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As part of the course UTC2410B Community, Culture, Conservation: Insights from Nepal, 18 CAPTains and three Fellows embarked on a trip across Nepal. From exploring the cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara to trekking the villages of Ghandruk and Bhujung in the Annapurna region, students were observed the interplay between tradition and innovation in Nepal’s development through listening and interacting with members of the Nepali community.
The team engaged with partner organizations such as Namaste Community Foundation and Bikas Udhyami to gain valuable insights into community development – such as how grassroots and community-led efforts can help meet the socioeconomic needs of the people. On the other hand, organisations such as Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) and Avni Center for Sustainability (ACS) showed our students how individuals and communities can come together to innovate sustainability-focused solutions to protect and conserve Nepal’s environment. One such example is how indigenous knowledge in the form of Hitis (Nepal’s traditional water fountains) could be the solution to Nepal’s water security crisis.
Students’ learnings were further expanded through a colloquium with Prithvi Narayan Campus (Tribhuvan University) and Lincoln International College, where students from the three institutions shared knowledge on the role of community in cultural conservation in the context of both our countries through presentations and hands-on interactive activities.
As part of the University’s Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative (SFI), CAPT orgranised two study trips to Indochina in 2023. These trips, held in May and December, saw the participation of 37 CAPTains, delving into the cultural and socio-economic landscapes of Laos and Vietnam.
The trip in May was designed as an immersive experience without formal course credits, allowing students to engage deeply with local communities and issues. While the December trip was integrated into the curriculum as part of the course, UTC2420A Sustainability in Southeast Asia: Study trip to Indochina.
In Laos, students were exposed to topics such as the lingering impact of landmines, strategies for poverty reduction and the dynamics of socio-economic development. Transitioning to Vietnam, the focus shifted to discussions on migration patterns, the burgeoning realm of social enterprises and the intricacies of community-based tourism. These discussions were enriched by interactions with village elders, local students from National University of Laos and Vietnam National University, and the staff of the organisations the team met during the trip.
STEER Nepal 2019 explored the theme of Community, Culture, Conservation, across the diverse landscapes of Kathmandu, Pokhara, Annapurna region and Chitwan, from 8-22 December. The team comprised 20 CAPTains and three Fellows and staff. This trip indubitably broadened everyone’s horizons through the different engagements with our partner organisations and institutions like the Himalayan Climate Initiative, Ecoprise, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Pritivi Narayan Campus and Kanya Campus, and local communities in Ghandruk and Bhujung. The team was able to experience and learn about the interplay of tradition and innovation in shaping the narratives of conservation of environment and culture in Nepal and build a comparative perspective of Singapore’s conservation stories.
CAPT’s STEER Myanmar took place from 8 to 21 December 2019.
The main objectives of the trip were to learn about recent socio-economic-political changes in Myanmar, and its impact on rural/urban employment for youth and local communities, conservation (natural and built heritage), sustainable tourism development and migration (internal and external).
Led by four Fellows, the delegation of 22 CAPT students visited four places – Yangon, Kalaw, Nyaungshwe, and Inle Lake where they visited organisations, institutions, and agencies to learn about their operations, objectives, and realities on the ground. In addition, there were immersive activities such as cycling, trekking, and peer interactions with youths in Myanmar. These experiences allowed CAPTains to better understand the broad themes of the trip.
As part of a Senior Seminar, STEER Balkans explores the concepts and practices of post-conflict community reconstruction in the successor states of ex-Yugoslavia. The Senior Seminar focuses on the rebuilding of trust and cooperation between Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks Muslims in several new nation-states after the wars and genocides of the 1990s. It offers students an interactive learning opportunity that combines development and conflict/peace theories, classroom discussions in Singapore, and a study trip. Students will critically examine debates about rebuilding communities, as well as the ethical, social, and economic challenges of community development and reconstruction.
Over the course of 14 days, the STEER Balkans 2019 team journeyed through three countries in the ex-Yugoslavian region, starting in Zagreb, Croatia. Following which, the team crossed over to Belgrade, Serbia, and then to Bosnia, visiting the cities of Sarajevo and Bosnia. The team ended off the study trip back in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
During the trip, the team had the opportunity to interact with individuals from various industries, as well as students from different tertiary institutions. They also visited various landmarks across the different countries which taught them more about the culture and history of the region. The various visits and interactions prompted the team to critique and understand the post-war situation in the Balkans a lot better and draw parallels to Singapore.
STEER Balkans 2019 was held from 21 May to 5 June 2019 and led by CAPT faculty A/Prof Reuben Wong and A/Prof Alberto Corrias, together with Ms Yit Li Ling as the admin support.
For thoughtful reflections from the team, visit their blog here.
STEER India 2018, a two-week journey, took place as part of the Senior Seminar UTC2404 (Re)Building Communities: Insights from India offered at CAPT. The team of 22 CAPTains, including Ms Wong Soon Fen, Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay and Mr Christopher Ong, commenced their trip to the Land of Diversity on 9 December 2018. They visited various organisations and sites in the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, interacting with the different communities to fulfill the main objective of understanding the different concepts, issues and models of community development and culture, and critically assessing different practices in community development.
In this third run of the Senior Seminar, the organisations they visited include the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Hunnarshala Foundation, Khamir Foundation, Arid Communities and Technology (ACT) and Society for Women’s Action and Training Initiatives (SWATI) in Gujarat, and Aajeevika Bureau and Aavaran in Rajasthan. Through these visits, the team had opportunities to interact with staff, volunteers and marginalised communities and learn about community development on the ground. In addition, they also visited Kumbhalgarh Fort, the second-longest wall in the world, and the Great Rann of Kachchh, the largest salt desert in the world.
For more details and thoughtful reflections from the team, visit their website here.
23 CAPTains went on a 16-day trip to Myanmar in December, exploring various themes such as youth development, rural development, tourism, sustainable development and conservation, gender dynamics and labour and immigration— in Mandalay, Inle and Yangon. Students visited sites and travelled to places using different modes of transportation – on buses, boats, bicycles, horse carts and the local train. These activities not only provided students the chance to experience how locals get around but also interact with locals and hold deeper conversations.
During the two weeks, the students visited the more rural areas of Mandalay, the ecologically rich Lake Inle and the bustling city of Yangon, where they learnt more about the social, economic and environmental issues of Myanmar, as well as witnessed the rich cultural tapestry, beautiful pagodas and natural landscape.
The trip was held from 6 to 21 December 2018 and led by CAPT faculty Dr Joelle Lai, Dr Tan Lai Yong, Dr Kevin Mcgahan and Ms Angie Tan.
35 students from the College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT) embarked on an unforgettable 18-day journey to a land of blue skies and welcoming hearts on the African continent as part of the Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) Botswana programme. STEER Botswana 2018 was a 17 day trip that aimed to help students understand the challenges facing the employment, education and environmental sectors of in Botswana. It was designed to give the students the background as well as real life exposure, and compare it with South Africa (Johannesburg) and Zambia (Livingstone) as the group transited in these countries.
The trip was held from 18 May to 5 June and led by CAPT faculty Dr Tan Lai Yong, A/Prof Reuben Wong, Dr Toh Tai Chong, with the support of CAPT admin staff, Ms Lee Meng Choo.
SI-STEER Nepal is the first STEER trip in the College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT) which is student-initiated and co-organised with fellows – Ms Wong Soon Fen and Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay. The trip revolved around the theme “Development, Dilemmas, Design”, with a focus on the economy and environment of Nepal. Partnering with Ridge View Residential College (RVRC), our group of 19 students from CAPT and RVRC travelled to different parts of Nepal under the guidance of Ms Wong Soon Fen and Mr Lim Cheng Puay from RVRC.
The team travelled within Nepal across three main regions – Kathmandu (the capital city), Pokhara and the Annapurna Conservation Area.
By giving, we gain even more. For more information about the trip, please visit www.captsocialinnovation.com
STEER India 2017, an exciting two-week journey, took place as part of the Senior Seminar UTC2404 (Re)Building Communities: Insights from India offered at CAPT. The team of 17 CAPTains, including Ms Wong Soon Fen, Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay and Mr Christopher Ong, and one Yale-NUS student embarked on the journey to the Land of Diversity on 10 December 2017. Similar to the previous trip, the team visited various institutions, organisations and sites in the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, interacting with the different communities to fulfill the main objective of understanding the different concepts, issues and models of community development and culture, and critically assessing different practices in community development.
Significant institutions and organisations they visited include the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Hunnarshala Foundation, Khamir Foundation and Arid Communities and Technology (ACT) in Gujarat, and Aajeevika Bureau and Aavaran in Rajasthan. Through these visits, the team had opportunities to interact with staff, volunteers and marginalised communities and learn about community development on the ground. In addition, they also visited Kumbhalgarh Fort, the second-longest wall in the world, and the Great Rann of Kachchh, the largest salt desert in the world.
For more details and thoughtful reflections from the team, visit their website here.
A group of twenty-two students went on a 13-day STEER trip to Myanmar. During the two weeks, the students visited the bustling city of Mandalay, archeological religious monuments of Bagan and the ecologically rich Lake Inle where they learnt more about the social, economic and environmental issues of Myanmar as well as witnessed the rich cultural tapestry, beautiful pagodas and natural landscape.
In Mandalay, the students had a cross-cultural exchange with students from Mandalay University where themes such as leadership and sustainable development were explored. Together, they also had the privilege to visit the regional parliament and a community clinic in one of the townships in Mandalay.
The students also had the opportunity to travel around Bagan and Lake Inle using a range of transport such as bicycles, canoes and speed boats to visit local schools and hold home visits. These activities not only provided students the chance to experience how locals get around but also interact with locals and hold deeper conversations.
In Lake Inle, students met the inspiring founder of the Inle Heritage Foundation and the Bamboo School, Ms Yin Myo Suu. They spent two-days at the Inle Heritage Foundation to understand how the Foundation contributes to the local community through education and environmental conservation.
The trip was held from 9 to 21 December and led by CAPT faculty Dr Joelle Lai, Dr Tan Lai Yong and Ms Angie Tan.
28 NUS students from the College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT) and Residential College 4 (RC4) embarked on an unforgettable 15-day journey to a land of blue skies and welcoming hearts on the African continent as part of the Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) Botswana programme. Organised by CAPT. in conjunction with RC4 and NUS International Relations Office, STEER Botswana introduced students to the educational, environmental and economic sectors of the region through one of its most politically stable states. The trip was held from 21 May to 5 June and led by CAPT faculty Dr Tan Lai Yong, Ms Wong Soon Fen and Dr Kevin McGahan.
Click here to read more!
STEER India 2016, an exciting two-week journey, took place as part of the new Senior Seminar UTC2404 (Re)Building Communities: Insights from India offered at CAPT. The team of 27 CAPTains, including Ms Wong Soon Fen, Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay and Mr Christopher Ong, commenced their trip to the Land of Diversity on 4 December 2016. They visited various institutions, organisations and sites in the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, interacting with the different communities to fulfill the main objective of understanding the different concepts, issues and models of community development and culture, and critically assessing different practices in community development.
Significant institutions and organisations they visited include the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Hunnarshala Foundation, Khamir Foundation and Arid Communities and Technology (ACT) in Gujarat, and Aajeevika Bureau and Aavaran in Rajasthan. Through these visits, the team had opportunities to interact with staff, volunteers and marginalised communities and learn about community development on the ground. In addition, they also visited Kumbhalgarh Fort, the second-longest wall in the world, and the Great Rann of Kachchh, the largest salt desert in the world.
For more details and thoughtful reflections from the team, visit their website here.
In this first run of STEER Myanmar, 23 CAPTains went on a 13-day trip to Myanmar from 2 – 13 December 2016, exploring the themes of employability and environment in Bagan, Mandalay and Yangon. Students visited sites and travelled to places using different modes of transportation – on buses, river ferry, bicycles and local train.
In Yangon, students had the opportunity to interact with the Singapore Ambassador to Myanmar, members of non-governmental organisations, religious leaders, people from different backgrounds, and Singaporeans involved in business in Myanmar. Through these conversations, they gained different perspectives and viewpoints on current issues related to the economy and the impact on communities and society.
20 students (17 from CAPT, 3 from RC4) spent 12 days in December exploring rural and urban India. The theme for this year is: (Re)building Communities: Preserving Traditions, Embracing Innovations, Creating Spaces
In the 12 days, the students had the opportunity to pick the minds of passionate founders and ground staff of NGOs to understand the challenges and satisfaction that made them do the work they do; they also heard stories from the locals to understand situations from their point of views and, in the process, found out their hopes for the future. In Udaipur, the group visited a commercial enterprise with a social orientation, sharings from the founder provided a deeper understanding of how such a different enterprise fits into the socio-ecological space.
Find out more on their blog!
CAPT organised the first STEER trip to Central/Eastern Europe by an NUS Department or College, from 19-31 May 2015. 22 CAPT students engaged with universities, NGOs, government and private sector companies in Hungary and Poland – key countries in a region traditionally dominated by the Habsburg empire, Russia or Germany.
During the trip, students explored the theme of “Economies, Regions and Identities in Flux” in Budapest, Szentendre, Krakow, Auschwitz and Warsaw. They learnt about the huge economic and societal shifts brought about by imperial rivalries, Nazism and the Holocaust, the Cold War, communism, EU membership, the euro and Ukraine crises; and the impact on the daily lives and identities of vulnerable minorities like the Jews, the Roma, Asian immigrants and displaced communities.
Read more about the trip here.
From 5th to 16th December 2015, a group of 17 CAPT students, along with A/P Greg Petersen, Ms Wong Soon Fen and Ms Nuraini visited Ahmedabad and Udaipur for a Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) programme to learn about the emerging economies and culture in India. Download their full report here to read about their wonderful experiences during their learning journey.
From 5th to 20th December 2013, a group of 17 CAPT students along with Dr Kevin McGahan, Dr Tan Lai Yong and Dr Joelle Lai visited Ahmedabad and Udaipur for a Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) programme to learn about the emerging economies and culture in India. Download their full report here to read about their wonderful experiences during their learning journey.
Check out the video made by one of our STEER India team members, Lim Wei Jie:
The aim of the programme was to have our students experience the basics of starting and running Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the cultural and business context of India. In December 2012, the team attended several lectures at S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, followed by field trips to SEWA Village Resource Centre where women made spices and to Lilijat, where women made papadom. They also visited a rural elementary school, teaching the children oral hygiene and played games with the children.