South East Asian Youth Leadership Program

REOPENING

2011-03-29T18:56:00.004+08:00

2010-01-01T14:07:00.003+08:00

The friendships formed are priceless,

and the memories are forever and always.

It's been quite a while.
3 weeks, since we're back. Back to reality.

A lot of us really can't let go of this trip.
The memories live inside our head, and the pictures trigger emotions to run freely.
Sometimes, at random parts of the day, we would suddenly remember, and have this heavy feeling in our hearts.

Yes, this is not the end, but a new beginning. However, could this last?
How we wish that there's a Part 2!
The journey's far from finished. There's so much more.

For me, I just want to dive into the project and do it, because that is the only living memory left of this trip. The only thing that reminds us that this is real. How about you guys?

I don't know about the rest, but this has been the best experience for me. So much has happened and we're really blessed to be able to do this. One word: Awesome.

Vivian

2009-12-15T21:58:00.002+08:00

WE ARE BACK IN SINGAPORE.

Landed on Singapore time 15th Dec, 12.20am.

9th Dec 09

2009-12-11T17:48:00.005+08:00

Pictures speak a thousand words, so..here goes.

First Picture-T-Rex of the Smithsonian Natural History Musuem.

Second Picture-Thomas Jefferson Memorial

The rest-Capitol Building

Last Picture-Holocaust Memorial Musuem

Enjoy :D

saturday, 5 dec 2009

2009-12-07T14:01:00.005+08:00

Yesterday, we went to the Farmer's Market in Chicago.
There, we went to look at some vegetation that the people there planted, which is organic and good for health.
After that, we went to the Washington park to do out CIP.
We were out in the open cold for 2 hours to harvest seeds from flowers.
We also learnt about the different species of trees there.
it was a good experience. Everyone was freezing together and were trying out creative ways to make ourselves feel warm. :D
We were also glad that we did something good for the community.
Feeling of satisfaction (:

3rd of dec

2009-12-04T10:50:00.006+08:00

After learning so much, we have finally came up with a concrete citizen action plan that we are going to execute in Singapore!

With the guidance of Ms Ng, we are set on the right track with regards to planning for our HUGE project.

There was a great sense of satisfaction amongst us as we did our citizen action plan today. We've managed to apply what we have learnt,hence, making the plan detailed and adding colour to the content.

The site visit to the buddhist temple enabled us to know more about buddhism. It was interesting to know how a buddhist temple would exist in America!

This is indeed a globalised country where people are starting to respect each other's race and religion!

Afterwhich, we headed down to rockford where the Cherry Vale mall was.

It was a nice and relaxing time of shopping where we got souvenirs for our loved ones and also buy things for ourselves.

As we shopped around, we learnt more about decision making.

Our parents are not around and we will all have to be responsible for ourselves. We weighed the pro and cons of buying certain things and eventually came to a decision.

It was hard as we had to consider the sustainability of the product and also if we had the financial means to buy it.

I had a good workout at the gym today:)

Qiuying

2009-12-04T09:21:00.013+08:00

Doing Commonwealth Sec School & Singapore proud....

Recap of scenes from the Southeast Asian Young Leadership Programme (SEAYLP)

Here're some pictures of the programme so far - just wanna let everyone have a look in case we missed something out during the earlier posting.

Learning how to be totally expressive...

Unleashing the inner tiger...

With the Siap family who taught us the essence of public speaking & using theatre & drama to engage...

Presenting our views on what qualities a particular type of leader has...

Working in a group to perform a task - like a well-oiled machine...

Teachers join in too.....

Creating a fictional town with a community need & establishing the right networks with the right organisations...

2009-12-03T11:38:00.016+08:00

We went to Evanston Township High School yesterday.

It is a super huge place--the largest high school that has connecting corridors to the whole school. To think that in Singapore, all our schools are small and are connected.

People there are very very mature. The girl and guy in the last photo--they are only 15!

Their dressing styles, their behaviours and all are very different from us.

They have a green club too, and up there are the pictures of some stuff they made for their green movement. the bag and shirt.

They have a swimming pool, alot of gyms, a super huge basketball court, an adventure room where PE lessons are learning how to rock climb and do high elements..ec. they have alot of facilities. More than you can ever imagine. You name it, they really have it. Amirah and I, well mostly Amirah, even got to learn a little of taekwando from a student there.

You have to admit it, it's cool.

That's all for now. Enjoy the pictures.

Vivian

Visit to Evanston Township High Sch

2009-12-02T12:04:00.008+08:00

1 December 2009

A 2 hr trip to Evanston Township High School today. A long journey but definitely worth it as we got to see our American peers in their homeground - their own high school (equivalent to sec school & JC combined).

This school is certainly well-equipped with huge gyms, numerous sports halls / courts eg. 6 tennis courts(!), swimming pool - the list goes on. Different parts of the school are assigned to different areas of study eg. Art, Music, Car-Auto Shop (!), kitchens, DayCare (Yes, students doing early childhood education have to do hands-on here with 3 year olds). And the list goes on again.

Another striking difference is the homeroom system where students attend class in the respective teachers' classes eg. History in the History room. Very fascinating as the rooms are arranged or decorated according to how the teacher wishes or perhaps the theme of the semester. Won't you be more engaged this way? Hmmm..something for our school to consider.

Students in the History Room - decorated according to Southeast Asian Theme...

View of the History Rm without students....

This is the English classroom...about 20 students per class..

They do all kinds of art...

Their own greenhouse for study of plants....

Here's the daycare.....

And our very own Gabriel presenting his views on the differences / similarities between the American and Singaporean system....

2009-11-30T10:52:00.003+08:00

Theater and the Arts as Tools for civic engagement workshop. [Padma and Shanna]

Today, we have learnt something new. How to use arts to communicate with other people.

For example colourful pitch, how do we vary our pitch to make speeches/ talks more interesting.

A good example will be Guttural, it is a Throaty, doglike, tongue pulled to partially block the opening of the tonal passage.

We also learn how to use emotion to capture people's attention. ' happy, angry, sad and fear. On top of all these we also learn how to make use of hand gestures and voice projection.

This are some of the picture we have took.

Day Out in Chicago

2009-11-29T12:21:00.009+08:00

After 2 days of quiet rest or frenetic shopping with our host families, today was a day out exploring the city of Chicago. An hour away from DeKalb, we went in with the expectation of seeing a city of skyscrapers - the word originated from Chicago - and beautiful sights of parks and lakes.

Well, here we are on the top of Sears Tower, now known as Willis Tower, 103 storeys high. Magnificent views abound!

Next up, a panaromic view of the Chicago city skyline. We were blessed with a day of blue skies, calm winds and cool temperatures. Truly an amazing sight never to be forgotten!

And here is the magnificent 'Bean' structure in Millennium Park - a wondrous feat of architecture....so many people are drawn to this iconic structure in Chicago. I'll let the others post more later...

2009-11-27T04:14:00.006+08:00

Thanksgiving in USA

Today is Thanksgiving Day in USA - a day to commemorate how the 1st settlers in America managed to pull through their 1st year here. Everyone's off to live with their host families. I'm sure they'll update you about it. The American families are really generous as most give up their rooms to host us and also accommodate us during this festive time for relatives and loved ones. It's also a time for us to get used to eating American breakfasts such as wheat bread, cereal, cheese on toast for lunch and well- we'll see what's for dinner later.

We had our cultural presentation yesterday and our team presented a short Drama - (EL Drama Teachers are you happy?) about culture in Singapore, followed by a song / dance on One United People acapella. Excellent job as one of the University Directors shared that our presentation captured the ethos of the Spore identity. Yay Commonwealthians! More photos to come later!

2009-11-25T09:54:00.013+08:00

24 November 2009

Day 3 & 4 have flown by in a flash. We've been immersed in many lectures, activities and discussions. It's just like school, only this time with classmates from Southeast Asia and lecturers from all over the world. Oh, and teachers are our classmates now.

Have a look at our friends from Cambodia & Vietnam...

Everyone gets a chance to speak and lead either in a presentation, group discussion,

or wake people up!

Today, (Tues) we listened to ideas on how to start a citizen action plan ie starting a project to help the community and were also inspired to think about getting involved in a civil action group.

Even things like being in a bike group which campaigns for linking the University campus with bike paths can make a difference! Time for less apathy!

So as you can see from these 2 days photos, we're doing a lot of discussions, debating, persuading and presenting. EL teachers, you must be so happy! Ms Ng sure is!

5th post

2009-11-23T10:49:00.015+08:00

HELLO WORLD!

We've arrived at the USA safely.

It's getting colder each day. The weather here is totally different from Singapore.

The plane ride was 17 hours long, with a stop in Narita Airport, Tokyo.
This is the first time in which we have flown so far, for so many hours. It was hard getting used to it. We found it an interesting experience. Dear teachers, you are indeed caring, the Vietnamese students had to fly here by themselves, and their teacher is only going to arrive in Chicago on Tuesday. We feel thankful for having our teacher, Ms Ng taking care of us.

DAY 1:
Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a huge university with a whole identity on its own--very special.

We were welcomed by the faculty from the Northern Illinois University and had a small welcome luncheon at a small local restaurant. We met the Program Directors, Dr Kate Wiegele, Dr. Jim Collins and Leslie Shive who introduced themselves, and whom we found extremely conversational and hospitable towards the SEAYLP participants. Together with a graduate student, Ms Maria Hancock, they were caring, and provided us with Asian staple food like rice and fish, but also told us that we would not be able to have Asian meals for quite some time. All of us were still struggling to adapt to the new time zone and the difference in culture. Living amongst Americans was an eye-opener for us. They are so expressive while we are so quiet.

At night, we slept with roomates from other ASEAN countries, mainly Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

DAY 2:
Macdonald's breakfast. Freezing trek to the restaurant. Temperature dropped further. Out came the hats, scarves, gloves, coats. Tough to handle so many layers of clothes.

1 point to note: Clear your own tray after eating--everybody does that.

Went back to campus for logistics briefing by the professors. Recieved some lunch money, phone card and insurance card. Received some complimentary materials.

Went to the Neptune cafeteria for lunch.

The canteen is very cool, with a wide variety of food. It is largely different from Singapore canteens, as the food is set out in a buffet style.

Went back to the heritage room and had a short Q and A session, as well as a short session about Southeast Asia by the country specialist, who are experienced with research in Southeast Asian countries. There is even a center here which specially does research on SEA, called the Centre of South East Asian Studies (CSEAS).
Went to Walmart, which is like Giant, only much much bigger. You can find just about everything in Wal Mart, from food to clothes, electronics to car equipment.

Of course, one hour wasn't enough to get everything we needed. However, we are glad that we were not the last to board the bus.

Note: Punctuality is a very important factor in meetings. Do not be late.

The bus almost went without the people who were late.

We went for dinner at Pizza Villa, a normal American pizza place. It was very different from what we have here at Singapore.

The lightings inside were dark and cosy, and there are a lot of entertaining graphics and pictures all around the walls. The servings of the pizza were also HUGE.

We could not finish the food in the end.

Note: Take only what you can eat.

We are back at NIU, blogging here. Tomorrow is going to be a new day. (: (colder)

2009-11-20T09:07:00.004+08:00

Tomorrow!!!!

Is everyone ready?
:D

Reminders: Bring your Visa application in a sealed envelope.
Photocopy your Visa JI aplication, as well the sticker in the passport if you havent!
It's at T1, do come 15mins early to avoid being late! (Ms Ng says)

Alright that's all for now.
Seeya guys!

Vivian

2009-11-04T20:18:00.002+08:00

VISAAAAAAAAAAs and passports today.

Does it feel good, guys, that the visa is right in your hand and things seem more realistic now?

Heh. =D (smiles amirah's trademark superhuge smile)

Vivian

2009-10-30T21:12:00.002+08:00

Heyho!

21 days left.

And counting down :D

-Vivian

FirstPost

2009-10-30T20:44:00.001+08:00

The team of 6 commonwealth secondary students and their teacher are going to Chicago, Illinois and Washington D.C to attend a 25 day, intensive youth leadership program. The team members include 4 girls and 2 boys.
The team are as follows:
Ms. Tan Qiu Ying
Ms. Vivian Chan
Mr. Gabriel Goh
Ms. Noor Amirah
Ms. Diamanta Lavi
Mr. Soon Kah Leong
as well as their teacher, Ms Ng Yui Yun.

Other countries in South East Asia such as our neighbouring country Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam and Cambodia.

This South East Asian Youth Leadership Program includes home-stays with host families, intensive leadership talks, various activities, and tours around Chicago as well as Washington D.C.

After the team returns from the Youth Leadership Program, we will be expected to do a community service project.