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It is heartening to see the slow but steady growth of SAYES, the youth club I set up slightly more than 10 years ago in Science Centre Singapore with the support of Dr Khiang Wee Lim who was then Director for AGA at A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research The motivation is to start a platform for #youthdevelopment #youthempowerment #youthleadership , combining the #powerofyouth and the #powerofstem, to encourage youth as #positivechangemakers. I named the club 'Singapore Academy of Young Engineers n Scientists', abbreviated as SAYES. We want the youth to say "Yes, I can be an Engineer or a Scientist!". We are very encouraged to see how in recent years some of the SAYES pioneers after completing their post secondary and/or university education, and becoming mature to appreciate the value of #SAYES, returned and volunteered to take up leadership roles to steer the direction of SAYES. I used to tell them that #SAYES is meant to be 'for youth by youth", and to all members it is "for you, by you'! Seeing this post really warm my heart, knowing that they have taken up ownership with conviction. With this postitive attitude n mindset, SAYES is poised to be a club to watch. I have many dreams for SAYES. In the new science centre, I have specifically instructed our team to design a space for SAYES, which will interface with SNAS, the Singapore National Academy of Science (as the present SNAS president, I also plan for SNAS to have a proper home in the new science centre). The future club room will have a digital maker lab next to it. We plan to empower SAYES to use that space 24/7. I have many other dreams after being invited by Ministry of Education, Singapore (MOE) to lead our science centre. Some have been actualised (KidsSTOP for children; STEM ALP for real world education with no exams; science musicals and theatre shows - these are among my favourites.) Now, seeing SAYES maturing, the door is open for even more exciting collaboration n co-creation with the youth. A concept is now brewing, in partnership especially with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Singapore Institute of Technology, with leaders n movers such as Kok-Kwang Phoon , Cesar Jung-Harada, Jonathan Kua, Chay Wah T., Wai Yee Yeong (NTU), Sow CH (NUS). We will reach out to include industry partners, who also beleive in nurturing our youth with their commitment. Together with Kian Teik Beh of NRF who is making us think of connecting the dots (communities), adopting the ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) model, we aspire to nurture and grow what I called the IN-things in our youth, namely the Inquisitive, Investigative, and Innovative predisposition inside them since birth. 🙂 We will be calling for scientists, engineers n STEM professionals to join us as Singapore STEM Ambassadors to help grow the "Power of STEM + Youth". Quoting Provost Professor Kok-Kwang Phoon - 'We are facing a STEM cliff, we have to bridge it.'

Today, we joined Moringa School to celebrate the upcoming generation of tech pioneers who are set to revolutionize and transform the world with their innovative products and systems. Alice Munyua, the Senior Director, Africa Mradi at Mozilla Corporation, was the chief guest and here are the great snippets she shared with the graduates at the ceremony. 1. To friends and family, this graduation is also your accomplishment. You've supported the graduates through the process and deserved applause as well. Not only is it okay to change your mind to consider a second career, but it is a bold decision, and the internet exists to help you explore and grow into other things that interest you. 2. Always surround yourself with people who are much more cleverer and more ambitious than you are. Everything I have achieved is a product of engaging and consulting with others. 3. Don't become an intellectual snob; you have to keep learning to be able to evolve and fit into this world. 4.You are graduating at a time when we have problems within your communities that you can help solve. Use your newly acquired skills to create homegrown solutions for local problems. 5.Your generation is going to become the most impactful. You should see the rest of your life as an opportunity to become an agent of change in the world. #MoringaGraduation #MozillaAfrica

ALU - Public Sector Fellowship Session 3: ALX, Africa's Tech Talent Solution During our working session with Fred Swaniker, ALU's founder, we identified 7 grand challenges and 7 great opportunities for Africa's next generation of leaders and problem-solvers. Despite great public policies, African countries often struggle with their implementation. However, by re-imagining Africa through technology and by taking action now, we can create change. alx_africa is one solution to help meet the need for 2 million software engineers in Africa, offering a 1-year program at a significantly reduced cost and with the same quality education of an Ivy League University instead of the traditionnal 4-year degree. ALU's business goal is to put product managers in governments and develop a critical mass of technology talent. #PublicSectorFellowship #ALUinKigali

🌍📚✨ Sharing Inspiring Stories: Let's Bring Human Libraries to America! 🇺🇸📖 Have you ever heard of Human Libraries? 🤔✨ In Denmark, they have created a remarkable concept where individuals become 'books' and share their unique life experiences with others. 🌟📚 It's an incredible way to foster empathy, understanding, and break down barriers! 🌈🤝 Imagine a world where we could borrow a 'book' and learn firsthand about their personal journeys, challenges, and triumphs. 📖🌍💭 It's an opportunity to step into someone else's shoes and broaden our perspectives. 🚶♀️🚶♂️✨ So here's the question: What would it take to bring this inspiring idea to America, just like Starbucks brought the sidewalk cafe lifestyle to our cities? ☕️🇺🇸 Personally, I believe that embracing the concept of Human Libraries in the United States would create a positive impact on our communities. 🤝🏙️ We could give a voice to marginalized groups, promote inclusivity, and encourage open dialogue. 🗣️💡 Let's join forces to ignite this movement and bring Human Libraries to every corner of America! 🌟📚 Share your thoughts and ideas below on how we can turn this dream into a reality. 🙌💭 #HumanLibraries #Empathy #Inclusion #CommunityBuilding #InspiringStories #BooksComeToLife #BreakingBarriers #UnitedStates #StarbucksInspiration #DreamBig #TogetherWeCan #BroadenPerspectives #ChangingLives #ShareYourStory 🌈📖🤝🌍💡✨ 📢 Feel free to like, comment, and share this post to spread the word! Together, we can make a difference!

NGI Enrichers: Next Generation Internet Fellowships: 100% sponsored, European researchers & innovators-> USA / Canada. Lifetime opportunity! 📢 Our second round of open calls for fellows is almost here!!   🚨Opening on July 1st, 2023, Next Generation Researchers and Innovators should get ready to take their innovation transatlantic!!   🔬 Are you a researcher which can contribute to NGI relevant topics? (social sciences, humanities and multidisciplinary researchers are welcome as well!)   ⚙️ Are you an innovator working on a project related to NGI focus areas?  -> A fully funded travel fellowship by the European Commission is waiting for you:  ✅3 to 6 months to be spent in 🇺🇸 or 🇨🇦 hosting organizations  ✅Travel funding, visa coverage  ✅ Living allowance for the period you spend abroad, up to 22 800€   More information on our website: Home enrichers.ngi.eu • 1 min read

“𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿. 𝗪𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀.” – Shirley Eadie | National Education Collaboration Trust Guided by this principle, we are using #TechAdoption to actively defy the status quo, and transform the education system 💡 By doing this, we can enable each learner with an ecosystem that empowers them to build on their unique capabilities and strengths whilst developing resilience and confidence. Our thought-provoking panel discussion at this year’s Sentech Africa Tech Week, helped to outline this underlying goal in further detail with inputs from industry leaders – 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲▶️ #EdTech #LearningAndDevelopment #EducationMatters #4IR | Ajit Gopalakrishnan | Shirley Eadie | Arun Babu | Claudio Ranaudo | Yanesh Naidoo