GAHAwill be co-organising the 21st International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) Youth Volunteer Conference with the Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Young Mens’ Christian Association (YMCA) on 21-23 January 2011 at SMU.
Hosted by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), the event will run in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of the UN International Year of Volunteers(IYV+10) and IAVE’s 40th Anniversary.
The theme of this Youth Volunteer Conference is ‘Volunteering to Change the World’. Through this conference, it is hoped that the volunteering community is recognised by governments, by businesses and by the not-for-profit sector itself for what it has to offer as an equal partner in building communities in a sustainable manner. The event includes conference sessions, forums and workshops.
We would like to invite GAHA members who are interested to be the organising committee for this 21st IAVE Youth Volunteer Conference 2011. For more information, please visit the website at http://www.iave2011.org/home/index.php.
Skills required:
Programming & workshops - Arrange speakers throughout the Youth conference, Invite VIP guest for Youth conference, Plan the format of the learning workshops
Events - Plan the welcome dinner and Farwell dinner, In charge of all meals during the Youth conference, route and location for eat-out, Prepare the Youth declaration video to be shown in the Main Conference
Secretary/treasurer - Handles and controls the budget and expenses of the Youth conference, Produce financial statement for NVPC, Record and send out every meeting minutes in a timely schedules to every member, In charge of attendance for every meeting
If you are interested and able to commit, please send a short write-up on yourself, including any previous experience in programmes/events and NYAA/GAHA activities to Gary Shen by email: gary@nyaagaha.org, by 14th July 2010.
Contributed by Julius Eleazar Tan and Natalie Morris
Julius, as NYAA participant, was on the APEC Voices of the Future 2009 Youth Organising Committee, which was chaired by Natalie.
APEC Voices of the Future 2009 (APEC VOF 2009) was held in Singapore from 9 to 15 November 2009, in conjunction with the APEC 2009 summit meetings hosted by Singapore this year.
APEC VOF 2009 was an invaluable opportunity for 114 outstanding youth leaders from 18 APEC economies to be exposed to the movers and shakers of the APEC world - be it heads of state or heads of industry. It allowed these future leaders a peek into an otherwise exclusive and lofty event, helping not only to bridge the gap between current and future leaders, but also to understand what exactly drives the decisions these people make.
The APEC VOF 2009 programme was ingenious in the way it gradually exposed participants to business leaders and people in decreasing levels of controlled environments, starting with a training session by Mr Viswa Sadasivan, who led a session on interview techniques, continuing with some pre-arranged interviews and culminating in unbridled access to delegates at the APEC CEO Summit, to meet and mingle with them and hold ad hoc interviews. This ensured that the participants were as equipped as possible and were able to squeeze the most they could out of their APEC VOF 2009 experience.
Some highlights of the APEC VOF 2009 programme included a visit to the Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre, where the young delegates got to meet and speak with members of the International Olympic Committee; as well as a thought-provoking dialogue session with Jet Li, during which Jet Li spoke of his One Foundation, and the power and importance of starting small with a view to making a significant impact in anything. The delegates visited the Istana, where they were hosted to tea by H.E. President S R Nathan, and even had lunch at Tiong Bahru Market as part of the APEC VOF 2009 programme. Some of the young delegates also got to attend a few Meet-the-People’s Sessions, which was an eye-opening experience for them!
At the APEC CEO Summit proper, security checks were tight but the delegates also knew the procedure and everyone had their targets in mind. It was Showtime. The two days at the APEC CEO Summit proved to be extremely hectic but productive. At the end of it all, the delegates were physically exhausted but mentally enriched with new knowledge and experiences gained from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The APEC VOF 2009 programme officially concluded with a closing ceremony at the Villa RainTree Resort at Labrador Park during which the delegates attended in national costume, set up carnival-style booths, and staged cultural performances. It was a super-charged night and everyone was happy to have the time to celebrate their new friendships forged over the course of the 7-days. It was a bittersweet evening, punctuated by the exchange of contacts and photo-taking.
All in all we believe the APEC VOF 2009 programme achieved a great many things. The aims of exposing youth leaders to high-level engagement and equipping them with the necessary skill-sets to make the best use of the opportunities for interaction were more than achieved. We hope that, through the bonds forged between delegates from the different economies during APEC week (which are only likely to grow with the help of Facebook and other social networking sites!), the APEC VOF 2009 delegates will grow to be connected leaders of tomorrow, who will be well-placed to cooperate to create a better world, much in line with the goals of APEC.
The International Award Forum is a triennial event by the International Award Association (IAA) in which all National Award Authorities (NAA) are invited. The 10th Award Forum, themed ‘Fit For the Future’ was hosted by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Australia at Sydney in October 28 October to 1 November 2009. Coinciding with the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the IAA, 21 young people from all over the world were invited to be part of the forum, a first time at the Forum. Myself, as the youth International Council (IC) representative for the Asia Pacific region and Elisha Teo were privileged to be part of the ‘21-ers’.
The forum was attended by more than 200 delegates from 49 countries, including HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. Over 5 days, the International Council trustees, World Fellows, National Award Chairmen and Directors, 21 young people and staff came together to examine how we make the award ‘fit for the future’. A series of workshops and keynote sessions focused on three key areas: Young People Today - Communicating and Engaging, Growing through Connecting and Enabling Future Growth were held. This cumulated with the signing of the Sydney declaration-‘Owning Our Future’ by delegates to reaffirm the commitment undertaken at the Forum.
Participant, Facilitator and now Publicity Chairperson. National Youth Forum (NYF) has been my biennial volunteering “tour-of-duty” since 2004. In the tradition of NYAA GAHA Chairman Terence’s “Mind Your Ps”, I would now share with you my eventful and challenging 1-year journey in the organising of NYF 2008 in the form of 3Ps:
Programme: NYF began in 2004 when the National Youth Council decided to address Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long’s call to enhance the level of youth civic participation in Singapore. In NYF, youths from a variety of backgrounds now have a formal platform to study formulation; debate national issues and spearhead initiatives to benefit the community at large.
NYAA GAHA’s relationship with NYF started even earlier. NYAA Executive Director Mr James Soh and Terence Chia assisted the NYC staff and the organising committee, providing advice in the conceptualization of the inaugural NYF. GAHA’s bond with NYF continued as Cliff Koh (our NYF 08 poster boy!) and Shawn Loh were selected as NYF 06 participants. NYF 06 was a tremendous success as the participants were inspired by NYF 06’s vision to “Take the Lead and “Be the Change”. For instance, Cliff’s group spearheaded the “Go Global” Business Case competition, a competition and seminar on youth entrepreneurship while Shawn’s group imitated “Audible Hearts”, a web portal offering online peer support by youths for youths.
Publicity: The challenge for NYF 08 is therefore tremendous, since we aim to improve on the successes of NYF 06 and expand the platform to more youths in Singapore.
In order to do so, publicity assumes an important role in ensuring that our NYF message is heard. Having gained a broader perspective and a deeper insight into Singapore’s polity in NYF 04, I felt the need to spread the unique message of the “NYF experience”.
I recalled the “4 P”s that I learnt from my lecturer in marketing – product, pricing, promotion and placement – and tried to apply them to NYF 08.
Fortunately, we have a wonderful “product” in NYF, as it had continued to inspire our youths to create new realities in our community and society. Our aim therefore is to relate to the “client’s needs and wants”. After consulting friends and conducting our own surveys, we managed to not just set out a shopping list of familiar youth themes, but the key dilemmas facing the young people of Singapore. We look at issues that youths have an interest and stake in. In NYF 08, we argued and debated over issues such as sexuality, education, sports, new media and global warming.
Although NYF had a minimal fee incurred, it was not this “price” we were concerned with. We were more concerned with the youths’ “opportunity costs” since NYF is a long and intensive programme. With the help of the programme Chairperson, we managed to reduce the duration of the whole programme into three months.
For “promotion”, we created “buzz” with our design of teaser posters and Youtube videos. Using the “Be Engaged” theme, a ring was featured in our teaser posters in the Straits Times and MyPaper. In our youtube video, we showed an NYF alumnus proposing to his girlfriend with a ring, ending off with “Be Engaged”.
“Placement” refers to how the product gets to the customer. This was probably the most challenging task. To create awareness, the organizing committee conducted roadshows at various schools and institutions. We also organized an NYF Publicity Launch and Gameshow at Bugis Junction to attract potential participants. On the web, we advertised NYF on MSN Messenger.
In the end, it worked! We had an overwhelming response in NYF 08 applications. This provided us with a happy selection headache as it took us 1.5 months every weekday evening, surviving on junk food, to interview all our applicants.
People: In the end, it all boils down to the people. Organised by the NYF alumni, the NYF is in itself the product of youths’ ideals and their keenness to play an active role in nation-building.
Whilst it is a popular view that Singaporean youths are politically apathetic or disinterested, I found many likeminded friends who did care about the way things were going in Singapore and we spent much time during the forum discussing about policies and politics.
And the NYF experience continues to grow because of the friendships made during the NYF. A call is all it takes for enthusiastic alumni and friends of alumni to help out. Cliff, for instance, took time off from his busy school day to dress up and pose for a photo shoot in our NYF 08 poster. I also appreciate how Natalie readily agreed to be one of our guest speakers on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
Thank you to all who have made NYF08 a success!
For more information about project collaborations, please visit the NYF website at www.nyf.sg.
First of all, a warm welcome to Vintage 2008 of the GAHA Family! We hope all of you had a wonderful time at the Orientation on 27 Sep 08 and the Ceremony on 3 Oct 08. Also a big thank you once again to the members who volunteered their time to help out at the Orientation and Ceremony.
There is no shortage of activities, which await those of you who are ready to Serve Beyond Gold. Some examples are listed below, together with the contact information of the GAHA Exco you can write to if you would like to find out more or to help out.
So if you’re interested, feel free to drop any of us an email to find out more. In your emails, it would be useful also if you stated your background and any specific areas you feel you would be able to contribute in (e.g. if you are a physiotherapist and would like to do sessions for the elderly; if you have access to dragonboating facilities and you think it would be good for a social activity, etc.)
Please cc info[ at ] nyaagaha.org (if not already in the main email) in any emails to us so that we can better keep track of your correspondences.
As some of the activities may be a few months or more than a year away, please bear with us if we do not respond immediately with the details. Nevertheless, you can expect a friendly email acknowledging receipt from us.
