From camping to mentorship, Singapore scouts marks 115th anniversary of the youth movement
(From left) Ministry of Education Senior Education Officer Songguang Han and doctor Sunil Ravinder Gill at The Singapore Scout Association Headquarters on July 2.
SINGAPORE – Thirteen years on, Dr Sunil Ravinder Gill still regards a camping trip gone wrong as one of the key highlights of his scouting experience.
During a three day two night stay at Pulau Ubin, Dr Ravinder Gill's scouts unit found themselves caught in a thunderstorm that raged on for a day and night.
'Some of the emptier tents went flying and we had to chase it down…Mud was flowing into tents and bags were being soaked,' the 30-year-old medical doctor said.
As the senior scout in charge of the outing, Dr Ravinder Gill , then a student from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), witnessed his fellow scouts' efforts in lugging all their camping equipment from mainland Singapore. He made the tough call to cancel the camp early for the safety of his fellow scouts.
Still, experiences like these spurred Dr Ravinder Gill to continue scouting even after he left formal schooling. He now serves as the scout's national commissioner and assistant international commissioner, focusing on enhancing the scouting experience.
Another scout, Mr Songguang Han said he was influenced by his family members and joined the youth movement in primary school. He has not looked back since.
For being late on one occasion, he remembers being asked to run and touch a tree at the end of his school field repeatedly, as a punishment doled out by his seniors to instil the value of being punctual in the young scouts.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Singapore and Cambodia to expand collaboration in renewable energy, carbon markets and agri-trade
Singapore Ong Beng Seng's court hearing rescheduled one day before he was expected to plead guilty
Singapore ByteDance food poisoning: Catering firm convicted after cockroach infestation found on premises
Singapore Three hair salons raided in clampdown on touting, vice, drugs in Geylang and Joo Chiat
Singapore The romance continues: Former 'Singapore girl', 77, returns to Osaka Expo after 55 years
Singapore Jail for ex-DSTA employee who shared confidential information with electrical firm manager
Singapore Granddaughter of Hin Leong founder O.K. Lim fails to keep 3 insurance policies from creditors' reach
Singapore Man on trial for raping drunken woman after offering to drive her and her friend home
While Mr Han , now 44, says this kind of punishment no longer happens, he said the values of teamwork and community spirit remain part of the scouting experience.
Dr Ravinder Gill and Mr Han are among 115 recipients of a commemorative medallion in appreciation of their contributions to scouting, given in conjunction with the Singapore Scout Association's (SSA's) 115th anniversary and Singapore's 60th birthday.
The awardees are role models within the scouting community with more than 15 years of service in areas such as governance, community outreach, training or administrative leadership.
The medallions were presented by former president Halimah Yacob during an award ceremony on July 2 at the association's headquarters in Bishan.
Former president Madam Halimah Yacob unveiling a specially created SG60/SSA115 membership ring badge at The Singapore Scout Association Headquarters on July 2.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
During the ceremony, Madam Halimah also unveiled a new badge specially designed to mark SG60 and SSA's 115th anniversary. All scouts will wear this on their uniform from July 2025 to December 2026.
She said that scouting has played a pivotal role in shaping future leaders, through its training and mentorship of young people.
Many of its alumni, including all four of Singapore's prime ministers, have gone on to contribute significantly to society, she added.
Mr Desmond Chong, chief commissioner of SSA, said other notable alumni include several cabinet ministers such as the Minister for Law, Edwin Tong, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, as well as Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing.
'Scouting in Singapore has always been at the forefront of promoting inclusivity and gender equality - we are the first and only uniformed youth group in Singapore to have a special needs programme and we have close to 2,000 girls in scouting despite starting off as the Boy Scouts Association,' said Madam Halimah, who is chancellor of Singapore University of Social Sciences.
She was referring to the Special Needs programme, set up in the 1980s by the SSA to provide a modified scouting experience for youth with special needs. It has allowed more than 11 units from different special education schools to have the same experience regular scouts do.
Former president Madam Halimah Yacob touring the gallery at The Singapore Scout Association Headquarters on July 2.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
For example, one of the scout campsites have specially designed rock climbing walls for those who use wheelchairs.
SSA dates back to 1910 and is one of the earliest Scouting movements in Asia.
Looking ahead, Mr Chong said that the association wants to expand its reach and impact by engaging more young people from diverse backgrounds.
'In recent years, we have seen the incorporation of digital and STEM-based activities into our programmes, reflecting the growing importance of these fields in our world today. Our Scouts are now not only adept at traditional scouting skills but also proficient in digital literacy, robotics, and environmental stewardship,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
From Karachi to Gaza: Pakistani start-up ships prosthetics to child war survivors
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A technician uses a mobile phone for 3D scan of a patient before developing a prosthetic limb at Bioniks. KARACHI - As soon as eight-year-old Sidra Al Bordeeni returned from the clinic with her prosthetic arm, she jumped on a bicycle in the Jordanian refugee camp where she lives, riding for the first time since a missile strike in Gaza took her arm a year ago. Sidra was injured while sheltering at Nuseirat School, one of several Gaza schools converted into makeshift refuges from Israeli strikes. Her mother, Ms Sabreen Al Bordeeni, said Gaza's collapsed health services and the family's inability to leave at the time made it impossible to save her hand. 'She's out playing, and all her friends and siblings are fascinated by her arm,' Al Bordeeni said on the phone, repeatedly thanking God for this day. 'I can't express how grateful I am to see my daughter happy.' The arm was built over 4,000km away in Karachi by Bioniks, a Pakistani company that uses a smartphone app to take pictures from different angles and create a 3D model for custom prosthetics. Chief executive Anas Niaz said the social enterprise startup had fit more than 1,000 custom-designed arms inside Pakistan since 2021 - funded through a mix of patient payments, corporate sponsorship, and donations - but this was its first time providing prosthetics to those impacted in conflict. Sidra and three-year-old Habebat Allah, who lost both her arms and a leg in Gaza, went through days of remote consultations and virtual fittings. Then Niaz flew from Karachi to Amman to meet the girls and make his company's first overseas delivery. Sidra's device was funded by Mafaz Clinic in Amman, while donations from Pakistanis paid for Habebat's. Mafaz chief executive Entesar Asaker said the clinic partnered with Bioniks for its low costs, remote solutions and ability to troubleshoot virtually. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements by April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Life Rock band My Chemical Romance to perform in Singapore in April 2026 Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 Singapore More students in Singapore juggle studying and working to support their families Mr Niaz said each prosthetic arm costs about US$2,500 (S$3,190), significantly less than the US$10,000 to US$20,000 for alternatives made in the United States. While Bioniks' arms are less sophisticated than US versions, they provide a high level of functionality for children and their remote process makes them more accessible than options from other countries such as Turkey and South Korea. 'We plan on providing limbs for people in other conflict zones too, like Ukraine, and become a global company,' Mr Niaz said. Globally, most advanced prosthetics are designed for adults and rarely reach children in war zones, who need lighter limbs and replacements every 12–18 months as they grow. Mr Niaz said they were exploring funding options for Sidra and Habebat's future replacements, adding the cost wouldn't be too high. 'Only a few components would need to be changed,' he said, 'the rest can be reused to help another child.' Bioniks occasionally incorporates popular fictional characters into its children's prosthetics such as Marvel's Iron Man or Disney's Elsa, a feature Mr Niaz said helps with emotional acceptance and daily use. Anas Niaz, mechatronic engineer and chief executive of Bioniks, said the company plans to provide prosthetic limbs for people in other conflict zones. PHOTO: REUTERS 'Finally hug my father' Gaza now has around 4,500 new amputees, on top of 2,000 existing cases from before the war, many of them children, making it one of the highest child-amputation crises per capita in recent history, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in March. An April study by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics found at least 7,000 children have been injured since Israel's war in Gaza began in October 2023. Local health authorities say more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, nearly one-third of them children. The World Health Organisation has said Gaza's health system is 'on its knees' with Israel's border closures drying up critical supplies, meaning the wounded cannot access specialised care, especially amid waves of wounded patients. 'Where it's nearly impossible for healthcare professionals and patients to meet, remote treatment bridges a critical gap, making assessments, fittings, and follow-up possible without travel or specialised centres,' said Asadullah Khan, Clinic Manager at ProActive Prosthetic in Leeds, UK, which provides artificial limbs and support for trauma patients. Bioniks hopes to pioneer such solutions on a large scale but funding remains a roadblock and the company is still trying to form viable partnerships. Sidra is still adjusting to her new hand, on which she now wears a small bracelet. For much of the past year, when she wanted to make a heart, a simple gesture using both hands, she would ask someone else to complete it. This time, she formed the shape herself, snapped a photo, and sent it to her father, who is still trapped in Gaza. 'What I'm looking forward to most is using both my arms to finally hug my father when I see him,' she said. REUTERS
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Smart sensors used in study to detect cognitive decline in seniors who live alone
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Ms Julie Chia lives alone in a flat in Tampines and keeps herself active despite her advanced age. The 97-year-old feels secure each time she heads out, whether it is to the Lions Befrienders (LB) Active Ageing Centre at her void deck to play Rummy-O with her friends or nearby to buy the newspaper and her dinner. The sprightly woman is among more than 200 seniors living alone who have been recruited since 2020 for a longitudinal study looking into using smart sensor technology to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – a condition that increases one's risk of developing dementia – in order to respond to it early. This will help seniors to age better and remain for longer in the community. 'With this (beacon sensor) on my keychain, I know that whenever I go out, someone knows. I feel more relieved,' said Ms Chia. What the researchers have gathered from the second phase of the study, with sensor data collected from 63 seniors living alone, is that the machine learning-based prediction technology is able to detect MCI at a 90 per cent accuracy rate. This is an improvement from the previous performance of 70 per cent obtained in the first phase of the study in 2020. The data for the study is generated by eight sensors placed in different parts of the participants' homes, such as the living room, under the mattress, inside their medicine box or cabinet, and on the door. A sensor resembling a tag is also attached to their keychain to help track whether the senior participants have their keys with them when they go out. Additionally, the seniors are given a wearable device to measure their daily steps and heart rate. In Ms Chia's case, the sensors were installed at her home in April 2021. Unlike a traditional video surveillance system that captures images and voices, the sensors monitor movement and daily routines discreetly, including sleep patterns, physical activity and memory lapses. They also track how often the senior moves around the flat or goes out and for how long, how well he or she sleeps, or the frequency of forgetting personal items, particularly their medications. A sensor resembling a tag is also attached to their keychain to help track whether the senior participants have their keys with them when they go out. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG The longitudinal study, called Sensors In-home for Elder Wellbeing , is led by Associate Professor Iris Rawtaer, head and senior consultant at the department of psychiatry and director of research at Sengkang General Hospital , and p rofessor of computer science Tan Ah Hwee from Singapore Management University. It is estimated that there will be 152,000 individuals living with dementia in Singapore by 2030, and 187,000 by 2050. While global study statistics vary, up to half of all people with MCI go on to develop dementia within five years, said Prof Rawtaer. In 2024, the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care found that 45 per cent of cases of dementia could potentially be delayed by addressing some of the modifiable risk factors, such as social isolation, untreated vision loss and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, commonly known as bad cholesterol. However, many people are not even aware of experiencing MCI, the at-risk state for dementia. They seek help only after significant cognitive decline has occurred, missing the crucial window for intervention and advanced planning, said Prof Rawtaer. This is where the sensor system can help. 'Nine out of 10 times, it essentially outperforms your pen and paper routine screening instruments like your MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) and your Moca (Montreal Cognitive Assessment),' Prof Rawtaer told The Straits Times. MMSE and Moca are brief screening tools used to assess cognitive function and detect MCI as well as mild dementia. The participants in the study go through detailed neurocognitive assessments yearly, providing the benchmark against which the machine learning models in the sensor system are tested. 'The question is whether seniors can accept the use of the sensor system. Is this intrusive? Is this inconvenient? Is this going to be something that we can scale and do in the long term in the community?' Prof Rawtaer said. Ms Chia, for instance, did not have her wearable device – a study requirement – on her on the day of the interview. A spokesman for LB, who was with her that day, said the seniors may forget to charge their wearable device. Prof Tan said that for the second phase of the study, the team developed an advanced machine learning-based artificial intelligence (AI) model to handle irrelevant or missing sensor data due to hardware failure, for instance. The AI can also explain why it flagged someone as being at risk, he said. As an example, it has learnt that people with MCI often move around less while at home and are more likely to forget to take their medication. 'At SMU, we have one data engineer and two data analysts looking at the data. Moving forward, we are thinking that we should partner with a commercial party... to be able to do this in a viable manner. It's not just the installation of the equipment but the maintenance and the day-to-day monitoring,' he said. The total installation cost of the sensor system is below $1,000. In the third planned phase of the study – for which the researchers are awaiting funding – they will test the sensors in multi-person households, and look at new digital biomarkers and how to reduce the numbers of sensors used to make the monitoring system more efficient and affordable. Beyond cognitive assessment, the smart sensor system could be expanded to support safety monitoring and health assessment, the researchers said. LB's executive director Karen Wee said the smart sensor system has a lot of potential not just in helping seniors to age well in the community, but also in enabling providers like it to better support the seniors. 'Wearables may not be something that the seniors of today are keen on, but who is to say that in 10 years' time they will not be widespread,' she said.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
MOH studying 18 proposals to integrate TCM into public healthcare
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Health Minister Ong Ye Kung noted that TCM is already an integral part of Singapore's healthcare landscape, with one in five adults Singaporeans relying on TCM services each year. SINGAPORE - The use of acupuncture to treat migraines, for post-stroke rehabilitation and cancer-related care could soon be integrated into the national healthcare system under a sandbox initiative. They are part of 18 proposals for evidence-based traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments that authorities are evaluating under a TCM sandbox initiative, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on July 6. The other TCM treatments that healthcare institutions under the three healthcare clusters here have proposed for the sandbox include the use of Chinese medicine for treating gastrointestinal disorders and chronic pain, alongside conventional treatments. If implemented in public clinics and hospitals, these treatments could become eligible for subsidies and MediSave coverage, which today apply to use of acupuncture for lower back and neck pain. Speaking at a forum on the use of evidence-based TCM in western medicine practice, Mr Ong said the latest move follows from his announcement in October 2024 that the Ministry of Health (MOH) was evaluating the efficacy of other TCM therapies beyond those two treatments. He emphasised that this was not about wholesale adoption of TCM treatments, but a thoughtful selection of therapies that have been shown to work, complementing western medicine to improve outcomes for patients, including those who do not respond well to conventional treatments alone. To start, these proposed treatments will be evaluated for scientific robustness by an MOH-commissioned committee, and then trialed 'in a controlled environment' in public healthcare institutions for one to two years. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July launch Business High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods Singapore TTSH to demolish century-old pavilion wards, keeping one as heritage marker Singapore Red Lions and naval divers join forces for Jump of Unity at NDP 2025 Singapore His world crashed when he got F9 in O-level Tamil but PropNex co-founder Ismail Gafoor beat the odds Asia HIV surge in the Philippines amid poor sex education, policy gaps World 'Formed to give you back your freedom': Elon Musk says he has created a new US political party 'During the sandbox phase, our foremost priority is to ensure patient safety and maintain high standards of care,' he said. 'The evaluation will also enable us to assess the cost-effectiveness of these treatments.' Mr Ong noted that TCM is already an integral part of Singapore's healthcare landscape, with one in five adults Singaporeans relying on TCM services each year, according to the 2022 National Population Health Survey. 'Our vision is not simply adding more TCM services to hospital settings, but to create a really integrative care model where the strengths of both systems can be leveraged for optimal patient care,' he added. At the forum, Mr Ong also announced that from 2026, a national-level award will recognise exemplary TCM practitioners. There will be two categories of awards - one for outstanding physicians and another for outstanding educators - and recipients will be awarded a cash amount of $5,000 each. Nominees for the awards must be Singaporeans or permanent residents currently practising here, with at least 15 years of experience. The forum - organised by SingHealth and the Academy for Chinese Medicine - was attended by about 420 people, most of whom were doctors and TCM physicians. Addressing attendees, National Neuroscience Institute senior neurological consultant Lim Shih Hui said the forum, which he co-chaired, will help foster a common language between these practitioners to bridge diagnoses in Western medicine and TCM. By integrating evidence-based traditional and modern medicine practices, the healthcare system can empower patients to make better informed decisions and benefit from the strengths of both medical systems, he added. Speaking to reporters, Prof Lim noted that SingHealth has been looking to improve treatment for conditions and diseases that Western medicine struggles to tackle, due to limitations or the lack of data. He said the public health cluster - the largest here - submitted more than half of the proposals to incorporate TCM for treatment of conditions including migraine, epilepsy and other disorders. 'Migraine is a very common thing, but medication for migraines, though effective, have side effects,' he said. 'So if we can use TCM treatment to complement western treatment, the patient will have good effects as well as fewer side effects.' SingHealth deputy group chief executive for medical and clinical services Fong Kok Yong, told forum participants that integration of TCM will be contingent on extensive clinical research. To this end, he suggested that all publicly-funded TCM research grants favour collaboration between the healthcare clusters. He said: 'The larger the cohort being studied, the more robust is the clinical evidence, and I firmly believe that TCM trials that involve all three (public health) clusters and relevant TCM partners are best placed to provide such robust evidence.' President of the Academy of Chinese Medicine Singapore Goh Kia Seng, who co-chaired the forum, told media in Mandarin that he welcomed the launch of the first national-level award for TCM practitioners, of which there are more than 3,200 here. 'This is a sign that the Health Ministry and the country have begun to attach importance to being a TCM practitioner, sending an important message to those in the profession here,' said Dr Goh. The latest announcements add to the Government's hope for TCM - which seeks to maintain balance between the body's systems and the outside environment - to play a bigger role in public health. In October 2024, Mr Ong said TCM practitioners may in future partner general practitioners under an expanded Healthier SG programme. Worldwide, the integration of TCM has already reaped benefits for western medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine's Prof Liu Jianping told attendees. The founder of the university's Centre for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine cited the therapeutic benefit of sweet wormwood, a herb in TCM that has been recognised for its ability to treat the life-threatening disease of malaria. In 2015, China received its first medicine Nobel Prize for a therapy developed from the herb, which has saved millions of lives across the globe.
