International Friendship Day Commemoration

Our college’s commemoration of International Friendship Day (IFD) 2023 aimed at allowing students to understand the geo-political realities facing Singapore, and how Singapore should approach its international relations with other countries.

Both J1 and J2 IFD lessons kickstarted with a Kahoot! quiz to engage students whilst raising their awareness of past instances of Singapore’s international and regional involvements. Students were given time to engage in a Think-Pair-Share activity and discuss the question: “What are the current geopolitical realities facing us?” Students developed a greater understanding of the recent significant shifts in the geo-political landscape and the increasing volatility of the world, in the light of worsening US-China tensions with the spy balloon saga, and the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia that has deepened global polarisation..

From the J1 and J2 IFD lessons, students recognised the importance of Singapore standing firm in upholding international laws and agreements and ensuring that we stay relevant while maintaining good relationships with other countries. Furthermore, students also appreciated the crucial need for Singapore to chart our own course based on upholding consistent principles with our long-term national interests in mind, building up a strong defence, and the fact that all of us have a crucial role to play in maintaining domestic unity and cohesion..

The lesson ended off with a video, in which Singapore's Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam discussed the bilateral relations and tensions between the US and China, and the implications for the global community, as well as a quote by MM Lee Kuan Yew, “Friendship, in international relations, is not a function of goodwill or personal affection. We must make ourselves relevant so that other countries have an interest in our continued survival and prosperity as a sovereign and independent nation.” - Mr Lee Kuan Yew, S. Rajaratnam Lecture 2009.

Our commemoration culminated in the post-lesson IFD Challenge, consisting of creative student-run IFD booths conceptualised by members of the Community Engagement Council (CEC) and International Current Affairs Society (ICAS). The booths aimed to showcase the principles of Singapore’s foreign policy in an interesting game-play format, ranging from the live telecast of the ‘Hanabi’ card game to playing our traditional game 5 Stones, with the ultimate objective of helping Singapore make the correct foreign policy decisions in the face of a fictional diplomatic crisis. The highlight of this IFD Challenge was the live Quizizz competition where students demonstrated their knowledge of Singapore’s commendable diplomatic achievements despite our status as a young nation.

Students’ discussion and presentation of how Singapore should approach our relations with other countries during the IFD lesson.

Students actively participating in the IFD Challenge booth activities.

Students actively participating in the IFD Challenge booth activities.

Students actively participating in the IFD Challenge booth activities.

Student emcees from CEC and ICAS hosting the live IFD Quizizz competition.