potential solutions revolving around our respective topics. Rest of the day was marked by a couple of brainstorming sessions and preparations for next morning.
Evening visit to Singapore’s newest attraction Gardens by the Bay, which is a park, spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) of reclaimed land in central Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden.
Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden". The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.
Day 3: 19th August 2012, the day began with all the groups presenting and an interactive question and answer session.
Devanjali formed part of the group that tackled “Life after Gold-Advocacy” and presented the issue in the form of a role-play taking various situations where Advocacy plays a major role.
The stage now set for building a network for alumni bodies from all over the world. Thank you Singapore NYAA and the IAA for making this possible!
- Report filed by Rohit Saxena and Devanjali Dutt the delegates from India
For any feedback or questions welcome to email devanjali@dofe.in or rohit@dofe.in