The SIF held its first physical Connects! event in Jakarta on 3 November 2022, since the start of the pandemic. Hosted by the SIF’s Chairman, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, the event commemorated 30 years of collaborations between the Singapore and Indonesia through SIF projects. More than 200 members of the diplomatic community, Friends of Singapore (FOS), and Singaporeans based in Jakarta attended the event to celebrate the warm friendships and ties between the two countries.
Highlights of the event included a heart-warming performance by the students and teachers from Yayasan Pembinaan Anak Cacat (YPAC) (Foundation for the Development of Children with Special Needs), a long-time partner of the SIF, and a sharing session on how youths in ASEAN can work together to address challenges in the region by participants from the fourth cohort of the ASEAN Youth Fellowship (AYF) programme (*). Guests also learnt about the SIF’s work in Indonesia at the exhibition area hosted by staff and programme alumni.
The strong turnout at Connects! Jakarta reflects the strength of ties between the Singaporean and Indonesian communities, and the power of such networks in connecting people and enabling collaborations to enrich lives and effect positive change.
(*) the AYF is an initiative co-organised by the SIF and National Youth Council (NYC) Singapore.
On 17 October 2020, over 125 guests gathered at the SIF eConnects! Indonesia 2020—the first virtual edition of SIF Connects!. Held in partnership with the Indonesia Bright Foundation (IBF), this reunion event marked 28 years of friendship between the SIF and the Indonesian community. The event was also graced by Mr Anil Kumar Nayar, Singapore Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and Mr Suryopratomo, Indonesian Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore.
The highlight of event was a panel discussion between Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, SIF Chairman and former Secretary-General of ASEAN, and Mr Ridwan Kamil, Governor of West Java and SIF-ASEAN Fellow. Themed “The Digital Transformation of People-To-People Connectivity”, the dialogue explored the role of technology as an enabler and catalyst for people-to-people collaboration, particularly in the era of COVID-19.
This year's virtual platform offered various engagement opportunities for guests to connect and explore collaborations, from the dialogue in the Auditorium to video-enabled rooms in the Networking Lounge. Guests also learnt about the SIF’s work in Indonesia at the virtual Exhibition Hall enabled by a chat function.
The event re-affirmed the strong people-to-people ties between Singapore and Indonesia, and underscored the importance of communities in the region to remain united to address global challenges.
The SIF celebrated the power of friendships by re-engaging with our Indonesian Friends of Singapore at SIF Connects! Jakarta on 22 September 2018. Focusing on Singapore-Indonesia collaborations in education, the highlight of the event was a sharing session themed Education for a Better World. The panel comprised the SIF’s volunteers and partners who have championed for positive impact in this field. The event was graced by Ambassador Anil Kumar Nayar, Singapore Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and Bapak Adi Nuryanto, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia’s Ministry of Education and Culture.
More than 100 SIF alumni, partners and new Friends of Singapore (FOS) gathered in Indonesia for SIF Connects! Jakarta on 28 May 2016. The event brought together Singaporean and Indonesian communities to celebrate the transgenerational good that could be achieved through cross-cultural collaborations in education.
Sharing their insights from the inaugural SIF-Indonesia Bright Foundation (IBF)-Indonesian Professionals’ Association (IPA) study visit to Singapore in December 2015, four IBF scholars highlighted the success of the first SIF-IBF-IPA collaboration in education.
The event also celebrated the growth of partnerships and friendships between Singaporean and Indonesian communities that led to the SIF-IBF-IPA collaboration in education being enhanced and renewed for another two years. Further underscoring the enduring relationships between the two communities, Mochammad Nunung Kurniawan (Iwan) was re-appointed as the SIF Representative in Jakarta for a third term at the event. The strong turnout of FOS, the renewals of the second SIF-IBF-IPA collaboration in education and Iwan’s tenure as the SIF Representative in Jakarta collectively reflect the strength of ties between Singaporeans and Indonesians, and the power of such networks in enabling collaborations to enrich lives and effect positive change.
150 Friends of Singapore gathered in Pendopo Walikota Bandung, the official residence of the Mayor of Bandung on 13 June 2015, to discuss “What’s next, Singapore?”. The event was hosted by SIF-ASEAN Fellowship alumnus and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil.
Attendees included those who had visited, worked and lived in Singapore, as well as Indonesians keen to learn more about the SIF’s initiatives around the region. The dialogue touched on the involvement of the international community in Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebrations (also known as SG50), and the work of the Indonesia Bright Foundation, an education initiative to give back to society spearheaded by the Indonesian chapter of the SIF-ASEAN Student Fellowship alumni network.