A Camp for Amazing Race(r)s

Call it an Amazing Race with a difference: making their way through the narrow lanes of Little India and Jalan Besar, student racers made pitstops to toss roti prata, kick a round of chapteh and practise how to tie a sari. They also got to taste an array of Indian sweets, visit temples to learn the names of different Hindu and Buddhist deities, and try their hand at the art of henna.

For some 40 upper primary students from Telok Kurau Primary School, this road adventure was the highlight of Team Unite, a two-day camp organised by a group of Sec 4 students to showcase Singapore’s amazing races and the importance of ethnic harmony.

But don’t students already get enough of that in National Education classes?

One of the Team Unite organisers, Tan Wei Ting from NUS High School, has a ready reply to this. “Despite Singapore’s claim to be a harmonious multiracial society, we realised that prejudice is not uncommon, especially amongst youths who tend to be more immature and insensitive. Thus, our project aimed to raise the students’ awareness of different cultures as well as provide them with the opportunity to work closely with people from all walks of life.”

Team Unite was one of the eight project teams in this year’s Leadership Development Programme, in which aspiring student leaders plan and carry out creative community service projects. To make the Team Unite experience more upfront and personal, the team decided to hold an interactive camp rather than coop up the primary school children indoors.

Raffles Institution student Nicholas Nathan explains, “We felt that a good way to allow the participants to immerse themselves in the culture would be using an ‘Amazing Race’ that would provide a hands-on experience. We also held workshops where we taught simple paper weaving, and exhibited Malay food and culture.” In addition, Team Unite demonstrated traditional games like sepak takraw and chapteh to the kids.

Warming up to things

Planning a camp was one thing. Getting dozens of easily distracted pupils excited about each day’s line-up was another. “Our initial impression was that it would not be easy to get the kids to participate actively,” recounts Nicholas. “They were very quiet at the beginning of the camp, but the icebreakers helped them gel well and it got their spirits up.”

It was an exercise in teambuilding for the student leaders as the camp got underway. “We faced difficult moments,” acknowledges Nicholas. “For example, there were misunderstandings between the kids and sometimes a lack of enthusiasm.”

Talking things out and chipping in to cheer up the pupils, the team managed to keep the campers’ morale high. “With the patience and encouragement of our dedicated student leaders, the kids were finally won over,” says Wei Ting. Nicholas points out that some even exchanged phone numbers and emails with the student leaders and kept in touch with them after the camp.

More than meets the eye

The team’s sheer energy and drive impressed Yvonne Liew, a Singapore Management University undergraduate who advised them. “Their working style thoroughly amazed me,” she recalls. “I was initially sceptical that the team could pull it off because of their age, the time limitation, their busy schedules and the scale of the project. Later I realised that I had greatly underestimated them.”

For example, Yvonne did not think the students would be able to find a shop that would allow the kids make roti prata. “I told them that the chances were almost zero. Thankfully, they didn’t heed my advice!” Team Unite managed to rope in the Ananda Bhavan and Komala Villas restaurants, who generously hosted the students on their premises where they could try making roti prata and sample Indian sweets. As Yvonne sums it up, “The activity was the highlight of the camp.”

At the end of the camp, the children organised a skit to show how simple it can be to maintain racial harmony. “Two groups of children are eating and they fight over the different foods,” Nicholas describes. “But in the end they resolve their misunderstandings by apologising to each other and giving a quick statement on the unique qualities of each race’s tradition and culture.”

Reflecting on the entire experience, Nicholas feels that the games and the Amazing Race allowed the children to have fun and bond with students of other races. “The camp helped them realise that racial harmony was basically showing care and concern for everyone and that it wasn’t all about singing songs of other languages and eating traditional foods. We hope that prejudices were broken and that the kids are able to mingle with those of different races without feeling uncomfortable.”