Peace Week 2011 brought together three colourful and meaningful events in celebration of Peace at SMU. From 16–23 September, the SMU community witnessed the International Cultural Night, the Peace Ceremony and the Peace Run.
The inaugural “International Cultural Night” was a ground-breaking dance production, incorporating 9 different cultural dances interwoven with a common theme. The 2-hour sold-out concert featured traditional dances with a modern twist. The cast and crew of 150 students were from diverse cultures, and they shone as one on performance night.
In its 5th year, the “Peace Ceremony” is a signature component of Peace Week. SMU President, Arnoud de Meyer led 32 student country representatives in the recital of the United Nations Peace Pledge. Each representative said “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in their national language, and this was followed by a minute of silence as a mark of respect for those who have, or are making, sacrifices for the peace cause. The SMU community was also encouraged to pen their personal message for peace on doves that were hung along the campus concourse.
To round up the Peace Week activities, 150 participants took part in the “Peace Run” jointly organised by ICON and the SMU RUN Team. The 400 metres run was flagged off by SMU President, Arnoud de Meyer, and participants carried country flags in a colourful display of unity. Five students from different nationalities performed the song Heal the World during the grand finale of the week-long celebrations. |
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This year, the Office of Student Life, together with the Office of Human Resources and Faculty Administration and SMU International Connections, organised a Lunar New Year event to bring together the whole SMU community to celebrate and enjoy the traditional Yu Sheng Lo Hei (Lunar New Year raw fish dish) toss!
Every year, Chinese Singaporeans celebrate the occasion by gathering during this period to toss this salad dish comprising various types of vegetables, sauces, and topped with slices of raw fish - all in the name of good luck and prosperity. And with tradition, the higher the toss, the more luck and prosperity the group will enjoy in the coming year.
To make SMU's 10th year anniversary an even more memorable one this year, and to celebrate our cohesive multi-cultural community, we aimed for a place in the Singapore Book of Records for the largest number of people participating in the longest Yu Sheng Lo Hei line! With the help of staff and students - in making up the numbers, dressing for the occasion, adding in the festive noise, and displaying our unique SMU team spirit – we have managed to break Singapore's record for the Longest Yu Sheng Lo Hei event, with 896 members of the SMU Community, host families and invited guests joining in the mammoth toss along the 160m specially designed SMU and dragon-shaped Lo Hei line! |
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The SMU Host Family Programme offers international students an experience of a “home away from home”. Now into its fifth cycle, the programme has become a very popular programme among the international freshmen. In addition, 20 ASEAN students, through the Temasek Learn scholarship programme, will be starting an exchange semester here and have been invited to participate in the programme as well. They will be the only exchange students to join the full-time students in this programme.
The Host Family Programme does not require families to house students but is more a friendship/mentor arrangement. The objectives of the programme are to provide the students with memorable experiences of Singapore life and culture, opportunities for sharing cross-cultural experiences and to develop their network of friends while here. |
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Said Mr Rajendra Munoo, a South African expatriate of Indian decent, who has lived in Singapore for the past 12 years, and who works as a Research Librarian at the Li Ka Shing Library, “The main reason for signing up (to be host) was my own experience as an International Student. (My hosts) helped me settle in and that hospitality was something I wanted to return one day."
"When I reflect on my early days in Singapore, I realised how important the first months were when one comes to a new country – new sights, sounds, food and culture and not having any social support or social network. The desire to help someone else and have a cross-cultural experience is something I enjoy.”
Agreeing, Mrs Koh Lian Che, an SCB-SMU iLab Programme Manager & Instructor, felt that the experience of being a host would also be mutually beneficial for both the student, and her family.
“I have two young girls whom I would like to provide 'life-skills' exposure via the experience of playing host to an international guest. Being an instructor in an institution with many international students, I am keen to do a small part in sharing the flavours of Singapore life with one of these students.”
OSL will match host families with students, following which both the student and family can make their own arrangements to meet. Examples of activities range from a meal in the home of the host family, to visits to local attractions, and gatherings during festive occasions. Most of the students expected to sign up for the programme will be from Asia countries such as China, India, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.
SMU Host Family Programme in the News:
[25 October 2010]
Host Family Programme help international students adapt to new life
One of SMU's initiatives by its International Students Unit to help new international students integrate into their new life here is featured. Three host families point out that in giving they have received manifold while the students under their charge share how they found a home away from home under the programme.
Lianhe Zaobao, zbNOW
[18 December 2007]
A cross-cultural Christmas 
A look at how some first-year SMU undergraduates from China are learning about Christmas and Singaporean family lifestyles through the SMU Host Family Programme.
Xin.sg
[17 December 2007]
SMU Singaporean Host Families celebrate Christmas with SMU students from China
The unique SMU Host Family Programme assists exchange students understand Singapore and its people through gatherings such as the recent Christmas celebration held for SMU students from China.
Xin.sg
Channel NewsAsia
Channel 8
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| The Multi-cultural Workforce: Adapt. Integrate. Survive. |
This year, SMUIcon and the Office of Student Life jointly organized the International Dialogue which was a forum that discussed issues regarding adapting to and being aware of local cultures in an increasingly globalized world. Awareness of cultural differences at work is the first step toward understanding one's peers and establishing a positive working environment and ultimately a myriad of successful experiences.
This event was attended by more than a hundred SMU students and professors. The panel consisted of distinguished members such as H.E. Dr. S. Jaishankar, High Commissioner of India to Singapore, Prof. Joergen Oerstroem Moeller, Former Ambassador of Denmark to Singapore, Mr. Roman Matla, Vice President and Divisional Diversity Manager for Pacific Rim Global Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch and Ms. Gokilavani Muthusamy, Senior Specialist, Diversity and Inclusion, Pacific Rim, Merrill Lynch. The event was moderated by Assistant Professor Burkhard Schrage, Singapore Management University. |
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The forum brought out some very interesting points such as the need to adapt to various cultures while negotiating, the need to adapt to changes that take place in the world and the need to celebrate diversity in this world rather than just being aware of different cultures. This was followed by a very interesting “Questions and Answers” session where the students got an invaluable chance to pose questions at the panel and the speakers enjoyed answering the wide spectrum of questions.
The forum was followed by a sumptious dinner which gave the students a wonderful opportunity to interact with the guest speakers and get more insights into their professional lives. The evening surely inspired the students who are on the threshold of embarking on an international career path. |
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SMU students donated blood and created art canvases to commemorate the United Nations - designated International Day of Peace on 21 September this year.
This year's SMU Peace Day kicked off with a film screening of Aki Ra's Boys, a documentary on the journey of a landmine victim and a former child soldier in Cambodia , followed by a discussion with the film directors James Leong and Lynn Lee.
Students also donated blood to the Red Cross, and gladly posed for the camera for the Peace Wall - a montage comprising of over 300 photos of the SMU community which expresses what ‘Peace and Freedom' means to them.
Alongside the unveiling of the Peace Wall on 19 September this year was the Art Peace(s) exhibition located at the SMU Concourse. This mixed-media exhibition showcased 9 artworks created by 21 SMU students who spent nearly three weeks converting plain canvases into works of art depicting symbolic interpretations of peace, under the professional guidance of a consultant artist.
Among the artworks showcased was an abstract display of the devastating effects of a nuclear war, an audio-visual piece that played a recording of a conversation with a taxi driver on the issue of peace in Singapore , and a shelf containing items that represented the opposing notions of war and peace.
Finally, students and members of the general public attended a forum titled “The Invisible Human Trade: Freedom or Exploitation?” where a panel comprising of Sreyashi Sengupta from UNIFEM Singapore, Dr Bussarawan Puk Teerawichitchainan from SMU's School of Social Sciences, and Dr Tin Maung Maung Than from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies discussed the inherent forces that trap certain communities in Southeast Asian countries. The forum, which highlighted the plight of victims of the sex trade and child trafficking, was a timely reminder that despite our prosperity, one cannot stay silent on the many hidden injustices that persist within our society. |
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SMU Peace Day in the News:
[27 October 2008]
Finding peace of mind through peace in art
Alica Ng, a final-year accountancy student at SMU writes about her experience creating an art work for Art Peace(s), a month-long art exhibition at SMU to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Peace on Sept 22.
The Straits Times
SMU Peace Day 2007 in the News:
[22 September 2007]
Students say a pledge for peace
A total of 29 international and exchange students and one from Singapore came dressed in their national costumes and recited the International Day of Peace pledge in their native tongue to celebrate the United Nations' International Day of Peace.
The Straits Times
SMU celebrates Peace Day
About 100 students and faculty members from SMU got together on Friday to celebrate its annual International Day of Peace for the third consecutive year.
TODAY
The voices that also matter
Peace and prosperity is no excuse for social apathy, argue participants. The role of alternative voices was a talking point during the Singapore Management University forum on whether peace blinds Singapore to social injustices.
TODAY
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