Mr Donald Tong, Executive Director, VTC Management,
Staff and Students of VTC and ITE
Ladies and Gentlemen
Global Minset and International Perspectives
The VTC and ITE International Student Seminar was launched in 2007 with the objective of nurturing in our students a global mindset and an understanding of international perspectives.
Consider the themes of all eight ISSs so far:
- 2007 : Global City, Inclusive Society
- 2009 : Youth, the Power of our Future
- 2011 : Green Vision, Green Action
- 2013 : Youth in Service, Inspiring Community
- 2015 : Social Innovation
- 2017 : Globalisation – Threat or Promise
- 2019 : A Smarter Generation for 2020+
- 2022 : Post Covid-19 World – Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Future
What is common across all ISSs is our belief that we want to provide our students the platform to be plugged into the globalised world, understand the inter-dependence and connectedness, appreciate the challenges and tensions, embrace alternative ideas and possibilities, able to collaborate with others to develop solutions and leverage local and international partnership to unleash new potential.
All 600 student participants this year have definitely shown all these qualities. Despite the fact that students from ITE, VTC and our friends from UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Shenzhen are not physically together, your enthusiasm, active participation, positive attitude, resilience and optimism have transcended the physical distance and space. You have been:
- thorough in your research
- creative in your presentations
- passionatelyinvolvedinunderstanding and discussing the issues
- deeply concerned for the disadvantaged and vulnerable
- curious and questioning
- eagertocontributeideasforabetterand brighter future for all
You, the student participants have generated the buzz, excitement, energy which then culminate in a wonderful and successful seminar. Kudos to all of you!
As our VTC friends are not able to be in Singapore physically, the ITE Team organising this ISS is determined that there would be activities that would still give you the experience of travelling, visiting different sights and encountering different cultures. I hope you have enjoyed the Virtual Amazing Race Challenge yesterday (visiting various cities) as well as the virtual visit to an Insect Farm two weeks ago (to learn about the Black Soldier Fly and how these insects are revolutionising sustainable agriculture).
Appreciation and Conclusion
We must express our appreciation to the staff of ITE, VTC and the other institutions for guiding and mentoring the students in their research and preparation for their project presentations. We also wish to thank the Organising Committees from ITE (led by Alvin Goh) and VTC (led by Hidi Ho) for their thoughtfulness and painstaking efforts to design, plan and execute the various activities to ensure that all student participants have an enjoyable and enriching experience of learning, challenging yourselves, sharing, befriending and bonding.
Finally, to complete the experience of our VTC friends (staff and students) in terms of savoring Singapore’s cultures, we have arranged special delivery of a special Friendship Package to Hongkong. You shall each receive two favorite Singapore food items which previous groups of VTC students enjoyed: i) sliced barbeque pork (bak kwa) and ii) salted egg butter fish skin
Thank you everyone again for a successful, though unusual ISS. We look forward to the next ISS that would be held in Hong Kong in 2024! I am sure it would be a physical face-to-face event. To our Hongkong friends, we shall meet again in 2024 in Hong Kong!
(Let me say this in Cantonese) Ngoh Dey (2024) Yi Leng Yi Say Ning, Hoeng Gong, Zhoy Geen!
Thank you.