Founder’s Day 2016 – On My Honour

It is apt that I began my practicum on this rather special day. Founder’s Day and Thinking Day has always been a day for Scouts across the world to renew their promise and to live the values of a Scout. For a Scouter, it is a day for us to reaffirm our duty to education.

“But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn come to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best.” – BP

In his parting letter to the Scouts, he reminded us of our ultimate purpose – to make the world a better place. Through service, BP wanted Scouts to go out there and leave the world a little better than we found it. Till this day, the mission continues.

It is fitting that I begin my journey on one of the greatest acts of service to create a better world. As I renew my promise this last moment of the day, I remind myself that now as I start on this chosen way, I have been blessed with more opportunities to do good for the world. As I teach, I must remember that in letting my own light shine, I become the flame that lights other candles along the way.

Happy Founder’s Day, brother Scouts and sister Guides!

Burn Out

Admist all the posts I have saved up…in this very busy period, I guess this is one way I can let loose some steam. NIE has been crazy but its also down to my own poor management of time and tasks. I’ve never been particularly good.

Scouting work has been piling up. No, I have avoided a lot of it. I hide when things become a tidal wave. I’m not sure why I have lost the will to fight, but one thing’s sure: I’m overwhelmed.

SG50 Jamboree, NRC, ASL to ARSL, ASPIRe, my own ideals and other’s expectations on me. I’m having more than I can take. This isn’t fair to anyone, most importantly, it isn’t fair to people who want to do work and can do work. I can’t help but feel I’m in the way.

I never wanted all these. I just wanted to help…

Leader management, or more corporately termed as Adult Resource, is a crucial aspect of Scouting across all levels. It is not just the Adult Resource Commissioner’s jurisdiction but more importantly, Commissioners across all levels must handle their working teams and Councils well. Of course, this isn’t some insightful point. This is just an extension of the burn out I am feeling now. It is a reminder that I must bear with me should I ever be entrusted into a position of responsibility and duty again.

As I always said…Scouters are Scouts themselves too.

A Tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew (1923 – 2015) – Lessons on a Scout’s Honour

A Singapore Scouter's Log

Scouts in Singapore mourn the loss of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew.  Mr Lee was a Scout in the 32nd Singapore Scout Troop, which later became the 01 Raffles Scout Group.  He was Singapore’s first Prime Minister, serving from 1959 to 1990 and continued contributing to Singapore in various official capacities until he passed away on 23 March 2015.

As a Scouting tribute, here are some lessons we can learn from how he embodied the Scouting Spirit through his leadership and his life.

A Tribute to Lee Kuan Yew – Lessons on a Scout’s Honour

1. A Scout is to be trusted

Following the Bukit Ho Swee fire in 1961, 16,000 were made homeless and more than 2,200 attap houses were destroyed.  Mr Lee Kuan Yew promised that in nine months the displaced residents would all have new flats to live in.  And he delivered.  This led people to…

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这才是教育…

It has been a while since I got down to active Scouting at the unit level ever since work as a teacher started. It felt good to be back home for our first PLC training of the year, and in actual fact, of their tenure. The day’s event was Pioneering and the kids had designed a tower and a bridge for their projects.

The effects post-Standard Camp was apparent. The boys were much more urgent and deliberate with their movements, yet never losing the moment for a 鸟 joke or two with one another. If any of us doubted the effects of a well-run camp, this would be the cure for those doubts.

However, that wasn’t even the take away point of the day. It hit us when we noticed what he was doing during the activity. He was there, running to pick up new 麻绳 for his peers, making the 木 align on the structure and getting his hands dirty with tying several of the lashings. This boy in question, was a special needs kid. 2 years ago, at his own investiture ceremony, he questioned out loud (during a Patrol’s taking of the Scout Promise) our purpose of standing in the sun. 2 years later, he has shed the water bottle he had held tightly on him in the past, he has accepted that he has to sit on the floor, like his peers, at times. He has grown to understand and enjoy group life with his friends.

这才是教育。

This is the magic of the Scout Method, the amazing ability to let the natural processes take its own course and see the kid grow up into a useful person. We did not teach him how to interact with his peers. They did. We did not teach him how to read and understand social cues and norms. They did. And in similar fashion, we did not make him into an enthusiastic, participative Scout. They did. The beauty of the Patrol system lies in the ability of peers to step up into a group life model, taking on protective and formative roles within the mini-family unit. I am sure he was not the only one who benefitted from such a process, but the kids who helped him do so, gained a lot themselves.

这才是教育。This is why we do what we do.

2014…to 2015

It’s the last day of the year and I guess it is customary to do these sort of thing, after all this is where one pens down thoughts. This is where Scouting related thoughts/reflections are done, so I’m not going to diverge from the purpose here.

2014…has been the most exciting year in terms of Scouting. It is so because of the sheer number and quality of experiences I had in the year itself. From helping out at a wonderfully thought out Induction Course in February, working with David Wong with the NRC as we try and salvage, set up and solidify foundations for Rovering in Singapore, going on another expedition to the home of the Sherpa, planning the first Rover expedition in a while to Gunung Rinjani (what an adventure that was), representing Singapore to the WSYF+WSC in Slovenia and meeting so, so many like-minded Scouts all of whom have their own stories to tell, volunteering at MPS, attaining my BPA, seeing the kids attain their PSAs, running for the next NRC to continue the good work done by the current and running a successful Standard Camp for the boys. These are but the highlights, amongst which are interspersed many planned and unplanned learning moments that incrementally goes towards building a foundation for a new year ahead.

2014…was exciting not simply because these are new and high key experiences, but because there were many firsts, and unexpected. I never expected half the things that were listed as highlights and while the other half was planned for, it was more in hope than in expectation. I start my career in education and these experiences are crucial for me to compliment what I now have to do in the classroom and out. Again, nothing will be elaborated today. Memories are best kept when they are played after seeing a trigger and this will act as the trigger.

2015…will be an exciting year too. For one, its SG50. My career and volunteer work would definitely bring me so close to SG50 that, well, one can only imagine how often I will hear SG50 or anything related. There are interesting developments ahead with regards to the Scouting fraternity and we just have to wait and see. One step at a time then!

To better Scouting outcomes for me and those around me in 2015…

Yours in Scouting,

And by Rovering I mean…

This is another one of those posts that reflect upon past events and current happenings. A post that was triggered by certain events and left to build up across new happenings in life.

As I am writing this, I have just returned from the WSYF+WSC 2014 in Slovenia and had a new layer of perception and inspiration towards Rovering. But alas, no Rovering reflection can be complete without a brief recap of how Rovering was in Singapore.

I would not go into details what happened in the 1st and 2nd National Rover Council and the entire Rover Scout Commissioner saga. Basically put, the Rovering movement seemed to have gone ahead of itself and some wheels were dislodged. Whatever the case, it brought the momentum to an abrupt end. In its place was a pseudo Rovering programme at the national level where the NRC was curtailed in its presence and work. A lot was lost, most significantly was the philosophy and motivations behind why certain things were done in certain ways. I guess you could call it “culture”.

Fast forward to 2012, when the 4th NRC was invested. It was a place void of energy and inspiration and we had a dearth for a year. Finally, a few of us decided it was time to stop the rot and we had a secret meeting (away from advisors and all) and set our hearts down to 2 key events that hopefully were bring some life back into Rovering. Even then, it was difficult to begin for we lacked guidance and had no clue where and how to begin.

All this changed when the Commissioner’s Council was refreshed in February 2014. The previous Rover Commissioner was invited back to lead the NRC and suddenly we had a lot of things on our hands. Our motivations were challenged intellectually, we were given new life in terms of outlook and more importantly, there was someone to help guide our energies and enthusiasm in the right way. The blood donation was a lukewarm start but things started warming up with the outreach of the Rinjani expedition. With that, we had our first National Rover Roundtable in years in July 2014. This was followed up by a series of planned events, roundtables and even a newly mooted idea for the BPA presentation ceremony at the end of the year.

The entire Rovering community has moved and we can be the leaders in creating an educational and inspiration culture in the Movement. Rovers are in the unique position of being in charge of their own learning and experiences, putting us at the forefront of driving towards the 21st Century competencies. Right now, the onus is on the Rovers to drive programme and initiatives in creating first a better society in Singapore, then a better world.

As BP said it himself, “…By Rovering I don’t mean aimless wandering. I mean finding your way by pleasant paths with a definite object with view, and having an idea of difficulties and dangers you are likely to meet by the way…”. It is a time for direction towards a vibrant and dynamic future, we must see the fun and adventure in walking this path yet at the same time, aware of the treacherous paths and climbs such a journey would offer. Hopefully, our efforts in bettering Rovering in Singapore would continue the good work done by the Rover Thinkers nearly a decade ago.

长大了

So this post was done up on a whim, some time ago and I had it on draft but I guess once in a while, posts may reflect some truth if they were triggered by certain events and thoughts immediately penned down. So I decided to just publish this. This post is about the things that keep people going, that innately, perhaps, what we want is not the outward representation, but the inward acceptance that we seek from others:

The most important recognition transcends physical awards or the glory that accompanies it.

It is the quiet approval from someone you look up to, the trust and handing over of something they hold dear over to your hands, that silent nod that signals a yes more important than those spoken.

There were two such moments for me to remember. One was my investiture as a Scouter. It wasn’t the appointment that mattered. It never did (not exactly). The recognition came in the form of 3 simple Chinese words: 长大了. It wasn’t glamorous, it was silently whispered from a mentor to his student, yet it meant the world and more. It meant a transference of ideals,tradition and philosophy. It meant the continuation of an institution that in itself holds the magic to transform lives.

The other such moment came when I was presented with my Wood Badge. Once again, it wasn’t the beads that mattered. The question “For the beads, or for the boys?” has always been salient as we went about our service to the boys and all the more so on that day. The moment when I nearly cracked when was Mr Teo put on the Gilwell Scarf for me, and said “引以为荣”. For the uninitiated, it can be loosely translated to “I am proud because of you”. That meant the word to a boy who grew up on stories on how his GSL served the Group for 4 decades, who witnessed first hand, how more than 500 old boys made a return just for his retirement campfire. This was a legend even in our own circles and how many can say they have their scarves presented to by the man himself?

The purpose of this post was to bring to the front, one of the key tenets we tried to establish in the Group: that material awards are merely an outward representation of the self. The person wears the badge, not the other way around. It is the recognition that there is something greater than material awards, the internalization of the journey to the end point and the acceptance that at our end of days, these awards matter little, and it will always be the good that we have done in this world that ultimately matters

Now as I start…

Even as I am typing this out, I find it hard to believe that I am actually starting my first blog post. Starting a blog has been playing on my mind for some time, but deeply entrenched perception about blogs have put things off time and again. For one, I was never really a diary person since young, and I do recall I hated the idea, for it being too ‘sissy’.

Yet, here I am, writing my first post. The idea began when I started out going back to help after graduating from JC. I realized that I needed 1) a platform to gather food for thought, 2) a channel or an outlet for insights gained and lessons learnt, and 3) a memory lane where I could see my own growth. My Rover journal would have been the best alternative, but I was still against the idea of diary writing, much less the fact that I can’t seem to find it anywhere.

As I took on the responsibilities and commitment of a Scouter, I found my own learning growing on an accelerated level, so much so that I can no longer convince myself that being a Scouter and a Rover committed to helping is no different. Even after working my ticket home, I continue to gain new levels of understanding as a Scouter. Hence, I decide, perhaps the time is nigh that some form of documentation is needed before I lose memory of all the lessons that have gone towards shaping up my philosophy in Scouting.

This blog will serve to capture the many teachable moments in Scouting, to make timeless the values my brother Scouts and I hold true and dear, the little events that reaffirm my decision to invest time and energy into this education process and most importantly, in my efforts to bring you through my journey, to help another Scouter who may come across this blog gain new insights, renew his strength in the success of another, and find faith in this jolly good game we call Scouting.

I will attempt to re-capture incidents that happened in the past and put them into words, while continuing to document the present. So, be prepared for alternating posts of then and now. That’s all for now…