An annual initiative by GiveBack@CresPion, Inspiring Singapore’s Future aims to encourage children to study harder and aspire towards entering a University in the future, residents of NTU Crescent and Pioneer Halls (CresPion) acted as big brothers and sisters for a day and spent time with students from Whispering Hearts Student Care Centre, a service of Viriya Community Services.
The students and residents got to know each other better through fun ice-breaking games, played at the start of the day, followed by an exclusive tour around the hostels’ premises to look at its facilities. The tour of the hostels concluded with an introduction to the three other learning spaces in CresPion which are managed by graduate student residents – the Garage, Kitchen and Studio.
After the hostel tour, the students took a short walk to The Wave, the newest sports hall in NTU, where they played several team bonding games. Lunch was also served at CresPion’s canteen. The students then spent the rest of the afternoon fixing jigsaw puzzles of pictures taken within the premises of CresPion, played board games and learnt how to use wires to make artpieces.
“It was a gratifying experience as I saw the smiles on the children’s faces. I felt that the session was successful, as the children really enjoyed themselves when we engaged them in interesting age appropriate activities. Through the event, I hope that we have inspired them slightly more to chase their dreams ” Janice, RE director of CresPion
“I really enjoyed myself today with the kids from Whispering Hearts. It really brought back memories of my childhood and reminded me of the simplicity and happiness in life. I think these children all need a hand to hold, and someone to guide them when they feel lost – and i am glad that i can be a part of the team to help do that. I hope that we shaped these kids’ lives in little positive ways today!” Kai Ning, Resident of CresPion
“It was a great experience to be able to interact with these children, and witness their innocence and joy that we once had. These are definitely things that we can learn from them as well, like their quick recovery from setbacks and the optimism that they hold.” Teng Jie, Resident of CresPion
About Crescent Hall and Pioneer Hall
Crescent Hall and Pioneer Hall were established in 2014 and they are 17th and 18th Hall of Residence in NTU respectively, with eight blocks catering to a total of more than 1200 students. Besides being constructed with green technologies and eco-friendly design features, the two halls allow the University to pilot new pedagogical models which will integrate learning both within and outside the formal curriculum for its residents. Four learning spaces (Garage, Studio, Kitchen, and Giveback) have been developed to facilitate students’ holistic development by offering opportunities for an integration of hands-on concrete experiences and conceptual reflective thinking.
About GiveBack@CresPion
GiveBack@CresPion is one of the four learning spaces in NTU’s CresPion Halls, and was set up by the Faculty-In-Residence and Residential Mentors with the aim of organising and hosting community involvement initiatives so as to engage the residents in community service.
