Boring? Let’s take a page from popular culture

YouThink writers share pointers on how learning one’s mother tongue need not be a chore
Relate lessons to everyday life
THE most interesting Chinese lessons I’ve ever had relate otherwise boring words and phrases to everyday life.
Once, in Secondary 2, I had a Chinese lesson where my teacher brought bamboo leaves and glutinous rice to teach the [...]

Learning to learn from my peers

AT THE risk of being flogged, I find students in Europe generally more worldly and mature than their Singaporean counterparts.
I have been in Vienna for close to five months as an exchange student, and already, what I learnt here from my peers is probably more than I ever did during my three years in university [...]

What makes us ready for a Singapore beyond Lee Kuan Yew

Sound values ingrained in system
SINGAPORE’S model of good governance, built on the principles of meritocracy, fairness and efficiency, has propelled it to great success.
Future leaders from my generation will have to ensure that this system continues to work well. Fortunately, we have what it takes due to the education we have received that is better [...]

What I’m willing to do while waiting for a job

I’ll do it for free
I WOULD gladly intern for free, were I convinced that the experience would be worth it in my chosen field of journalism.
With hiring freezes in almost all local news media companies, I found many doors shut in my face. So after evaluating my choices, I felt it might be a [...]

What will it take for alumni to give back?

Focus on niche communities
THE sheer size of the student body at the National University of Singapore (NUS) works against fostering a sense of belonging among students.
Take, for instance, the 5,100-strong Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It is easy to feel lost on those weekday afternoons when I have to rush for classes with hundreds [...]

News that shook my world

Bangkok bedlam
THE highlight of the year for me was the seizure of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport by thousands of anti-Thaksin protesters for nine days from Nov 25.
I was awed by the sheer audacity of the protesters and the scale of their plan.
Even the police, armed with court orders, could not evict them from the airport [...]

Focus on (more than just) the Family

Last month, 28-year-old local poet and playwright Ng Yi-sheng launched a Facebook group protesting DBS’s corporate support of Focus On The Family (FOTR), a pro-family group known in the US for anti-gay messages. So far, the group has garnered over 1,000 members, many of them 25 and under. Youthinkers weigh in on the issue of [...]

How Singapore saw Mumbai

The dust has settled on last month’s Mumbai attacks, and the world has moved on. Local and foreign media have expended tremendous efforts and resources into covering the event. But what are YouthINK writers’ verdicts on the way they have presented the disaster?
It’s not just about her – or us
While my heart goes out [...]

What charity really means

Help needy overseas or focus on those at home? YouthInkers wonder where it begins.
Overseas trips a form of inspiration
SOME people believe that overseas community projects are either a form of self-gratification or an absolute waste of money.
I disagree. I believe they serve to widen the horizons of participants, inspiring them to take further action for [...]