A Stronghold of Values

“Cementing crucial principles for the forerunners of tomorrow”

In an age of fast-changing cultures and media-oriented communities, one can never overlook the (sadly) deteriorating importance of old-school values and principles. It definitely is an arduous but fulfilling task to pass on these values to the next generation – and that was what a couple of Kingmaker trainers sought to do over 2 days with over 20 student leaders from the Nanyang Girls’ Boarding School.

Highlighting familiar principles such as “Perseverance”, “Responsibility”, “Teamwork” and “Confidence”, the girls were put through many intellectually, and also physically challenging activities to test their diligence and resilience. In addition, the dynamic and difficult circumstances also put them in a situation to work with each other, out of their comfort zones. Building on the relationships already forged through their daily  interaction in boarding school, the girls were encouraged to deepen their bonds and friendships on top of instilling helpful values.

“It is a very unique experience that will enable you to learn more about others, and also about yourself.” Lee Pei Yi

The girls were also challenged to step outside the comfort zone of their own social circles and interact with strangers and foreigners who they had never previously known. It was certainly a ‘culture shock’ if you will, to encourage spontaneity and enthusiasm in sharing about their own lives and cultures from the various countries they hail from.

“I really enjoyed the task where we had to approach tourists and tell thema bout the cultures and stuff. Through this I was able to bond with my partner (who is from another country) and know more about her culture too.” Kylie Lee

“I liked this activity because it made me more confident to approach strangers and start off a conversation. It will be very useful for me to face new boarders/junior boarders.” Theivanai Subramanian

It was certainly an adventurous time for the girls to challenge their incumbent paradigms, having originate from many different countries. The camp was also a platform for them to figure out how they could overcome their many differences, beliefs and ideologies, to paint a holistic and wonderful environment, and culture in their boarding school.

Above all, these girls were carefully grilled to be influential and spirited leaders in their respective walks of life – they were empowered to further empower others and explore countless possibilities in value-adding to their tight-knit community. Coming from illustrious schools and respectable backgrounds, its important these youths learnt that strong, but humble leaderships is sorely needed in their different schools and social circles. Being a leader isn’t always necessarily confined to the classroom or the training courts – the greater endeavor is transcending these avenues to live out leadership in all aspects of their lives.

“The training programme not only taught me how to lead others well, but also the values that ought to be instilled in a leader and as an individual too.” Koe Jia Yee

Kingmaker is excited and pleased to have partnered Nanyang Girls’ Boarding School in this significant and thrilling camp. We hope that the girls will go on to shape our society and impact lives as they grow in their teenage years!

Kingmaker Consultancy conducts vibrant, dynamic camps to cultivate teamwork, leadership and cross-cultural adaptation. We believe that all students can be trained and nurtured as leaders and shapers of their communities around them. The means by which we achieve these will always be challenging, but they should never impede us from striving to build up a generation of resilient and determined youths, who are convicted and convinced about real, priceless life principles! Contact us to find out more how this may fit into your school’s plans for leadership development and team building!

Awakening This Generation

“Brighter Perspectives & Fresher Ways”

“The trainers are funny, and the workshop really gave me a wake up call.” Lisa Park, 1C

Group activities, the occasional laughter, classes of excited girls but… A wake up call? Who could have thought that another day spent in school on a Monday morning would turn out this way? What exactly was this student talking about – precisely what did she wake up to?

Well, Kingmaker had the privilege to hang out with the Secondary One students of Cedar Girls’ Secondary School on another ordinary Monday morning, as many lessons and discussions were shared over topics such as Social Media and Copyright Issues. The day didn’t turn out as many students expected it to be after all – learning about Copyright and the prevalence of Copyright violation was shockingly scary. In an age where information and ripe knowledge are so readily available and temptingly accessible, students seem to rely on the silver spoon of offered wisdom more than anything else.

“The workshop is very useful and tells me all the knowledge and information about copyright, and plagiarism that I am unaware of.” Jamie Ang, 1P

A wake up call, by the aforementioned student, so it seems, related not only to our youth’s susceptibility of breaking our local copyright and plagiarism laws. More importantly, what was also apparent was the imminent loss of creativity, and increasing reliance on conventional answers among our youth. This was certainly all in a day’s work to champion change in a perpetual war against over-dependence and sloth in their minds!

The day didn’t end on a solemn note though, as the girls left their Social Media workshops raving about their favorite boy, Justin Bieber, and debated over their highly frequented social media applications like Facebook and Twitter. Were they using Facebook too often? Did they know all of the 1250 friends in their networks?  A handful of insights were imparted for the girls to ponder over. At the end of the day, from their response, it was pretty clear that an annual, regular “Cyber Wellness Day” could be informative, advantageous and relevant at the same time!

“I liked that I learnt how to protect myself online.” Elizabeth Yee, 1S

Kingmaker Consultancy is pleased to work in tandem with Cedar Girls’ Secondary via this wonderful Cyber Wellness engagement. Workshops of the most exceptional quality will do well in encouraging students to have a positive perspective of Cyber Wellness, and also practically advocating it, beginning with their personal lives. Kingmaker is proud to partner Cedar Girls’ Secondary in nurturing responsible and media-savvy youths in the 21st Century!

Kingmaker Consultancy’s workshops are conscientiously crafted to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in generating real change in our young generation. Our curriculum is scientifically validated for learning outcomes. Dynamic and capable trainers assist us in achieving our goal of shaping profitable values in our youth which are congruent to the values in our schools today.  Contact us to find out more how this may fit into your school’s plans for Cyber Wellness and character development!

Transforming Culture & Instilling Resilience

“Bouncing back up from setbacks and seeing the good in every situation”

On a sunny Saturday morning, the 10th of March 2012, which was also the 70th day of the year, an entire school congregated together in anticipation of a record-setting event. The goal? To set a new record in the Singapore Book of Records for the “Largest Formation of a Human Slogan”.

The school – Northland Secondary School – rode the event on the theme of “Resilience” – to instill a sense of resilience, toughness and determination in its students and teachers, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese (1942). To conjure the slogan, 705 students and teachers adopted an abdominal planking position for 70 seconds to form the slogan, “SG BE RESILIENT!” while hundreds others cheered them on in their endeavors.

In retrospect, the event does sound like an ordinary occasion – its not a mean feat setting such a simple record isn’t it? Truth is, when you consider the personnel involved who helped shape the whole event and brought it to fruition, its no mediocre achievement at all! The boys who ran the show are part of a Co-Curricular Activity in Northland called the GEMs (General Events Managers). These are the rugged boys of Northland, who underwent training and mentoring  with Kingmaker trainers for over a period of 1 year. The GEMs faced countless difficulties and obstacles such as commitment to the project and the determination to see it through the execution phase.

Throughout the many training sessions and workshops with the GEMs, our trainers also overcame myriad challenges. The boys had to overcome the opinions people had of them, and also lack of trust or belief in their own abilities. It was a thoroughly challenging journey the trainers embarked on in encouraging and motivating the boys  to see through the project to its culmination in the event itself on the 10th of March.

Despite all the challenges and obstacles faced, the success of the record set was symbolic through a particular speech at the tail-end of the entire event. The president of the GEMs CCA himself expressed his appreciation to the school, the teachers who believed in the GEMs members, and others who helped them along the way. It was definitely a heartwarming moment to see the president representing his friends and buddies from his CCA, speaking to nearly 1000 people. The victory speech itself was standing proof that the GEMs could definitely achieve their aspirations through resilience and solid commitment!

“Previously, many of us used to scold vulgarities and misbehave in school. The trainers from Kingmaker have taught us well and we now know how to maintain our image as GEMs in our school, and as students when we wear our school uniform in public, so that others will not have a bad impression of us.” Chew Wei Jun, President of GEMs.

Many walked away from the event with a fresher perspective of the school and the students. With resilience in mind, the teachers and students certainly saw what it meant to persevere in hope of achieving their aspirations, and also empowering one another to do just that.

It was incredibly encouraging to see the GEMs come such a long way, take ownership of their project and prove something to the community: that they could achieve their goals if they set their minds and hearts to the task with the right attitude! They went home with the newfound belief in their abilities, to not be chained down by the burdensome opinions others have of them, and to work diligently together for a common, achievable purpose. It has definitely been a pleasure for the Kingmaker trainers in their journey with the boys from GEMs and we genuinely wish them the best in their future endeavors!

Challenging and Transforming Negative Cyberspace Values

“The bully, the bullied and the bystander – which are you?”

The school hall packed with a thousand students broke out in uninhibited laughter and rapturous applause as a disfigured, doctored picture of teenage pop sensation Justin Bieber appeared onscreen. The young ladies roared out in unappreciative disapproval and dissent at their peers’ reactions; the eager boys merely added to the celebrations of a moral victory over their universal antagonist that is Justin. A familiar scene, another intriguing engagement – all in a day’s work for Kingmaker Training Consultant, Adeline Wee.

Kingmaker collaborated with Yusof Ishak Secondary School to bring the students through a journey of Cyber Bullying in our ever-changing Cyber World today. The youths screamed out in exhilaration and volunteered enthusiastically as questions were asked about famous (also infamous) social media personalities such as Justin Bieber, even locally notorious bloggers like Steven Lim. Amidst all the fun and enjoyment, the point was eventually raised that Cyber Bullying precipitates serious problems.

“I liked the trainer who was very engaging and the way she presented such a solemn and serious topic.” Lai Mun Yee

Along the way, the mood turned solemn when the unthinkable consequences of Cyber Bullying were illustrated through several examples. Now, they were really listening.

“They showed interesting videos of real life examples instead of simply pointing out the boring points of Cyber Bullying.” Xena Ong

After a short hour spent together, the youths learnt practical steps to adopt in order to alleviate the countless problems associated with apathy towards Cyber Bullying today. More than that – as they left the hall, they gained keen awareness that they could either  contribute to the persistent problem, or joining the fight against Cyber Bullying. All were led to consider their roles in advocacy.

“This program was meaningful to students and very helpful.” Fazeera Suhaimi

Each of them has a role to play in our Cyber World today, now they accept it. The question left to be answered: how will “intention to change” translate into actual action?

(That was not to be left to chance as Kingmaker also designed follow-up activities for teachers to conduct during classes. These will reinforce learning and create opportunities for application of values)

Kingmaker Consultancy conducts impactful, high-energy assembly programs to promote Cyber Wellness. Rather than providing mere entertainment, concrete learning outcomes are achieved with varied paedagogy and effective speakers. This assembly program was testament to how a short but impactful session can instill greater awareness and increase empathy among youths today.  Contact us to find out more how this may fit into your school’s plans for cyber wellness!

Grappling with the Multifaceted Dimensions of Cyber Wellness

“Advocating imperative values in the Cyber World”

Within two sessions over a two-week period, Kingmaker worked with Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) to increase awareness and improve Secondary 2 students’ understanding of Cyber Wellness. A handful of stimulating topics were covered, including “Responsible Online Expression, “Mastering Video Gaming”, “Respecting Copyright” and “Online Privacy”.

Under the conscientious supervision and watchful eyes of Kingmaker trainers, Chung Cheng students journeyed through thought-provoking lessons in order to subsequently share their learning outcomes and insights with their peers. All coaching was provided in order to empower and enable the students to conduct Cyber Wellness lessons of the highest quality.

Participants feedback significantly reflected a common appreciation of the trainers’ effective use of visual aids in the forms of creative videos and pictures.

“The videos are really interesting and they help me more efficiently recognize what Cyber Bullying is.” Faith Ye

“It teaches me a lot of things that I did not know before.” Ang Li Ting

The various topics covered also opened the students’ eyes to the urgent need to hold on to values in the cyber world today; values such as respect, responsibility and empathy, which become frequently forgotten upon entry into the Cyber World. Participants were enlightened on how the increasing apathy towards such critical values in the Cyber World must be combated with conscious and persistent efforts to enhance awareness among their peers.

“I learnt a lot to prevent myself from Cyber Bullying, which is commonly seen nowadays.” Bong Ming Min 

“It is amazing, it provides you with important information which I think you cannot miss out on.” Carter Tan

“The workshop can help you learn to manage your gaming problems.” Lee Yan Yi

Kingmaker Consultancy is delighted to partner Chung Chung High School (Yishun) in this groundbreaking Cyber Wellness engagement. Workshops of the highest quality will not merely convince students, but also propel them towards advocacy. Kingmaker joins Chung Cheng High (Yishun) to embrace the stretch goal of getting students to train their peers!

 

Kingmaker Consultancy’s workshops are rigourously designed to ensure effectiveness in creating real change. Our curriculum is scientifically validated for learning outcomes. Mature and skilful trainers top up the whole experience for a truly effective cyber wellness intervention programme.

Cyber Wellness Train-The-Trainer

“Why Can’t Cyber Wellness Training be Effective?”

For two hours, Mr. Poh Yeang Cherng of Kingmaker Consultancy opened up and freely shared the “trade-secrets” of how he engages youths effectively on cyber wellness. From strengthening facilitation skills to designing effective curriculum, it was to be the first ever cyber-wellness train-the-trainer for educators (conducted by a training vendor).

The staff team of Mayflower Secondary School were brought through a roller coaster ride into the world of social media. From “Privacy & Online Reputation” to “Cyber Bullying & Responsible Online Expression”, sixty Mayflower teachers were immersed in the wonders of Social Media – through the eyes of a teenager.

Participants were enlightened on the how business models of social media platforms imposed privacy risks on the unsuspecting youth (and adult). Most were shocked at the extent to which web companies tracked personal information.

Teachers were also brought through multiple case studies of cyber harassment and cyber bullying in the teenage online world. The case studies and resources were specially handpicked for teachers to use in Character & Citizenship Education classes.

“The materials that were used were helpful. I can see how I can use them during my lessons.” Anonymous.

An overwhelming 96.4% of all teachers indicated agreement (and strong agreement) with relevance and usefulness of the content, as well as the quality of delivery. It was also noteworthy that there were no single negative rating for the workshop!

“Really learned a lot about cyber wellness. Excellent workshop” Ms Norhidayah

“The session was crisp and an eye-opener. Positive information that can bring about a change.” Ms Vijaya.

“Very good. Strongly recommended” Anonymous

“Yes do it! It’s an eye-opener.” Ms Parimala

Kingmaker Consultancy is pleased to partner Mayflower Secondary School in this exciting journey for Values Education. This is a significant effort to empower teachers for cyber wellness training. This workshop also complements a separate project to train student leaders to conduct cyber wellness presentations for their peers and juniors (more on that in the next post!).

Kingmaker Consultancy conducts quality train-the-trainer workshops for educators in cyber wellness and media literacy. Mr. Poh Yeang Cherng first conducted a train-the-trainer in 2005 for 26 trainers from 6 authorised training companies through MDA funding. Since then, he has also trained many social workers and counselling professionals. This workshop is significant as the first collaboration between commercial vendor and educators. Contact us to find out more how this may fit into your school’s plans for cyber wellness!

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Values Leadership for the First President’s School

“Values can’t be taught, they must be caught.”

Experiential learning was the focus for 52 Yusof Yishak Secondary School student leaders as they spent time with Kingmaker Consultancy over a fruitful 2.5 days.

They had more than just fun and bonding while creating structured experiences for each other (and their incoming juniors in 2012). They CAUGHT YISS’ school values through both intentional and unexpected “teachable moments” throughout the camp.

Mr Tan Hee Guan demonstrated with real-life incidences how he practised respect towards students and depended on integrity for teambuilding. He put the leaders in the “hot seat” of responsibility and gave students their chance to facilitate learning for their peers. It was to be an enriching and very different experience.

“The camp teaches us values of school – the fun we had (will) make us remember the camp forever and it (will be) very difficult to forget” – Javier Ng

“(I like most) the interesting games that also teach us about leadership and the school values” – Siti Nur Ain Fatini

The student leaders walked away with the invaluable experience of learning FACILITATION skills. Many were surprised (not the Kingmaker staff though) that young men and women were able to draw out life lessons while they themselves are still learning to embracing the very same VALUES.

“I’ll say that this camp is very very good. Because there’s more tips to learn about values and morals. And there’s a lot of games that we never played before.” – Noraishah Sharipudin

“I would say that this camp has helped me a lot to improve my level of confidence and also my attitude. It is also very engaging and also fun. It is awesome! :D” – Natasha

“Go YI Student Leaders! Be the first to make history by pioneering values education even in your youth!”

Breaking New Ground, Finishing Well

Over a course of 12 workshops over 3 months, some 15 students embarked on a journey to develop greater resilience in their character. They started with discovering their unique talents according to Howard Gardner’s framework for “Multiple Intelligence”.

They designed and execute a teambuilding session for 200 secondary one juniors, teaching them group cheers and designing class flags. Some took on public speaking to large groups and organising tasks for the first time. It was gratifying to see the group of boys persevering and focusing for an intense 5 hrs.

The next activity saw them undertake a kite-making and flying activity for their juniors on the eve of National Day. About 15 colourful kites took to the sky and a couple managed to take off even though there was only a gentle breeze.

Kingmaker is delighted to have the chance to help discover the “gems” in the group of boys. Each is uniquely gifted in their own way, and this programme will be expanded and replicated for the subsequent batches.