2011-03-08 14:25 
SINGAPORE, March 8, 2011
/PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Design for Change (DFC) Singapore continues to
inspire students to creatively spark positive change with the DFC
Challenge 2011 in Singapore. Registration for the
2nd Design for Change Challenge begins today with
an informative briefing session at Telok Kurau Primary School. The
programme is set to grow to include up to 40 schools this year from
10 schools that participated last year.
DFC Challenge is an innovative
programme that aims to give children aged 9-14 an opportunity to
express and put into action their own ideas for a better world. It
encourages children to explore and identify ways in which they
can make a difference, and helps them to design projects to create
change within their community.
Kicking off the programme, DFC
Singapore will run a series of workshops in participating schools
that will help children discover ways in which they can enact
change. Participants are guided as they carry out the programmes
they have envisioned, which will then be showcased at the grand
finale, the Social Change by Children (SoCh) Exposition that will
be held in October this year.
The DFC Singapore programme is
managed by SoCh in Action, a group composed of a dedicated team of
volunteers and interns with a range of expertise and a common
passion for working with children. SoCh in Action focuses on
promoting community projects through innovative and engaging
activities, such as DFC Challenge and the SoCh Exposition.
"We are very excited to bring Design
for Change back, building on the success of last year's School
Challenge and SoCh Exposition," said Madhu Verma, founder of SoCh
in Action. "At the heart of DFC and SoCh is the belief that
children are powerful drivers of change. They can make an impact on
society; and we grownups should believe in them so they will
believe in themselves."
Verma said the DFC Challenge and
SoCh 2011 organising teams have high hopes of boosting
participation this year to as many as 40 schools. "We are
pleased with the overwhelming interest of schools,
teachers, parents, and the strong support of our corporate and
institutional partners. We look forward to welcoming new partners
on board and running a very successful programme this year," she
said.
"SoCh is a project with huge
potential to enhance the creativity of today's youth. At Maybank,
we are committed to making lives better and we also believe in
creating bonds between generations," said Ms. Pollie Sim, CEO of
Maybank Singapore, one of the sponsors last year.
The pilot implementation of the DFC
Challenge last year saw 10 participating schools, five winning
teams; and some 450 children, parents and teachers attending the
SoCh Exposition.
Clementi Town Secondary School's
fundraising project for an earthquake stricken Haiti was recognised
for having "Most Impacted People". The student council sold
T-shirts, designed by the alumni, in support ofCharity
Water -- a non-profit organisation that provides clean
water to the affected community.
Pasir Ris Primary School's "Trash to
Treasure" was awarded for being the "Easiest to Replicate." The
team of 11-year olds realised that a lot of household items, books
and toys in fairly good condition find their way to the landfill.
They started a blog listing down the unwanted goods and established
a system to match them with the needs of people in the
neighbourhood.
To learn more about the winning
projects, DFC Singapore and SoCh 2011, please email[email protected].
About DFC Singapore
Challenge & SoCh Exposition
SoCh exposition is an extension of
the Singapore chapter of Design for Change Challenge, an
international programme that reached out to 50,000 schools in 21
countries. The Design for Change Challenge is an attempt to change
how we relate to our society, people and environment. Design for
Change Singapore 2010 successfully demonstrated the potential of
giving young children an opportunity to design and implement
solutions for issues that they felt were important. For more
information, please visit www.dfcsingapore.com
SOURCE DFC Singapore & SoCh
Exposition