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We’ve all heard about the medical and pharmaceutical industry, and the gardening and landscaping industry, and even the education and training industry… but have you heard about the cottage industry?
What is the cottage industry? What do they do? Do they build cottages? What if I told you, that right here in Singapore, we have our very own cottage industry? Would you be surprised?
Day 3 of CYX is for the youths to explore the cottage industy in Singapore. Honestly, I have NEVER heard of the cottage industry prior to today, so it was definitely an eye-opener and an interesting day because I was learning just as much as the youths were =D
The cottage industry gives people who are underprivileged and/or handicapped the chance to support themselves and to contribute back to society. By allowing them to turn their hobbies and interests like sewing, weaving, and various other forms of arts and crafts into ways they can make money, these people are able to live their life meaningfully, independently, and are now able to support themselves. With the help of Homespun, a company that reaches out to the cottage industries and bind them with local talents to create inspiring everyday objects, the people in the cottage industry are thriving. Basically, Homespun injects designs and ideas for products into the cottage industry, and the craftsmen in the industry (… who are underprivileged and/or handicapped) produce these products. Homespun also helps to create awareness, promote and sell the products. Ultimately, Homespun aims to be the platform for Asian designers to showcase their works of creations.
By exposing the youths to the cottage industry, we hope to allow them to understand the concept of the cottage industry and exactly how the industry works. To take us through the day, we had with us the spunky, funky and cheerful Catherine, founder of Homespun, and her food-loving sidekick Didier, a local designer. Catherine is one of the leading driving force in the cottage industry in Singapore, and Didier’s recycled material product ideas is, in my opinion, one of the BEST I have ever come across. Honestly, I am totally impressed with her creations and masterpieces! More on that later though…
First stop for today, Catherine and Didier brought all of us to the Silra Home. The SILRA Home was founded in 1971 and it is committed to improving the lives of ex-leprosy victims in Singapore through providing them with a home, basic care and love. The ex-leprosy victims contribute to the cottage industry by making handicraft projects, doing sewing, making rattan baskets, and growing bonsai plants.
Next stop… the Girls’ Brigade.
Now, most of us, I’m sure, have heard about the Girls’ Brigade before, and some of us probably had this uniform group in their secondary school. But do you really know what they do?
The Girls’ Brigade Singapore is a non-profit, non-political, international and inter-denominational Christian organization established in Singapore since 1927. Over the years, the Girls’ Brigade Singapore has touched the lives of many and contributed to society and to the nation.
At this stop, the youths were introduced to VillageWorks™. VillageWorks™ was conceived by the Girls’ Brigade Singapore for the purpose of creating employment and providing skills and livelihood to women and young people in third world countries where the Girls’ Brigade Singapore has pioneering work. VillageWorks first started in a small village in the Baray District of Kampong Thom Province Cambodia in 2001. Today, the people in Cambodia still continue to produce handmade products that are sold worldwide.
Back on the bus, on our way to the Metta School, Didier and Catherine announced the task for the day…
Green Challenge #4: Flower Making With Recycled Materials
For the remainder of today, the youths have to keep their eyes peeled and on the lookout. For what? For materials they can recycle and use to make a stalk of flower, or anything relating to flowers and plants. The only material that Didier is providing them with is green wire, scissors and beads. Any other materials they need will have to be obtained by some other means =) Their creations will be shown later… you’ld be amazed with what these youths can do, turning nothing into somthing (… a concept they learnt from Brian) =D
*Bus Stops*
We are at our 3rd stop of the day now… The Metta School.
The Metta School first opened its door to pupils of varied racial and religious backgrounds on 15 January 2001. Metta School provides special education to pupils between the ages of 6 and 18 years old with mild intellectual disability and autism and an IQ range of 50 to 70. The school prepares students 3-6 years old for entering mainstream schools. Students 7-18 years old are taught academic subjects and vocational skills to prepare them to be adults in the working world.
Having too many colours tend to confuse children with autism. As such, the school is painted mainly in one colour… yellow.
The students are also encouraged to take up after-school activities.
They will stay back twice a week and be engaged in these club activities.
Above, we see a class of students making clay sculptures =)
After a tour of the school… it was LUNCH TIME!! =D
This is Happy Arts Deli,
a vegetarian eating place located at the Metta School.
The Happy Arts Deli was set up to allow students that specialise in cooking and baking to get hands-on working experience. Their students work alongside full-time F&B staff, and are guided by them patiently. By providing such vocational training and attachment opportunities for their students, the Metta School hopes that one day, their students will be able to support themselves.
After lunch, it’s time for a little exercise at the Simei Care Centre =P Time for these youths to climb some stairs…
What’s up there?
The Homespun office is located at the 3rd level of the Simei Care Centre…
There, Catherine explained Homespun’s business model to the youths.
In the office, there was a collection of the various products the cottage industry has produced. The things they were able to create out of recycled materials amazed me.
Here is one of Didier’s creations…
A lamp made from plastic bottles.
Heading back downstairs…
SHOPPING!!! ^_^ =D =P … with a good cause too!! =)
On the first level of the Simei Care Centre is a retail store. Felicia, owner of Something New Something Old, opened this store to sells items that people donate. She has EVERYTHING, from clothes, to books, to magazines, to shoes, accessories, and even carpets and umbrellas! All proceeds go back to helping the ex-mental patients at the Simei Care Centre.
Do you have a better understanding of what the cottage industry is about now?
Well… if not, don’t worry about it… we have one more place to visit.
The Henderson Community Club.
Mothers from low income families gather at the Henderson CC frequently to work on art projects. The products they make are sold, and all proceeds go back to them to help supplement their family income. Coincidentally, the mothers are working on making cloth flowers, which is similar to what the youths have to accomplish for Green Challenge #4.
At Henderson CC, the youths were given about 45 minutes to complete their challenge. At the end of that, they did a presentation on the significance of their flower and what it represents to them.
On the behalf of the youths, thank you Catherine and Didier for taking us around today, and for showing us some of the homes and centres in the cottage industry =) We have learnt alot from you, and your ideas and creations have inspired us all ^_^
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Hey there! Wow… there’s only so many hours in a day, and with all the workshops and activities that were lined up over the last few days, it was hard to find time to blog. (… if you think I’m writing this post on Day 2 itself, look at the date the first post was posted, and the date this post is written on… they are exactly a week apart =P)
So, pardon me for the delay, but here I am… making up for the missing days, and doing a little catching up =)
Now… where did I left off?
Ah… OK, let’s start with Day 2 of the CYX ^_^
With little to no knowledge about GardenAsia, it is only natural that we started off the 2nd day with an orientation of the company. Kenny shared with the youths what GardenAsia is about, the business model and the future development plans GardenAsia plans to embark on. One of the main plan GardenAsia has for the future is the farm stay. GardenAsia is going to be the first farm in Singapore to have farm stay facilities, I’m DEFINITELY looking forward to the opening of that because it’s going to be a totally new experience for all Singaporeans ^_^
After a short and sweet presentation, the youths were brought on an exclusive tour around the farm stay area by Kenny.
Psst… Let’s follow them!!
Youths heading to the farm stay area…
Do you see the farm stay huts?
Come on, let’s have a look inside…
Hmm… not quite done yet, but it’s going to be FANTASTIC once all the furniture is in. I can just tell! =D
At the end of the orientation session and tour, Kenny shared an inspiring story with the youths which I found very meaningful… and I’m going to share it with you here:
“Whether or not we realise it, there is a secret garden in each and every one of us. From young, we have been taught to appreciate and love mother nature. Whenever we are stressed out and under tremendous pressure, we long to go to the park, or to the beach, or anywhere close to nature. This is because going back to nature allows us to connect with ourselves in a peaceful, calm and natural environment. However, as we get older, we start locking the doors to the secret garden inside of us. What’s worse, we loose the keys to these doors and have no way of unlocking it again. As youths and adults, we are often too caught up with our lives, with work, with responsibilities, with commitments to appreciate the little and simple things in life. The Green Secrets of the CYX are the keys to unlocking these doors. We need to help people find the keys to unlock the doors to the secret garden within them. Only then, will they be happy. Only then, will less harm be inflicted on our environment.”
An amazing analogy, isn’t it? Frankly speaking, I fall victim to this too… having the tendency to get too caught up with my busy schedule to care for the environment. With these Green Secrets, I hope to be able to be more mindful of our environment through all the many little ways.
Moving on…
Now, remember the Osmoxylon Lineare plant the youths planted on their first day? It’s time to give it some attention once again =) I’m going to reveal the importance of this plant… are you ready to find out? ^_^
After spending the morning scouting out GardenAsia with Kenny, Johnny took over the next activity. First, he instructed… I mean, told (instructed sounds too domineering) the youths to bring their plants from the garden into the Country Rose function room. He then got everyone to sit around on the floor in a circular formation. A “Plant Line” tracking sheet was handed out to each of them and what they had to do is to observe the plant’s condition, and then describe the status of their plant on the tracking sheet. Having not watered and cared for their plants since they were planted, many of the green leaves are now turning yellow. They took turns describing to Johnny verbally what they thought was different about their plant from the day it was planted, until today. Most of them realized that their plants weren’t looking very healthy at all =S Uh oh… what happened to “I hope for it to grow straight, tall and healthy”?
“Skimming” Johnny finally revealed to them the purpose of this plant and the significance of it in the CYX =P The youths are responsible for the health of their plant, that is watering it and making sure it gets enough sunlight, for the whole duration of the CYX. How do they tell if the plants are healthy? By keeping the leaves of the plant green, of course!
On the “Plant Line” tracking sheet, the youths are to record what they observe each day. They were told that it is important that they water the plants EVERY day, as one of the characteristics of the Osmoxylon Lineare plant is that it dies easily and requires constant watering every day. After having heard what Johnny said about the plant, everyone rushed to water their plants.
(Xuan watering her plant with a glass of water)
At first, you would think that Johnny is someone who’s only fluent in English… don’t ask me why, that’s the first impression I had =P As cliché as it may sound, looks CAN be deceiving and is very much the case here. In fact, Johnny is fluent in BOTH English and Chinese.
*school bell rings* Time for “Chinese class” with Johnny 老师。
“Does anyone know what the phrase 天工开物 means?” asked Johnny 老师。
OK… for the benefit of those who don’t know Chinese, I’m going to just tell you the answer *wink*
天工开物directly translated into English means ‘the work of nature and open up matter’. However, what it actually means is, heaven made nature (天工), and we should understand it, and craft it to beauty. By using what heaven gave to us, and by learning to create something magnificent out of nothing, we are able to unravel the secret within.
Johnny went on to “tickle the minds” of the youths a little more. (“tickle your mind” is a phrase I came up with which I felt best explains how I feel when new information is provided to further inspire a person). He said the word ’secret’ can also be turned into the word ’secretion’, which is the process of segregating and elaborating. Like a snail, it leaves behind a trail of gooey substance as it crawls. So, what kind of secretion would you release to turn the GardenAsia farm stay into a unique experience?
Green Challenge #2: Design a unique farm stay experience
Remember our tour of the GardenAsia farm stay area earlier this morning? Well, there’s a purpose for everything we do in CYX =) At this point, not much information was given to the youths about the challenge. Sooo… I’m not going to tell you more about it either =P Hey hey… but let’s not get too anxious now, it will be revealed soon enough *cheeky evil laughter*
For now, we have in the house with us our very first CYX mentor, leading international design consultant, the very charming…. Mr Brian Adams!! =D
CYX Workshop #2: Brian Adams – Inspirational Design Concepts
Who is Brian Adams??? O_o Nope, nice try, but he’s not a singer…
He’s a renowned designer! =D
Brian has spent many years in the region acquiring the expertise of working with tropical and natural materials for furnishings and interiors. He is also an accomplished glass designer and has worked with Czech glass blowers and European factories, culminating in the Liberty Collection showcased in showrooms in America, Middle East and Europe. Other outstanding glass structures which he has designed include a 30-metre high crystal tower for the Sultan of Brunei.
Why is he here at GardenAsia? What can he offer to the CYX participants? Brian is here to share with the 12 youths new design concepts and ideas… basically, putting the C-R-E-A-T-I-V-E in the Creative Youth Xchange =)
“My design philosophy is ‘Taste in all things’”, says Adams. He is here to share with the youths his view of design. He believes that design is all about aesthetics with a common sense view of function, and a true understanding of the nature of materials and processes to create.
During the workshop, Brian covered many different aspects of design, and showed the youths his very own sketches, drawn and coloured by hand! Not being in the creative industry nor a student in the design industry, all of this is DEFINITELY something new to me.
Here’s what I picked up from Brian… and I’m sure everyone who was there learnt something new from him…
- Designs should be ergonomic (… the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use)
- Designs of chairs and tables differ depending on the function it serves (E.g. an office chair is for doing work and should have a straight back and sturdy structure, whereas an armchair is for relaxing and should be softer and more comfortable. A coffee table is for smaller items and need not be as big or as tall as a dining table or study table. And so on and so forth…)
- Function is the purpose an object serves. This is important and should always be thought of first before designing a creative design
- Form is the design of the object and the way it looks
- Form VS Function is always a common dilemma for designers
- Proportion, colours and material used is important to achieving desired results
Now that the youths have learnt something new, it’s time for them to put their new found knowledge to immediate use =)
Green Challenge #3: YOU Are A Designer… Design A Chair
Brian gives youths a short brief for the new challenge…
They have exactly 5 hours to design a chair, AND then build a life size one big enough for him to sit on it and test it out.
Off they go into the scorching hot sun to gather their materials…
At this point, each of them are probably clueless as to what the design of their chair is, let alone build a life size version of it =P
Everyone looking for materials they could use for their chairs…
WHEW!! Now… THAT was hard work! But looook, they’ve got their materials =)
So, it’s time to get down to building their chairs…
1 hour…
2 hours…
3 hours passed…
Time for the professionals to step in to show them a thing or two =P
At this point, the youths have their creative cap on tight, TOO tight, and their minds are bubbling with creative ideas. One problem though… they’ve got FORM down, but it seems like most of them have forgotten about FUNCTION =(
Brian, Johnny and Kenny decided to build a bench of their own…
and they set a time limit for themselves that is shorter than that given to the youths.
Not 4 hours… not 3 hours… not 2… not EVEN 1…
Time Limit for 3 guys to build a bench = 10 minutes!
VOILA!!
In less than 10 minutes…
they’ve built for themselves a fully functionable bench =)
Simple, yes… but functionable.
And that was the point they wanted to bring across to the youths. That a product is only good if it’s functionable. Hence, designing and creativity should come in after the function of the product is fulfilled.
I really liked their method of guiding these youths. Instead of merely telling them that their chairs are not practical, they chose to guide them by actions =)
With 2 hours left on the clock, the youths went back to their chairs and refined the design to make it more functionable.
Brian went around to guide them along…
Hmmm… erm, Johnny… what are you doing? =P
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
TIME’S UP!!
Time to put the chairs to the test ^_^
ARE YOU READY TO SEE THEIR AMAZING MASTERPIECES??
*DRUMROLL* (… an extra loud one please because these youths have put in their sweat and heart into designing and building these chairs)
First up, Linda’s “Summer”…
Ling Han’s “Secret Garden”
Next, we have Xuan’s “Station”…
and Xiao Xiao’s “禅石”.
Not forgetting, Chien Lin’s “Lazy Bone”…
and to balance things out, Sangeeta’s “Ying Yang”.
There’s more… Li Min’s “Fireplace”,
and cheerful Admira’s “Chill Bill”.
Next, we see in front of us Yu Shan’s “Flipsides”…
and Oooo…. Calvin’s “Mummy Chair”.
Mikko’s “Back To Nature”…
and last but not least…
Ming’s “Chairman”!
A round of applause for these talented youths and their creations =D
OK… I am now ready to reveal the details of Green Challenge #2. See… I couldn’t have told you earlier because I would have confused you. Green Challenge #2 is linked to Green Challenge #3 =P
The youths were split into their respective groups of 3 once again for Green Challenge #2 (i.e. Pre-emptive, Reactive, Adaptive, Failsafe). In this group, they are to brainstorm and come up with a product, a service and a programme that GardenAsia can implement for the farm stay. The nature of the product, service and programme has to be related to the names they have chosen for their chairs. Since there are 3 different people in a group, with 3 different chairs and 3 different names, they have to decide which is to be used for the product, which for the service and which for the programme. In the end, their entire farm stay proposal has to be inter-related and linked.
Dateline? Pitch Night is Sunday 11pm @ Farm Stay Amphitheatre… that’s less than 2 days away!
After a well-deserved dinner, the youths were back in Country Rose… No more hard physical work for the day though. This time, all they have to do is sit and listen to Mr. Samuel Seow =)
CYX Workshop #3: Samuel Seow – Intellectual Property protection
To end off the wonderful day, we are honoured to have with us Mr Samuel Seow. He did a short workshop on intellectual property, and explained to the youths how they can apply for intellectual property protection. He covered issues on copyrighting, trademarking, registered designs and patents. He is an entertaining and humorous speaker, and the youths were definitely charmed by his charisma and enthusiasm… something which is important to have for without it, the youths would probably have fallen asleep during the workshop (… afterall, they did spend their day making furniture =P)
Tired, exhausted, but filled with new knowledge and the sense of satisfaction of completing their chairs… the youths headed back to the Singapore Sports School on a bus to rest their little heads and to prepare for Day 3 of CYX =)
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We’ve all heard of Al Gore’s The Inconvenient Truth, Anya Hindmarch’s I’m Not A Plastic Bag tote bag, and SOS’s Live Earth celebrity concert. With the increasing level of focus and news coverage on environmental issues, it is evident that more and more people are becoming concerned about saving the Earth. But are these efforts really enough?
Have you ever wondered, that when all this hype dies down, do people still continue to make environmentally-friendly decisions, or “green decisions”, in their daily lives? Sure everyone gets excited when a new fashionable tote bag comes up, and when celebrities come together to perform in a mega concert. But when all that is over, has the message and aim of these events been brought across to people effectively? Does it stick and stay in the minds of people? Or are they just a fad and are soon forgotten? Do they influence people to change their lifestyles and make them more willing to inconvenient themselves for the sake of protecting the environment? Can’t more be done to save the Earth? Well, of course there is! More CAN be done to create awareness amongst people about saving the environment; and more SHOULD be done!
I am proud to say, that a team of environmentally-conscious adults have created a youth platform to realize and showcase the most cutting-edge creative ideas and talents across the Creative Industries in the Pan Asia region. They want to encourage people to be more environmentally-friendly, and they want to allow people to understand and be more mindful of how their daily actions will have an impact on our environment.
A world of Green Secrets; THIS is what participants of the Creative Youth Xchange (www.cyx.sg) have come together to create, and we would like to invite YOU to hop onboard this journey with us. SOOOO…. What are you waiting for?
The Creative Youth Xchange (CYX) 2007, an event presented by Creative Industries Singapore and CapitaLand, has brought together 12 youths from different countries, mainly China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Singapore. They arrived at the Kranji Countryside at 11am this morning, and their first stop – GardenAsia =D (www.gardenasia.com)
Upon arriving at GardenAsia, the youths were free to explore the Gallery, which showcases GardenAsia’s range of retail products. However, their idle time was soon cut short as the 12 youths were put to work IMMEDIATELY.
Gathered at BlueSky, Kenny, director of GardenAsia Pte Ltd (… just thought you should know since I’ll be talking about him alot =P) gave a short opening address followed by instructions to their first task…
Let’s take a look at what they’ve been tasked to accomplish… OK, let’s call these tasks “Green Challenge” just for fun =)
Green Challenge #1: Getting Down & Dirty – Planting (… tsk tsk, what were you thinking?)
The youths were tasked to pot their own Osmoxylon Lineare (… that’s a plant, just thought using the scientific name of the plant would make me sound smart =P)
Laid out in front of them was a box of granite chips, a box of top soil and a box of burnt soil. The instructions were to mix the top soil and burnt soil thoroughly, and to place this mix along with a layer of granite chips into the pot, before finally potting their plant.
During the challenge, I noticed that all of them had their own style and method of completing the task. The instructions were simple and straightforward, yet they all had a different way of mixing the top soil and burnt soil. They each went through the steps differently, but despite the differences, all of them managed to pot their Osmoxylon Lineare (… YAY, feels smart once again). For some of the youths, this is their first attempt ever at doing a little gardening. I have to be honest, I haven’t been much of a botanist or gardener myself either… but I’m going to commit to trying my hand at potting and planting soon, because I’ve realised that it really isn’t as daunting a feat as one might think or make it out to be, I swear! =) Of course, after potting it, it’s important to keep it growing healthily =)
If you notice, some of the youths chose to work alone, whereas some decided to work in pairs. The 1 person that caught my attention during this task was Xuan. Despite being the smallest girl in the group (… she is a VERY petite Vietnamese girl), she was one of the first few to complete the task. Instead of sitting down and being contented with her plant and having finished first, she saw that Mikko was struggling with her plant, and went over to offer Mikko her help. Before long, Mikko managed to complete the task too. THAT’S THE SPIRIT!! GO XUAN!! ^_^
When everyone was done potting their plants, they wrote their names with a marker on the pot, and placed it in a straight row close to the Country Rose function room, as instructed by Johnny (… the amazing man, a.k.a. Mastermind, behind the Creative Youth Exchange programme). Little did all of them know, this plant of theirs is more than just a one-off challenge… well, I’m not going to tell you just yet the significance of the plant, you’re going to have to read on to find out =P
“To kickstart the CYX, ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a BIG warm round of applause for…. JOHNNY!”
Johnny is a task-orientated Creative Director. He’s a no nonsense, “let’s-get-down-to-work” kind of person =P OK…. He’s not really THAT strict, but he does want and like things to get done. So, no time to be wasted… he did a short introduction, and went straight into the crux of the matter.
“So, Johnny… what do you have for us today?”
Have you ever asked yourselves, why do great civilizations collapse? One good example is the Roman Empire. Today, Rome is covered in ruins, and it is merely a place of interest where thousands of tourists flock to each year.
Then we should ask ourselves, is the modern civilization on the verge of doing the same? What are the secrets we can unlock in re-examining our relationships with the environment to prevent the collapse from recurring? And with those pressing questions, we come to understand what CYX Green Secrets is all about… it’s about finding “secret answers”. How can one balance the needs and wants of societies with those of the environment? How can we creatively expose secrets that can help us move closer, step by step, to a more harmonious relationship with the world we live in?
To address the above questions, the youths were introduced to the 4 “magic words” of the CYX: Pre-emptive, Reactive, Adaptive and Failsafe. These are 4 approaches we can take to address a problem.
Pre-emptive – To prevent harm from happening.
Reactive – To respond when a problem arises.
Adaptive – To change with situation
Failsafe – To minimize risk taken
After an intense and busy morning, *stomach growls* the youths were hungry… No worries, as a sumptuous buffet lunch awaits them at the Petals & Leaves Bistro *salivates*
Bon Appetite!
Chilling out after a heavy meal… look at them, happy and full =D
Now, remember those plants we were talking about earlier? You knooow… the Osmoxylon Lineare plant? Well, the next activity was for each of the 12 youths to introduce their very own plant, and since the plant is named after them, it should have the exact same characteristics as themselves. In short, they are to do a self-introduction of themselves in third person perspective =P
When asked what they would say to their plant, a majority of them said “I hope for it to grow straight, tall and healthy. Well, we’ll have to see if that really happens =P
Let’s take a look at what they were exposed to next…
CYX Workshop #1: Move! Move! Move!
We all know how dynamic dance moves are! But who would have thought that movement and choreography would also be applicable in the design industry?
Taking us through the movement workshop are movement specialists Aaron and Ix!
They began with basic breathing techniques and simple moves, sort of like what you’ld see happen in a yoga and meditation class.
Lying on the floor, they were told to imagine their body sinking into the floor board, slooowly… body part by body part, until their whole body is submerged into the floor board like lying in a baby pool.
Now for some real action… the “jiggle”! Let’s jiggy to the music!
“Ants at work”! Walk! Walk! Walk!
They then partnered up and took turns playing the role of the statue, and the role of the sculptor. The sculptor had to shape the statue into the shape he/she desires. Then, they switched roles, and did it again.
In the beginning, everyone was apprehensive about carrying out all the moves… they are pretty silly actually, and as kids, we enjoy being silly… but being silly when you’re older feels embarrassing *blush* However, as all of them realized Aaron and Ix letting themselves go and being comfortable with being silly, they relaxed and had fun too =)
So, you ask… what does designing have to do with movement and choreography? Isn’t that like two totally different forms of art? The purpose of this workshop is to allow the youths to understand the importance of choreography in their designs. Designing involves choreographing every element to construct a single composition. The workshop also encourages these youths to incorporate movements into their designs, instead of simply drawings and sketches.
After a good workout, the youths are now fit enough to think of a way to save Mrs. Polar from drowning and being homeless in the North Pole ^_^ Due to global warming, the icebergs are melting and the sea level constantly rising as a result. To save Mrs. Polar, the youths were divided into 4 groups, and each group is to design a “rescue plan”:
Group Pre-emptive – Mikko, Ling Han, Ming
Group Reactive – Sangeeta, Calvin, Yu Shan
Group Adaptive – Xiao Xiao, Admira, Xuan
Group Failsafe – LiMin, Linda, Chien Lin
In the end, each group presented their design idea in a storyline. After that, each of them had to vote for their favourite “rescue plan” (… not allowed to vote for their own)… AND the winner with the majority of votes went to…. *drum roll* FAILSAFE!
Their idea was to create synthetic ice atop a floating base using environmentally-friendly chemicals.
And with that exercise… the first day came to an end, and the youths had dinner at GardenAsia before heading back to the Singapore Sports School for the night.
See you tomorrow!
