Y.LEAD: Meet the People Session! (Part 1)
The first day of the Y.LEAD Seminar has always started out with a bang, and this year's no different. With the central theme VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) being this year's theme, it has built up anticipation on what's to come. However, Y.LEAD Seminar is not only defined by the educational and leadership opportunities it provides. Often, what makes Y.LEAD Seminar one of the most memorable experiences an RVian can enjoy is the opportunity to interact and meet new people from other schools and countries.
Thus, the Editorial Club has taken up the task to introduce our readers to the participants, facilitators and teacher chaperones of Y.LEAD Seminar:
1. Interview with the Teacher Chaperones of Brunei
Q: How do you find Singapore so far? What do you like about it? A: We arrived in Singapore on Sunday. The weather is very hot and humid. After we checked into our hostel, we went to Sentosa and shopped at Vivo City. It was very fun. Q: As a teacher, what do you hope your students can learn from Y.LEAD Seminar? A: I want our students to gain leadership skills and become more independent and responsible for themselves. Moreover, I hope that they can cooperate and learn teamwork. Q: What are some differences between Singapore and Brunei? A: The environment here is very fast-paced and not as relaxing compared to life in Brunei. Q: What are your impressions of Y.LEAD Seminar so far? A: I am quite happy that most of the events are organised and conducted by students. I have seen a very big difference in the behaviour of our students over the years. In the past, they were very shy but they are more outgoing now and have learnt to voice their opinions.
2. Interview with a Facilitator
No strangers to Y.LEAD Seminar, the facilitators are a group of Year 5s guiding participants throughout the course of Y.LEAD Seminar.
A good number of facilitators has been assigned to each group of aspiring leaders, but all of them share one thing in common as all of them have experienced the Y.LEAD Seminar 2 years ago. How has their perspective of Y.LEAD changed as facilitators?
Thus, we interviewed Jestin from team D44 to find out how he felt about being a facilitator:
Q: Why did you decide to lead in the Y.LEAD Seminar?
A: I decided that participating in the Y.LEAD Seminar would be a good chance to experience being a leader. Besides entering a new CCA and having to focus more on studies and PW (Project Work), leadership opportunities in Year 5 are limited. Thus, the Y.LEAD Seminar is a good opportunity for me to hone my leadership skills.
Q: What do you want your group to take away from this event?
A: I feel that my team (D44) should open up more to one another. I hope that, at the end of the day, I will be able to help the participants learn valuable lessons and values such as leading in a “VUCA” environment and adapting to changes in society.
Q: Compare your Y.LEAD Seminar experience as a participant versus being a facilitator
A: As a participant, I saw my facilitator as someone whose main role was to guide a group of people throughout the five days of planned activities.
However, after becoming a facilitator myself, I realised that maintaining the energy displayed by the facilitators and applying their leadership skills throughout to ensure the camp’s success is no easy task.
3. Interview with an Overseas Participant
The first day of the Y.LEAD Seminar has come to an end.
What have our RVians and their companions done in this short day? They met their fellow Singaporean students and broke the ice with their new foreign friends. A few interesting items on today’s agenda include the personality profiling tests they had to take and of course, an energetic mass dance practice.
Here is a quick interview our friend from Taiwan, Lin Ji Gang:
Q: How did you know about the Y.LEAD Seminar?
A: It was advertised in my school and I signed up for it.
Q: What is the greatest “culture shock” you have thus far?
A: I did not have much of a culture shock as the culture here is quite similar.
Q: Share with us your favourite part about Singapore or the Y.LEAD Seminar.
A: Making friends! After all, that is why I wanted to come to the Y.LEAD Seminar
Q: How do you intend to apply the skills learnt from the camp to your everyday life?
A: I want to learn how to communicate effectively while improving my interpersonal skills.
Q: How is the Y.LEAD Seminar different from the events you have back in your own school?
A: There are many more participants and different cultures here in Singapore. I found the uniforms to be the most striking difference so far.
Q: How friendly were your Singaporean group mates?
A: They helped me a lot in the translation of instructions.
Curious and dying to know more about what our foreign friends have to say about the Y.LEAD Seminar and Singapore? Continue checking us out for more interviews and updates throughout the next few days of the Y.LEAD Seminar!