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Community Engagement @ CAPT

 

At CAPT, we recognise that every community and individual have strengths to share. Community Engagement (CE) at CAPT seeks to create opportunities for individuals from different communities to interact, learn and build meaningful relationships. The goal is to build empathy among CAPT students so that they develop informed perspectives on the issues which diverse communities face. We believe that the range of opportunities provided, complemented by the learning inside and outside the classroom, builds a sense of personal and social responsibility, ethical reasoning and intercultural knowledge foundational to living as thinking, active citizens.

At CAPT, we place significant importance on CE as a key component of our living and learning programme. We are delighted to report an impressive 98% student participation rate in our co-curricular CE programmes during a single academic year. Over the years, we continuously expanded our range of CE programmes and forged partnerships with over 50 communities, now providing more than 35 events and programmes.

Our CE programmes are designed to achieve specific intended learning outcomes for our CAPT students. These outcomes are central to enhancing awareness of marginalised communities, building empathy, deepening their understanding of the issues and challenges of the community, and equipping them with skills.

CAPT’s CE programmes are made possible with the generous support of the Mrs Lee Choon Guan Trust Fund and our commitment to the educational mission. CAPT strives to create a comprehensive, enriching CE experience that fosters student learning. We achieve this by giving depth and breadth to our engagement efforts. Our CE initiatives focus on two primary areas, sustained and standalone programmes.

  • Sustained Programmes – These are long-term initiatives that span throughout the academic year and include the Active Community Engagement (ACE) Wing, Social Innovation (SI) Wing, and Service-Learning Groups (SLGs),
  • Standalone Programmes – Besides sustained efforts, we host annual programmes like the Community Engagement Festival (CE Fest) and the Freshmen Orientation Camp Community Engagement (FOC CE) Day.

Sustained Programmes

 

Active Community Engagement Wing

Youths are being taught music by CAPT students
Dining in the Dark in CAPT – multi-sensory dining experience
CAPT students engaging with deaf students
CAPT students engaging children with disabilities
CAPT students engaging with the elderly
CAPT students walking street dogs at the animal shelter
CAPT students engaging with children from Tasek Jurong
CAPT students engaging with the migrant workers over a game at the dormitory
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The Active Community Engagement (ACE) Wing strongly emphasises fostering meaningful and sustained engagement with communities. Through the programme, students collaborate closely with community partners, typically in weekly sessions that span the entire academic year. ACE Wing programmes follow a well-structured process encompassing several stages: training, pre-engagement activities, engagement sessions with the community, and after-action review. These enable them to build relationships, gain a deeper understanding of the issues and challenges of the community, and develop empathy for the communities they engage with. On average, 250 student leaders and participants are involved in twelve ACE Wing committees. Some of the communities that the ACE Wing engages with are persons with disabilities, children, youth, migrant workers, the elderly, rough sleepers, and animals.

Social Innovation Wing

CAPT students chatting with a migrant worker

The Social Innovation (SI) Wing aims to tackle social issues through innovative and practical methods. SI Wing strives to identify and address unfulfilled needs within various social groups through CE. This community-first approach is supported through empathy and the adoption of multiple frameworks, such as design thinking and creating novel solutions that fit the specific goals and needs of the community.

Service Learning Group - CAPTSLAM Townsquare

CAPTSLAM Townsquare engagement through games

The CAPTSLAM Townsquare programme is a mentorship initiative in collaboration with New Town Secondary School (NTSS) focusing on student leadership values. The programme spans a few months encompassing weekly sessions that delve into specific topics. At the end of each session, CAPT mentors facilitate small-group reflections, empowering NTSS mentees to apply the values they have learned to their personal goals and daily experiences. This programme also includes an overseas component, offering an opportunity to engage with another school in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Service Learning Group - CAPTSLAM Queensway

CAPTSLAM Queensway mentors and mentees

CAPTSLAM Queensway is a mentoring programme where student mentees from Queensway Secondary School (QSS) are paired with CAPT mentors. The primary aim for CAPT mentors is to inspire personal growth and impart valuable leadership skills, supporting the mentees throughout their life journey. Emphasising the significance of relational mentoring and reflection, this programme fosters strong connections and encourages thoughtful introspection as essential components of the mentoring process. This programme includes an overseas travel component as well.

Service Learning Group - CAPT Kamal

CAPT Kamal visiting the school in India
CAPT Kamal visiting the school in India
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Over two weeks, the CAPT Kamal programme is dedicated to positively impacting underprivileged youths in India. Due to socioeconomic pressures, youths leave school prematurely to contribute to their family’s financial needs. CAPT Kamal focuses on providing holistic education to these youths. This programme encourages them to stay in school and pursue their education while also gaining exposure to enriching cultural exchanges and field trips. By offering learning experiences beyond the classroom, CAPT Kamal aims to inspire a love for education and create a supportive environment that empowers these youths.

Service Learning Group - CAPTSLAM 313

Engagement with students from Queensway Secondary School

CAPTSLAM 313 programme is an impactful student mentorship initiative in collaboration with Queensway Secondary School (QSS) and its other stakeholders. CAPT mentors put in significant efforts to empower QSS mentees, enhancing their socio-emotional skills and providing them with invaluable guidance and motivation to achieve their goals.

Standalone Events

At CAPT, we recognise the significance of fostering depth and breadth in CE. In addition to our sustained programmes, we curate programmes spanning a few days, exposing students to diverse communities. Our flagship CE programme events are the annual Community Engagement Festival (CE Fest) and the Freshmen Orientation Camp Community Engagement (FOC CE) Day. These standalone events are designed to increase student participants’ awareness and understanding of various communities while honing our student leaders’ planning and leadership skills.

Community Engagement Festival

Life Beyond Bars Trail - Rangoli designed by Hindu Endowment Board Ashram Residents and CAPT students
Woods to Goods Trail - CAPT students visit a sawmill in Singapore
Inter-faith Trail - CAPT students and the Secretary at Sze Cheng Keng Temple
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Every October, the Community Engagement Festival (CE Fest) takes centre stage, providing a platform for individuals from diverse backgrounds to come together, learn and engage with one other. This event echoes CAPT’s ethos of active citizenship and community engagement. Driven by dedicated student leaders, CE Fest collaborates with community partners to curate CE trails. These trails offer CAPT students unique opportunities to interact with various communities across Singapore over a few days. A significant event, CE Fest, involves, on average, 25 community partners, 300 student leaders and participants and twelve trails featuring communities such as ex-offenders, rough sleepers, morticians, local food producers, and persons with disabilities.

Freshmen Orientation Camp Community Engagement Day

Environment Trail – CAPT students and International Coastal Cleanup Singapore.
The Caring Commuters Trail - Organised in collaboration with the Public Transport Council, Tower Transit Singapore, and the NUS Student Accessibility Unit.
FOC CE Day Finale - Guest Speaker Stefan Phang from Diversey.
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Unique to NUS, CAPT’s Freshmen Orientation Camp Community Engagement Day (FOC CE Day) is a key component of CAPT’s FOC activities. This event serves as an introduction to CAPT’s ethos for first-year students, who embark on a journey of exploration through diverse trails meticulously curated by student leaders and community partners. Through the trails, it seeks to foster communication and raise awareness about various communities in Singapore for first-year students. These trails encompass engaging with the elderly, understanding the challenges of persons with disabilities, appreciating the importance of hospice care, delving into marine conservation efforts, exploring environmental sustainability initiatives, and connecting with the lives of migrant workers. FOC CE Day brings together over 250 first-year students, 30 student leaders, and 15 community partners.

Community partners who would like to explore partnerships with CAPT may contact:

Dr Lavanya Balachandran, Associate Director of Community Engagement
Email: lavanyab@nus.edu.sg

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