StarringSMU'12: 309 SMU students and 200 children dance together in a Flashmob
(Singapore, 26 July 2012) Singapore Management University's (SMU) largest and longest running student community service project, starringSMU, will raise awareness for the less fortunate amongst Singaporeans though a flashmob in the heart of the Singapore's Central Business District (CBD) involving over 300 SMU students, as well as 200 young children from the Salvation Army and Kits4Kids, a special needs school.
The flashmob will take place at Raffles Place Park on Friday, 27 July 2012, at 1.45pm.
The students, who are part of starringSMU'12, will dance to a medley of National Day songs together with 200 children, aged 5 to 6 years old, and thereafter distribute to the public handmade awareness cards carrying original drawings by the children themselves, as well as by the elderly from the Surya Home for the Elderly.
This Friday's flashmob is part of the starringGIVESBACK movement under starringSMU'12. Several days ago, the students had ventured out of their comfort zones and dedicated their time to the elderly and children at above-mentioned beneficiaries. Some cleaned and painted 110 homes around the island; some brought joy and laughter to the elderly through games and interactive exercises; while others lit up a smile on the children's face through handicrafts and games. The students also clinched sponsorship from a local restaurant , which sponsored a good meal for all the elderly at the Surya Home for the Elderly.
“For the 325 freshmen who are participating in starringSMU, the last three days of serving the local community would have been an introduction to the community service ethos that is part and parcel of the SMU education, and innate in every SMU student's DNA. Every student in SMU is required to complete at least 80 hours of community service before they graduate. For these freshmen who will start school next month, this is just a start; they will go on to be involved in many more of their own causes which they are passionate about, and they will serve locally or overseas. This is part of what we do to prepare our students to be responsible citizens demonstrating leadership and integrity,” said Emily Hogan, Assistant Director of the Centre for Social Responsibility at SMU.
On why a flashmob , Lee Jin, second year SMU student and President of StarringSMU'12, commented, “We wanted to give these children a chance to be a part of a huge movement as they are often confined to their centres and rarely have opportunities to come out, let alone visit the business district. It has also been a truly humbling experience interacting with the elderly and less privileged children over the last few days. By the end of tomorrow, we hope that many more Singaporeans will get to know more about our beneficiaries, as well as the less fortunate in our society. I believe we would have made a difference through our efforts.”
starringSMU'12 aims to raise awareness for the less fortunate in our society today. By nurturing the spirit of volunteerism in our participants and hopefully through their daily interactions, they will impact others as well as give back to society. starringSMU, which is in its sixth year running, seeks to be a sustainable project that will continue to impact the lives of the less fortunate in society, in line with their vision “Going the distance, making a difference”.
Photo opportunity on 27 July 2012 :
Date: 27 July 2012, Friday
Venue: Raffles Place Park (The park is bounded by Battery Road and Collyer Quay. It can also be accessed from D'Almeida Street.)
Time: starts at 1.45pm
Programme:
• 1.45pm - Flashmob (4 minutes) at Raffles Place Park
• 2pm - Distribution of awareness cards (handmade by elderly from the Surya Home for the Elderly and children from Salvation Army and Kits4Kids) by 250 SMU students and 200 children
• 2.15pm - Heritage tour for the children to places of interest, including the Merlion Park
• 3pm - End of heritage tour
We invite the media to cover this flashmob .
About Community Service at SMU
In grooming visionary entrepreneurs and global business leaders of tomorrow, SMU prepares our students to be responsible citizens demonstrating leadership and integrity. Community Service is thus an integral component of SMU students' education. All SMU students are required to complete a minimum of 80 hours in community service as part of their degree requirement.
SMU's Centre for Social Responsibility oversees several key local projects, including starringSMU, in which students can participate. Beyond these, many students take on community service projects out of their own initiatives. They initiate projects for a particular cause or support NGOs or campaigns close to their hearts. Many also go beyond the 80 hours in giving back to the community.
About starringSMU'12
starringSMU'12 is a youth-initiated Community Service Project organised by a team of students from SMU. Since its inception in 2007, starringSMU has been the largest and longest running Community Service Project in SMU, and has impacted over 5,000 people in the community over the past five years.
This year, we aim to make a difference through the execution of our four main events; (i) starringCAMP (14-15 July 2012), (ii) starringCARWASH (21-22 July 2012), (iii) starringGIVESBACK* (17, 23, 27 July 2012), and starringNIGHT (4 August 2012). For 2012, starringGIVESBACK involves over 350 SMU students, and we are working with three beneficiaries – Kits4Kids, The Salvation Army, and Surya Home for the Elderly – to provide companionship and impart lifeskills to our beneficiaries.
*starringCAMP, starringGIVESBACK and starringCARWASH are presented by SHINE Youth Festival.