As a part of our annual Tête-à-Tête @ TCTF series, current TCTF scholarship recipients and educators from the ACS Family of Schools, Hwa Chong Institution and Methodist Girls’ School were invited for a tea reception at the Tan Chin Tuan Mansion on Wednesday, 7 August 2019.
The tea session was hosted by TCTF Chairman Dr Tan Kheng Lian, Deputy Chairman Ms Chew Gek Khim, Council Member Ms Chew Gek Hiang, Council Member Mr Chew Kwee San and CEO Ms Yap Su-Yin. Guests were engaged in lively interactions and encouraged to mingle were guests from different schools. Also present with us was Ms Grace Wong, Executive Director of iCare Hub, a transitional shelter for female ex-offenders and those who are recovering from addiction and guests received complimentary bags of iCare Hub cookies.
Following the token presentation, ACJC teacher and second in-charge for Values In Action Committee Ms Teo Shu May gave a short sharing about ACJC’s partnership with TCTF on Project Cheer 2019. Scholars were then given a guided tour of the Conservation House by Council Member Ms Chew Gek Hiang and CEO Ms Yap Su-Yin where they learnt more about our founder Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan, his legacy, the philanthropic mission of the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation and mingled with fellow scholars from various schools.
For more photos, do visit our TCTF Facebook page.
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“Thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity, I am extremely thankful for this scholarship and wish to do my best to uphold the values as a servant leader in the many more phases of life. To God be the Glory. The best is yet to be!”
Jonah Heng, Thio Chan Bee scholar, ACS (Barker Road)
“Thank you so much for the scholarship! I hope everybody can strive to – Lead with passion, Live With compassion ”
Leon Tan, Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan scholar, Hwa Chong Institution
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35 children from PPIS Student Care Centre (Jurong) went to Jurong Lake Gardens (JLG) for World Environment Day under TCTF’s More Than Words Signature Programme. This was in collaboration with students from the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Christieara Programme which included Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan Scholar 2018 Benson Yee from Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), fellow TCTF scholar Alain Aow and 20 other volunteers.
This two-part programme involved an excursion cum creative expression (inspired by Photovoice- a process of incorporating photography into education to raise interesting perspectives) workshop in the morning at JLG and a creative writing workshop in the afternoon at PPIS (Jurong).
During the workshop, they participated in a creative writing activity and imagined themselves as photojournalists and interviewed each about the reasons behind taking the photos from JLG. Next, they crafted a write-up on how these photos were taken and created stories on how they imagined JLG would be like 20 years from now.
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About 1,400 beneficiaries from 40 Social Service Agencies (SSAs) attended the closed-door Mother’s Day Concert and occupied the entire Esplanade Concert Hall. This is the third consecutive year that TCTF is sponsoring Esplanade for this concert.
Thanks to the large-scale coordination by Esplanade, staff and volunteers were ready bright and early in the morning to welcome the elderly beneficiaries with cheerful smiles on their faces. Elderly beneficiaries, especially long-term residents from nursing homes and those with little chance to enter Esplanade for a performance, were given a special excursion around Esplanade. The concert allowed for multi-generational interactions between the elderly and volunteers.
The event emcee was Lee Peifen, a celebrity getai artiste well-known to the elderly. The concert also featured established singers Anddi Goh, Jessie Yeong and CoCo Xian who belted out well-loved Chinese hits from yesteryear. The elderly participated by clapping and singing along.
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Co-organised by TCTF and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC), the Project Cheer Closing Tea was graced by TCTF Council Member Mr Chew Kwee San on 12 April 2019. 12 charities and seven ACJC Classes gathered to witness the culmination of Project Cheer 2019.
Mervyn Sek, ACJC HOD (Project Work & Values In Action) led a sharing session with the student leaders who discussed valuable lessons on their PC experience. The event then proceeded with the presentation of awards to the five ACJC teams who received commendation for various aspects, namely Best Planning, Best Engagement, Best Execution, Best Crisis Management (Resourcefulness) and Best Reflections. The foundation also recognised our long-time PC partner, ACJC and charity partners for their magnanimous support to the students during their PC journey. TCTF Council Member, Mr Chew Kwee San concluded the award presentation segment with a heartfelt closing speech.
The audience were invited to a buffet spread and TCTF charity partner, Club HEAL took this opportunity to share their services. Charity representatives expressed their interest to be involved in Project Cheer the following year.
Peach scholar Renaud Chee shared, “Project Cheer is a really special experience as it involves more than just one group of beneficiaries. It is pretty challenging to facilitate activities for both groups that come from different generations. I think my group considers ourselves as the ‘connector’ between them. This has enriched me to think further on how to give back to the ageing population. I am grateful for this empowering opportunity and thankful for the support my group has received from the foundation, school, and charities for this VIA project.”
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19 exuberant lower primary children from Hougang Sheng Hong Student Care Centre participated in two More Than Words creative writing workshops on 29 March and 1 April 2019.
The children were taught how to compose a simple haiku about their role models and many wrote about their mothers, fathers and best friends. A typical Haiku comprises the structure of 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and 5 syllables in the third line. Apart from creative writing, the students were also encouraged to express themselves visually by drawing self-portraits and portraits of their role models under the close guidance of youth volunteers.
Intern and Past Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan scholar from Hwa Chong Institution (2017-2018), Teo Pei Qin was empowered to put together a lesson plan and conducted the lively workshops using multi-media resources. Assisting her during the session were Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan scholars from Republic Polytechnic AY2018/19, Wayne Lok, Loh Han Kiat and friends.
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On 27 March, TCTF kick-started More Than Words 2019. An inter-generational element was introduced this year and seniors from St. John’s Home for the Elderly were invited to share their experiences. This took place at their home, specifically Tan Cheng Siong Lounge, named after Tan Sri Tan’s father. Both the lounge and dormitory were donated by Tan Sri Tan and Puan Sri Tan about 50 years ago. The seniors aged between 78 to 84 years old shared about their most memorable experiences during the 1940s to 1970s.
One senior, Uncle Pak Kim, shared about being part of the marching contingent of the National Day Parade in 1968. He woke up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare and even marched through the heavy rain. Another senior, Aunty Jean, shared about her love for reading, watching movies and experience as a Prisoner of War (POW) during WWII. Their advice to children is that they should be appreciative and content with what they have, and work hard.
The seniors came out of their shells to share stories from yesteryears, and how they enjoyed companionship and conversations over tea. The rich sharing provided a glimpse of Singapore in her earlier years and words of wisdom were shared for the younger generation.
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During the one week March school holidays from 18 to 22 March 2019, 109 ACJC youths planned and facilitated five Project Cheer sessions, engaging a total of 124 children and 131 elderly. Ten charities that are involved this year, namely AMKFSC Community Services- Spright Academy (Cheng San and Ang Mo Kio), AWWA Senior Activity Centre, Bethesda Care Services, Bethesda Student Care – Sunshine Club, Lakeside Student Care (Jurong West), Sheng Hong Student Care Centre (Hougang), St Luke’s ElderCare Ltd (Kebun Baru Centre), St John’s Home for Elderly Persons and THK Seniors Services @ Taman Jurong. As this year’s over-arching theme was Mental Wellness, the students designed creative activities, for example, station games of relay races, puzzle games and healthy eating, Chair Zumba and memory games.
This year, TCTF got on board our Ngee Ann Poly TSDTCT Scholar, Fadzli Jambari, to capture the multi-generational moments on tape and summarise them into a video. Through this efforts, charities and students will get the chance to see the other sessions they were not part of and recognise Project Cheer’s impact in partnering young and old by hearing the reflections of the participants who were interviewed.
Charity representatives were happy for such an opportunity and 100% of the Project Cheer 2019 charities agreed that they would like to participate in Project Cheer again. ACJC students also feedback that opportunities such as Project Cheer gave them a deeper understanding on how to bond with children & elderly, gave them a different perspective in life and better planning of activities that can encompass diverse generation.
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On 13 March 2019, current TCTF scholars from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), Republic Polytechnic (RP), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Yale-NUS College (YNC), gathered to celebrate their achievements in our Tête-à-tête @ TCTF series. Hosted by our TCTF Chairman Dr Tan Kheng Lian, Deputy Chairman Ms Chew Gek Khim, Council Member Prof Cham Tao Soon and CEO Ms Yap Su-Yin, the tea was also attended by distinguished school representatives, such as NAFA President Mr Chia Mia Chiang, SIT President Prof Tan Thiam Soon and Tan Chin Tuan Professor in Chinese Studies Scott Cook. This year, TCTF also welcomed the inaugural batch of scholars from SIT.
Scholars were given the opportunity to interact with one another, learn about the legacy of Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan, and understand the philanthropic mission of Tan Chin Tuan Foundation. Moreover, they were amongst the first to tour the newly refurbished Tan Chin Tuan Mansion, where its heritage-rich doors open only to invited guests. Our heartiest congratulations to all scholars and our deepest appreciation to all distinguished guests who took time off to grace this event.
“I would like to thank TCTF for having us. The tour was great and I learnt a lot about the history of the foundation and Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan. TCTF gave me many opportunities to expand my boundaries. I will continue to do what I do best and share interesting stories on screen. I will strive to do my best for the world through film.”
NAFA TCT Merit Award (Diploma) recipient, Mr Terry Tan, who volunteered actively in TCTF’s More Than Words and Project WISH signature programmes in 2018.
For more photos, do visit our TCTF Facebook page.
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On 22 February 2019, 43 delegates from over 20 PRC Universities attended the 4th TCTF-NTU Advanced Leadership Development Forum “The Belt and Road Initiative and International Talents Nurturing”. The event was held at the Nanyang Executive Centre in NTU and included 8 scholarship recipients from the TCTF-sponsored Mayors’ Class.
TCTF Council Member and NTU President Emeritus Prof Cham Tao Soon shared about TCTF’s long-standing engagement with NTU, with a brief mention of his role in the establishment of the Nanyang Executive Centre during his leadership at NTU.
The welcome address and keynote lecture were delivered by NTU Provost & Vice President (Academic) Prof Ling San who gave an overview of NTU’s achievements and plans ahead.
Other keynote speakers who shared about how their universities are plugged into One Belt One Road and Talent Nurturing were Prof Wu Xiaocheng, Deputy Party Secretary of Zhejiang University, Prof Han Shengbao Vice President of Shandong University and Prof Wang Shilong, Vice President of Chongqing University.
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On 30 Jan 2019, 64 ACJC students and charity guests from St Luke’s Eldercare @ Kebun Baru Centre, Thye Hua Kwan Seniors Services @ Taman Jurong, AMKFSC Community Services and Brahm Centre interacted with one another during Project Cheer 2019 Opening Tea. It was the first time that TCTF organised an opening tea so as to provide the students and representatives more opportunities to engage directly before the start of Project Cheer in March. Students also added that meeting the charity representatives in an informal setting added a personal touch and a sense of purpose to the project.
Mervyn Sek, Head of Department (Project Work & Values in Action) at Anglo-Chinese Junior College, summarised the activities and reflections by the past years’ participants so the audience would have a deeper understanding of what Project Cheer was about. Riding on the theme of Mental Wellness, guest speaker Mr Eric Lim, Mindfulness Psychologist from Brahm Centre, ended the session with tips on how to cultivate Mental Resilience which was timely for the students’ approaching examinations.
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