How does your school ‘brand’ you?

Values, not brand name
I SPENT my junior college days in Hwa Chong, a notably premier institution whose achievements include having produced 49 President’s Scholars – a record among junior colleges here.
But what matters more to me are the values it inculcated in me.
My identity stemmed greatly from its can-do mindset, and I was constantly encouraged [...]

Growing up in ‘tribes’

Are uniforms and ragging really about cliques? YouthInkers have their say.
It’s a jungle out there
A CHILL went down my spine when I viewed the Anglo-Chinese Junior College ragging video.
Was this the culmination of a long tradition of ‘us’ against ‘them’ in schools?
While no former schoolmate has ever laid a finger on me, I was not [...]

Downturn dampens prospects

With the financial sector in for a rough ride, YouthInk writers contemplate their career options.
Sometimes, less is more
AS A final-year tertiary student, I certainly follow media reports about the current economic turmoil with much anxiety.
With the financial climate as fragile as it is unpredictable, what the local job market will be like next year is [...]

The young and the reckless?

How far will youth today go for ‘thrills’ such as illegal driving or underage sex? YouthInk writers speak up.
A result of poor parental supervision?
IN ANY age, youth will always rebel against authority and seek thrills for the fun of it.
My generation might go for such thrills as illegal driving or unprotected sex, but I am [...]

Time to speak up – or maybe not

Who will step up at Speakers’ Corner? YouthInk writers voice their doubts.
Is this real or pseudo?
TO DEMONSTRATE is to put forth a purposeful and visible critique of society, policy or leadership.
People demonstrate where their intended effect will be greatest – in front of iconic landmarks, before the eyes of their leaders and countrymen.
In Britain, I [...]

Textbook route to romance?

YouthInk writers respond to news that the Social Development Unit is hoping to offer romance lessons in junior colleges.
Where’s the romance?
THIS programme is an insult to the youth of this generation.
Dating is an age-old art with different approaches to attract the opposite sex. How can such techniques be reduced to a formula and [...]