Past Projects

Project Namaste XIV

WHEN

Apr 2022 - Jun 2022

WHERE

Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Online

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Singapore International Foundation (SIF)

Dinas Perpustakaan Dan Arsip Daerah (DPAD)

WHAT WE DID

For the 14th edition of Project Namaste, due to the Covid-19 situation around the world, we were unable to return up to the mountains of Nepal as with the past iterations of Project Namaste. Nevertheless, we partnered with SIF & DPAD to hold this project online with a whopping total of 10 schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. With the first ever online Project Namaste being held, everyone was filled with anticipation and excitement.

Before we embarked on our virtual journey, we had many sessions with SIF and DPAD to help us better understand the problems we wanted to solve alongside the students we planned to teach. Project Namaste XIV aims to tackle misinformation and fake news that have become increasingly prevalent, especially so in Indonesia. Additionally, with digitalization becoming more integrated in everyone's lives, we aim to further our students' internet literacy by providing them with the skills to adequately protect themselves from malicious threats online.

With our goal in mind, weeks went by planning and curating a curriculum that encompasses both learning activities and games to keep our students constantly thinking on their feet in a fun and interactive manner. Additionally, we thoughtfully included bits and pieces of content from both Singapore and Indonesia to allow everyone to learn more about each others' culture.

We then began our online journey, making it our mission to create a comfortable and engaging environment for our students to interact and learn from with one another. Throughout the entire program, the students were all extremely passionate about learning. They proactively shared their own experiences after some we shared some examples during the lessons. It was heartwarming to know that they enjoyed both the learning activities and the games that we planned out for them.

The entire journey was relatively seamless, with every team and department working hard as a team to ensure that the project went smoothly. We could feel the energy and enthusiasm throughout the entire program which served as great encouragement for us and we greatly appreciate every individual for taking part and making our project a successful one.

We hope that the warm feelings experienced throughout all editions of Project Namaste will be passed on to the next as we continue being the longest-running Overseas Community Service Project (OCSP) in Singapore Management University (SMU).

We would like to thank all the beneficiaries for making Project Namaste XIV possible. As we, members and leaders, end Project Namaste XIV with heavy hearts, we leave with the feeling of gratitude and achievement, with great memories from this project engraved deep into our hearts.

REFLECTIONS

Sai Shnyenn

Project Namaste XIV

Member

Samuel

Project Namaste XIV

Member

Casmond Cheng

Project Namaste XIV

Leader

Damien Chua

Project Namaste XIV

Leader

I recently had the opportunity to work inside Project Namaste on a community service project where I was tasked with planning an English education program for Indonesian students. This was a rewarding experience because it allowed me to use my skills and knowledge to impact others positively.

One of our biggest challenges was figuring out how to teach English to students at different proficiency levels effectively. In the end, after a long discussion and brainstorming process, we decided to give a segmented approach to the different groups of students. We utilized more Indonesian words inside our break-out conversations for groups that were not proficient in English. This allowed us to focus on the specific needs of each group and ensure that everyone was receiving the support they needed. We also worked closely with the local school community to identify any resources or materials that we could use to help us create a successful program.

As we moved forward with the planning process, we encountered many more challenges and obstacles, but we overcame them thanks to our team's dedication and hard work. We created a comprehensive English education program that included various activities and resources, such as language games, reading materials, and interactive lessons. In the end, our efforts paid off, and we successfully taught English to different groups of Indonesian students.

Overall, it was a truly fulfilling experience to see the progress and improvement of the students as they learned and grew. Not only that, I was fortunate to be grouped with this bunch of like-minded people who also strive to impact our surrounding communities. Even after project namaste ends, the bond created will stay with us eternally as we remain connected.

Indonesia has always been one of the developing countries which I've wanted to extend my help to which was why I decided to join Project Namaste XIV.

Due to the pandemic, this year Project Namaste XIV has been held online. It was rather challenging for us due to the language barrier. This meant that the slides and resources that we prepared had to go through many rounds of analysis to ensure that the students can comprehend what we are teaching them.

Uncertain and afraid. Will the students understand what I am saying? Will the students feel engaged enough? Putting aside those worries at the back of my head, during our very first lesson online, I stepped forward to have some simple interactions with the students which helped in easing the initial tension and allowed the students to feel comfortable in answering and sharing any of their concerns with regards to what we were teaching.

My biggest takeaway was actually the people I've met through Project Namaste XIV. Both my Singaporean and Indonesian friends. My Singaporean friends were really supportive of one another and they would even help me get back to the rigour when I fell sick during the preparation period. On the other hand, my Indonesian friends showed me how simplicity could equate to happiness. They even shared with us their culture, basic Bahasa Melayu and extended their invite for us to come over Indonesia when they Covid-19 restrictions are less stringent. These really gave me an unexplainable feeling of warmth and inclusivity!

“Giving does not only precede receiving; it is the reason for it. It is in giving that we receive." -Israelmore Ayivor. It is indeed always a blessing to be able to give.

Project Namaste has been an impactful journey filled with fun memories and meaningful outcomes.

Although Project Namaste XIV was different at its core from the prior projects completed, it was by no means inferior as the team sought to overcome the physical gap brought about by the pandemic.

This iteration of Project Namaste was really interesting and insightful as the team came together to create fun and engaging content, focused on improving the internet literacy of youths in Yogyakarta.

As the saying goes, "you learn as you teach". The Indonesian youths were all very bright and welcoming; burning with enthusiasm to learn something new. This was something that our team felt that we could learn from.

I am grateful for this opportunity to have contributed to something positive and purposeful.

A simple decision has lead to great memories and amazing new friends.

Throughout the project, though filled with its own challenges and seemingly unsurmountable walls were all overcame with a committed team. The weeks and months spent together curating the curriculum really fostered a strong sense of camaraderie and solidarity between all of us. We all became closer to one another, through team bonding, sharing our own stories, and working together. With the same goal in mind, everyone went the extra mile to cement the success of this project while crafting memorable experiences with one another.

Overall, this has been an incredible experience and no words could describe how grateful I am to be a part of such a meaningful project and to have learned and grown alongside such talented and dedicated individuals.

The memories we have made during this project will stay with me for a long time to come. As we leave this iteration, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart to every individual that I have interacted with and memories from this project will forever be etched unto my heart.