7th Singapore Brunei Youth Leadership Exchange Programme (SBYLEP)

Look for the "Y' for You & Youth

I recently got selected to be a delegate for the 7th Singapore Brunei Youth Leadership Exchange Programme (SBYLEP) organised by National Youth Council this year in 2020. The previous times I had a chance to be a 'delegate' was as an undergraduate for the University Scholars Leadership Symposium in Hong Kong in 2015 and prior to that I hosted foreign youth delegates from Asia/ASEAN as part of Sunburst Youth Camp (organised by Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme) and the Asia Pacific Conference on Giftedness in 2008 when I was still in pre-university. My earlier experiences were so enlightening and refreshing that I set my post A-levels goal to secure a place at MFA and possibly work towards becoming an ambassador or official representative of Singapore. As I matured and joined my current profession, I realised that there are many ways to represent the country and in my own little ways I believe that I can do it even if I do not join MFA as a Foreign Service Officer.

Brunei is one of Sg's special friends

In our session 0, during the pre-SBYLEP briefings, we were informed of how important the programme was as a bilateral platform for the youths of our 2 countries. I also reflected on all the reasons I wanted to be part of it. One of them was because of my role as the Project Lead of Mendaki Club's signature Leadership Incubator which is going for a review next year. I personally hoped to build more connections in the region so that I can possibly invite them to share insights on opportunities and possibilities for the Malay/Muslim community especially from the perspectives of other youth leaders from the Malay-speaking ASEAN countries. 

Opening remarks

Mendaki Club Exco represents

Jedidah, the Deputy Director at National Youth Council (NYC) in-charge of Young Adult Engagement, International Affairs and Asia-Ready Exposure Programme, shared 3 Ps for us to remember; Perspective, Presence and People/Partnerships. I believe that the 3Ps set the tone quite right as we went about on our 4-part programme with a theme revolving around the 'Future of Work/Workforce'. We eventually got to meet our Bruneian buddies, our counterparts who were specially selected to be a part of this programme too. According to a friend who was a participant in the pioneer batch of SBYLEP, some of his batchmates from Brunei were now ambassadors, Members of Parliament (MPs) and prominent businessmen. I was glad to be partnerred with Mashafiy, an officer in the Haji and Umrah Department of Darussalam Holdings. After some chats and 'homework' zoom sessions, I learnt that he likes Roti John like me and he plays badminton too. I was also pleasantly surprised that he came over to Singapore two years ago for his honeymoon. If only we knew each other sooner, I would have loved to bring him and his wife around.

 

Mascot specially prepared by Louis from GovTech and Praxis

Zoom bg from Singapore

Zoom bg from Brunei

previously designed SBYLEP logo

As this year's SBYLEP is the inaugural online one (thanks to COVID-19), I realised that I could use some of my technological skills to good use to bridge the disconnect and the physical gap/distance between us. The Singapore delegation initially wanted to create a mascot for SBYLEP using our national flowers, Simpor for Brunei and Vanda Miss Joaquim/Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim or the Princess Aloha orchid for Singapore. So, I put together a little Instagram/Facebook filter with the flowers. After that, I used the same materials to make a SnapChat filter which could then be used on Zoom through Snap Camera. We also had zoom backgrounds made to customise our virtual background.

Context lens metaphor

A unique game

The sharings by Shiaoyin and Danny were really helpful in getting us to think about ourselves and our cultures. I liked the discussions on the 3 centers of intelligences; Head, Heart and Gut/Body. There were also some models shared from the western perspective.

Slides for Session 1: Who am I as a leader?

Slides for Session 2: Who are we? Who are we as people across cultures?

Slides for Session 3: How do we see the future post-Covid?

Slides for Session 4: Who do we want to be as people across cultures?

We also had an unconventional panel made up of crowdsourced thought leaders as speakers whom the delegation had direct contact with. The dialogue discussed trust, resistance, upskilling (SkillsFuture), self-care and more. Aaron shared about the metaphor he didn't like where the fight against COVID-19 is described as a war. This is mainly because it is unclear who wins or loses or when the war ends and this was echoed by Vicnan who said that there will not be a clear line in the sand when COVID is over. Shiaoyin, the moderator, also asked loaded questions to the panelists who then got to ask questions to the participants. That was quite a unique experience.

"Do you practice self-care amidst this crisis?" -Aaron Maniam

"How do you prepare yourself for the future? What are you upskilling in?" -Marzalenie

"Do you know who you are?" -Khairunnisa

"How might you stay present as you are looking to create a better future?" -Cheryl

"What can be taken out of your life?" -Sam

"What are some things we need to unlearn as we approach and react/respond to the world" -Vicnan

"My hope, is for this year, to be the year for the people to have woken up to remember what matters to them the most and for them to never forget it." - Shiaoyin 

Closing Ceremony

Opening Remarks by MOS Alvin Tan

The Bruneian delegation led by 

Quick takeaways on 4th IR; Inclusive, Innovative, Information, Influentials, Responsive

as shared by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan the GOH from the Brunei side (formerly from the millitary and was also an ambassador in the UK). He shared that youth today are very privileged to get easy access to information and people. I asked about how the 3Ps of Public, Private and People sector could work together better to secure a better future especially in this post-Covid era. Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan shared more about Brunei's whole-of-nation approach.

The video above is a parting gift that I helped to coordinate (with a flipping photobook effect) as we bade farewell to our Bruneian counterparts. Watch and enjoy! Sadly, this programme had to happen virtually as the bonds made may not be as strong as the times the Singaporeans and Bruneians had the chance to meet physically. However, albeit the established reciprocal green lanes between our 2 countries, it is still not safe enough to host the Bruneian delegation here. (From my knowledge, the SIYLEP is also held in this period in an online manner.) I do hope that I can continue this friendship with my newfound Bruneian friends and maybe next year I can experience an exchange where we would actually get to travel there. Face to face interactions will definitely help build stronger bonds and friendships. Nonetheless, we made the best of the situation so cheers to us all! 

Boomerang of the zoom room

Sampai berjumpa lagi!

On Radio Television Brunei (RTB) news,

"The "future of work" will always be a continuous and evolving question. Job disruption is nothing new and has been seen throughout the ages even from the 1st Industrial Revolution. However, with globalization, the rapid technological advancements seen today, and the unprecedented effects of COVID-19 pandemic, has accelerated the evolution. It has challenged everyone to adapt and adopt faster, change mindset, work outside norms and most of all, to become innovative, dynamic and resilient. Speaking yesterday afternoon at the Closing Ceremony of the 7th Brunei Darussalam - Republic of Singapore Youth Exchange Programme, Yang Berhormat, Retired Major General Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports said that country is ready. Yang Berhormat added in a future that will be defined as the "survival of the most adaptable", he is sure that the country's millennials and current generation are able to equip themselves with the right skills to ready themselves for the new reality.

Also present was His Excellency, Alvin Tan Sheng Hui, Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore. Both Ministers shared the view that the SBYLEP is an important platform for further strengthening the special relationship between Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of Singapore specially in providing opportunities for youth and young leaders to interact. Also held were sharing and dialogue sessions.   The digital programme which was organised by the National Youth Council of Singapore, aimed to enhance youth leadership development and promote cross-sectoral collaborations among the participants."

 The news in Malay on Berita Perdana 8 25/11/2020.