Blog

Blog

31 March 2016

Showcasing the Heart of Urban Singapore

SIF hosted five Indian journalists on a visit to discover the heart and soul of our city-state.

Showcasing the Heart of Urban Singapore

 

…Singapore is a forward-thinking and inclusive country…”Ms Yellampalli Sathyanaran A Ashwini, Deccan Herald, Principal Correspondent

Liveable, dynamic, clean and green city where people care for each otherMs Biswas Sushmita, The Telegraph, Special Correspondent

Awesome place! …very growth-oriented with sustained development at the core of their policies.Ms Srilal Seethalakshmi, The Times of India, Chief of Bureau

These were some of the takeaways from our Indian media friends hosted on our Journalist Visit Programme from 15-19 March 2016. Themed “At the Heart of Urban Singapore”, the five-day visit programme aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of Singapore as well as to provide insights into the little known aspects of life here.

Highlights of their visit included:

Pillars of Innovation and Sustainability in Healthcare, Urban Planning and Housing, Water:

A visit to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to learn of Singapore’s healthcare facilities and dialogue with our healthcare citizen ambassadors who shared about their volunteering experiences in India.
A visit to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to learn of Singapore’s healthcare facilities and dialogue with our healthcare citizen ambassadors who shared about their volunteering experiences in India.
Visit to the Marina Barrage to learn about Singapore’s Water Story.
Visit to the Marina Barrage to learn about Singapore’s Water Story.
Discovering Singapore’s first eco-precinct Treelodge@Punggol, where greening and eco-friendliness are integrated into public housing.
Discovering Singapore’s first eco-precinct Treelodge@Punggol, where greening and eco-friendliness are integrated into public housing.
Roundtable discussions and a tour of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Singapore City Gallery for insights to Singapore’s urban liveability planning and solutions.
Roundtable discussions and a tour of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Singapore City Gallery for insights to Singapore’s urban liveability planning and solutions.
A Smart Nations’ tour of iExperience hosted by Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore to understand how Singapore enhances the lives of its people through technology – one example of which was an introduction into a futuristic simulation of driverless cars.
A Smart Nations’ tour of iExperience hosted by Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore to understand how Singapore enhances the lives of its people through technology – one example of which was an introduction into a futuristic simulation of driverless cars.

 

Heart and Soul of Singapore:

Exploring Open Farm Community with Bjorn Low, founder of this social enterprise set up to spearhead urban farming in Singapore. Bjorn shared passionately about his "Grow Your Own Food" movement in land-scarce and import-dependent Singapore.
Exploring Open Farm Community with Bjorn Low, founder of this social enterprise set up to spearhead urban farming in Singapore. Bjorn shared passionately about his "Grow Your Own Food" movement in land-scarce and import-dependent Singapore.
Dialogue with social entrepreneurs at the Hub Singapore, an incubator space for start-ups and ventures to learn how businesses can be harnessed for good.
Dialogue with social entrepreneurs at the Hub Singapore, an incubator space for start-ups and ventures to learn how businesses can be harnessed for good.
Joining members of the public in trying their hands on one of the beautifully decorated pianos of “Play Me, I’m Yours”, one of SIF’s Arts for Good activities, co-organized with local arts group, The Playtent.
Joining members of the public in trying their hands on one of the beautifully decorated pianos of “Play Me, I’m Yours”, one of SIF’s Arts for Good activities, co-organized with local arts group, The Playtent.
Participation in yet another of SIF’s Arts for Good activities, Unseen: Shift Lab, where they were caught up in an engaging discussion with Alecia Neo, founder of Unseen Limited.
Participation in yet another of SIF’s Arts for Good activities, Unseen: Shift Lab, where they were caught up in an engaging discussion with Alecia Neo, founder of Unseen Limited.
Lunch dialogue with SINDA on the self-help group’s efforts to uplift the Indian community in Singapore.
Lunch dialogue with SINDA on the self-help group’s efforts to uplift the Indian community in Singapore.
Appreciating the history of the Indian and South Asian community in the Southeast Asian region at a guided tour of the Indian Heritage Centre (left) and enjoying homemade chendol in a home visit hosted by a Peranakan family at Sengkang, to experience Singapore’s ethnic and cultural diversity (right).
Appreciating the history of the Indian and South Asian community in the Southeast Asian region at a guided tour of the Indian Heritage Centre (left) and enjoying homemade chendol in a home visit hosted by a Peranakan family at Sengkang, to experience Singapore’s ethnic and cultural diversity (right).

The final highlight of the visit was SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) 2016 workshop held at the Raffles City Convention Centre, where the journalists got to meet inspiring young change makers.

Said Mr Sunil Damania, Business India, Executive Editor, “What was impressive about the event was that these start-ups involved young enthusiasts with social causes at their heart. They are mostly in their teens, but have set high social targets to change society.[…] It is a welcome change to see the young generation getting busy finding solutions to the world’s problems…”

Participating in SIF’s YSE 2016 workshop during the ideas crowdsourcing brainstorming session and interviewing the shortlisted Indian teams.
Participating in SIF’s YSE 2016 workshop during the ideas crowdsourcing brainstorming session and interviewing the shortlisted Indian teams.

Concluded Ms Biswas Sushmita, The Telegraph, Special Correspondent, of the visit programme, “Singapore is a multi-racial inclusive society reaching out to the world with their urban developments and social measures…”

We appreciate the kind comments from our friends from India and hope that they have gained a deeper understanding of our country and people.

Here are some of the articles from Business India, Deccan Herald and Business Standard.
 

Showcasing the Heart of Urban Singapore

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