[Singapore, 31 January 2013 (Thursday)] – Singapore Management University’s (SMU) Centre for Social Responsibility and Positive Intentions, a social enterprise that specialises in people development, will jointly organise the Service Learning Symposium 2013 on Saturday, 2 February 2013 to provide local youths with a platform to enhance their Service Learning skills, so that they can have a richer community service experience and make a greater positive impact in society.

Driven and organised by a team of youths from SMU and Positive Intentions, the inaugural Symposium is the largest of its kind and will see about 300 youth participants and student leaders from more than 30 secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and universities in Singapore, who are actively involved in community service work.  They will participate in thought generation activities, exchange valuable community service experiences with one another, and will also be engaged in discussions on how some of the current social issues in Singapore can be tackled or resolved.

Acting Minister for Social and Family Development and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing is the Guest-of-Honour of the Symposium.  He will be present to interact and engage with the youths, as well as deliver a speech.

Professor Ong Siow Heng, SMU’s Dean of Students, said, “Service learning is a vital aspect which we want to nurture in our youth because it is important that we learn to reflect on our past community service work and learn from those experiences.  We will then be able to make a more meaningful impact on the lives of the people and communities which we serve.”

“At SMU, the spirit of volunteerism and social responsibility features very prominently in our curriculum and programmes.  I am delighted that we are organising this inaugural Service Learning Symposium.  That we are able to garner such a good turnout among the local schools and institutions is a sign that our youth have the empathy and enthusiasm to serve.  Through this platform, we want to make their good efforts even better,” he added.

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 graduation requirement.

SMU’s Centre for Social Responsibility supports the development of social responsibility as a prized attribute for SMU students.  The Centre oversees the community service initiatives of SMU students and guides and mentors them to undertake local or overseas service projects that are meaningful, sustainable and have a long-term impact.  Students 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 Service Learning

Service learning is an approach in which students or participants learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organised community service projects that are conducted methodically to meet the needs of a community.

To date, there is no one agreed definition for Service Learning and the standard of Service Learning varies from institution to institution.  With ever shifting social issues concerning Youths, Elderly and People with Disabilities, it is imperative and essential for youths to understand the essence of Serving and Learning.

About Positive Intentions

Founded in 2010, Positive Intentions (PI) is a Social Enterprise that specialises in life-coaching, personal development, corporate and community training and consultancy services. As agents of positive change, our primary purpose is to help people realise their fullest potential, by helping people take massive, positive action and live powerful lives through our signature PowerUp™ programmes.

PI’s chief mission is to help people live positive and live strong, as we believe in the power of the human spirit that everyone has the potential to achieve anything they set their hearts and minds on; it all begins by having a positive mindset and firm personal conviction; and is guided by innate core values, self-belief and being true to one’s own purpose in life.

PI’s philosophy – We believe in the power of human nurturing through our various development programmes which are firmly rooted in our core values.  We believe in "customer-centricity" and through our special brand of PowerUp^TM programmes, we are driven to help our clients build or rebuild the essential foundations of their lives.  We believe in empowering every participant to begin living impactful and enriching lives and achieve personal success.  For more information on PI, please visit http://www.pipl.com.sg