Taking the right STEP in Singapore

The youth are the hope of the future. Indeed, this mantra has been repeated over and over again – by over-zealous politicians, teachers, our parents, and probably every single grown-up hoping for a better future for the next generation. I believe in this saying as well. The best way to ensure future progress is to nurture and educate the youth now so that they, in turn, can apply the knowledge attained as they grow.

Singapore Technologies also believes in investing in the youth. In 1997, as a part of ST Group’s Celebration, the ST Group launched the ST Endowment Program (STEP). STEP is a program through which the ST Group strives to realize a dream of successful and exemplary citizens through interaction, learning, and sharing among the younger generation.

In order to achieve this goal, STEP supports educational activities for youths and children in different regional communities so as to enhance understanding and friendship across ethnic, cultural, and national borders. They also recognize and promote excellence in individuals, teams, or organizations that give that extra effort in educating and helping the youth to learn and share their knowledge. And finally, they support research or special programs for the youth and children.

The first activity initiated to help STEP further their purpose was the Sunburst Youth Camp (SYC) started in 1998. STEP began the SYC to bring together top students from different countries to Singapore to interact and exchange ideas, as well as to enhance their understanding of their neighbors in the region. By hosting a series of educational activities and camaraderie-enhancing trips SYC allows the students to learn more about one another in a fun environment while fostering life-long friendships. Additionally, students learn more about Singapore, the vanguard country of progress in Asia.

Activities included in the nine-day seminar consist of several getting acquainted and bonding sessions, a trip to Singapore Technologies and other leading institutions in Singapore such as PSA and the National Arts Council, and several sessions of country profiling from each delegation along with a poignant exhibit of items and photographs that capture each country’s essence allowing students to learn more about each other’s homelands. On the other hand, more fun activities included trips to Singapore’s famous Sentosa Island, the world renowned Singapore Zoo, and an exciting evening at the Night Safari.

Since 1998, STEP has been inviting students from all over Asia to enjoy the Sunburst Youth Camp in Singapore for funfilled days in the Merlion City. For 2003 though, STEP has literally taken another step forward. This year along with inviting top students to the camp, STEP invited back several of the SYC alumni to enjoy four exciting days of reconnecting with old friends and spending time in their wonderful city. Additionally, they also invited a youth representative of the press to chronicle the progress and success of the Sunburst Youth Camp and enjoy the festivities with the students and the alumni. That lucky journalist this year was yours truly!

In preparation for the camp the alumni and I attended a series of meetings at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) with Mabel Guterriez and Dr. Iriberi who would be chaperoning the Philippine delegation of students set to leave for Singapore six days before the alumni and myself. I was very happy to note that CHED fully supported programs such as these for I feel that international relations is one of the best ways to prepare our students to be globally competent after graduation.

I left for Singapore on December 18 along with the alumni chosen from previous batches of SYC – from SYC ’98 Vanessa Gonzales and Mark Quiñones, from SYC ’99 Gem Tomboc and Jason Manilay, and from SYC 2000 Rhoda Bagay and Josiah Tud. We joined the delegation of 10 students from the Philippines, namely Genevir Vitasa, Ruby Miranda, Riza Rufon, Richez Matibag, Mary Borhillo, Arturo Ibong, Paulo Madeja, Richmond Moral, James Escaño, and James Escalona, on their sixth day of the camp at the RELC International Hotel.

The entire lobby of RELC was alive with various exhibits prepared by the different delegations with a pastiche of items that represented their countries. Flags from all the countries waved above tables and a billboard of events stood in front of the room along with a daily registration table wherein everyone had to sign in and record their daily temperature (for health reasons). The auditorium adjoined this and was the ideal venue for all our briefings and discussion sessions. After we arrived, we were prepped and given our own black Starhub backpacks with our schedules and all other information we would need. Then we were allowed to settle in our rooms and prepare for the alumni dinner that evening.

The excitement was palpable as I arrived in the function room for dinner that night. This being my first time there I couldn’t share in the anxiousness to see old friends that my companions were feeling but I could certainly see how happy they were to be reunited with their old camp mates. As the room began filling up with all sorts of Asian nationalities, my travel mates were lost in a sea of smiles, hugs, and camera flashes. For some it had been five years since the last time they had seen one another but by the camaraderie present there it could have just been five minutes. There was no moment of quiet hesitation or re-acquaintance, just hugs and smiles and catching up.

As for me, I chatted with the journalists from Brunei and Malaysia. A slide show presentation of old photos from SYC gone by played in the background and a feast of Asian culinary delights followed the welcome remarks by the SYC familiar faces and coordinators Mr. K.S. and Mr. Joseph Ng. Since it was our first night there, the dinner ended rather early and we went for a quick walk down nearby shopping paradise Orchard Road which was beautifully decorated to celebrate the Christmas season.

The next morning, Friday, brought us to two organizations in Singapore. The first was the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Arts (MITA). MITA is the center for the Singapore Arts and Culture aficionados. The lobby was full of museum shops and wonderful watercolor, sculpture, and oil pieces. We were escorted to the Esplanade room where members of the National Arts Council briefed us on the importance Singapore places on supporting their artists and inviting in foreign artistic talents.

As I sat and listened to the various presentations I couldn’t help but be amazed at how much support the artisans in Singapore got from their government. The NAC provided scholarships for struggling painters, singers, and theater actors and even invited foreign artists to study in Singaporean schools. Undeniably, one of the reasons Singapore is such a booming industry is because it supports all of its native capabilities be they in business or in the arts. Hopefully, as time goes by, the Philippines can give its own artists an equal amount of support. As the NAC officials ended their program they invited all interested parties to look into attending the Singapore Arts Festival this May to June wherein artists will perform a melange of programs to the delight of international audiences. Pieces to look forward to are "Ma" – London dance choreographer Akram Khan will perform contemporary dances and the Indian kathak, Lithuanian director Eimuntas Nekrosius’ Othello, Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s Mahler tribute, and (my personal favorite) a concert by Yo-Yo Ma.

After MITA we headed to PSA. PSA Corporation Limited is the Singaporean cargo and shipping company that holds the largest ports and free-trade zones in the world for trans-shipment. Formed in October 1997, PSA provides every shipper in Singapore a choice of 250 shipping lines with connections to 600 ports in 123 countries. Commonly referred to as the world’s favorite port and hub, PSA easily handles 17 million containers in a single year. It was interesting to drive through the highly secured port areas and see how technology has made handling trans-shipment materials secure and easy.

Our itinerary for our second day ended after PSA and we were dropped off at the City Hall to enjoy a free afternoon of roaming around the beautiful city. I took this opportunity to visit the microphone-shaped Esplanade and see if I could catch any shows that evening. As luck would have it, I managed to purchase tickets to the Singapore Dance Theater’s showcase Colors of Life – a mixed bill of contemporary dance pieces which was breathtaking in its simplicity and beauty.

Our third day at the SYC reunion was probably the most important in terms of formalities. In the afternoon we headed to Istana to have high tea and met the President. It was quite an afternoon. Each country was met and headed by their respective Singaporean ambassador, in our case Mr. Ernesto V. Llamas, before meeting the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr. S R Nathan. The Chairman of STEP, Mr. Haji Ridzwan Dzafir, welcomed everyone and the President gave a short speech to welcome all the delegations before meeting them all personally over high tea.

After Istana we rushed by to RELC to prepare for the cultural farewell dinner that evening. Every year at the close of SYC each delegation dresses up in their national costume and attends a delicious farewell dinner and cultural showcase wherein they prepare a short program to represent their country. As for us, we were proudly decked out in various national costumes from the Philippines – lovely terno dresses (I had one specially made by Kate Torralba in beautiful black with embroidered red roses and detachable terno sleeves), and intricate barong Tagalogs.

The Chinese were sporting lovely silk brocade dresses and those from Brunei wore colorful gowns and silk wrap shawls on their heads. The delegation from the United Kingdom had the private boarding school look with plaid skirts, crisp white blouses and knee-high socks. The dinner was scrumptious, cuisines from all the countries were represented and Singaporean ice cream was served for dessert while everyone enjoyed each country’s national presentation. A lot of jokes were passed around – like members of the Filipino delegation convincing the Thai that the spaghetti song was a cultural folk dance. All in all, it was a wonderful evening of learning and camaraderie between nations. And as the night drew to a close, hugs and smiles were all around sealing engaging lifelong friendships.

As SYC 2003 came to a close I realized just how important a camp like this could be for the youth. STEP does indeed fulfill its goals of producing exemplary citizens through interaction among the youth of various nations. Learning does not merely end in the classroom but continues on throughout one’s life. As most of the wise would say, the world is the best classroom and programs such as the Sunburst Youth Camp introduce the nations’ young students to global cultures and international friendships that help form them for life.

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E-mail me at aquamarine_tranquility@yahoo.com.