What we do:


Saints Advocate is a Student Leadership Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) in St. Andrew's Junior College (SAJC) that aims to promote awareness and advocate changes for worthy social causes in both the local and overseas communities, by interacting directly with members of the community on a personal and sustainable level, with a clear focus towards being an agent of change.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently-asked Questions


What


What are the benefits of being a Saints Advocate?

As an Advocate, you will not only be given the opportunity to participate in CIP, but rather to lead CIP projects, organize them and execute them. These CIP projects are not the boring, clean-up-the-beach kind of projects, but rather are novel and interesting. These projects also extend to overseas, through the Overseas Community Involvement Project (OCIP). Last year, Advocates planned and participated in the June Student Leaders OCIP, the End-of-year OCIP training camp, and finally the 4 different OCIP expeditions; to North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Cambodia and Batam!

In addition, as student leaders and project leaders, Saints Advocates will have a strong School Graduation Certificate, with plenty of projects to pick from. This, however, should not be a key motive in joining Advocates. Rather, we accept potential Advocates who are truly driven by a desire to help the community, and want to do so in a big way, both in Singapore and Overseas!


When


When are Saints Advocate's meetings held?

During off-peak seasons, meetings are held either weekly, or once every two weeks.

During Events season, meetings are held weekly, with additional meetings dependant on your task force.

There are no CCA meetings before and during the Exams.


Where


Where are Saints Advocate's meetings held?

General meetings are usually held in classrooms, whenever a classroom is made available and provided that it is able to suit the purpose of our meetings. Otherwise, we also often use the Geography room near the Popular bookshop. The venues for taskforce discussion are decided by the individual taskforce. These meetings/discussions can be held in school or outside of school.


Where will Saints Advocates be going for OCIP at the end of the year?

For the time being, we will be heading to countries such as North and South Vietnam, Cambodia and Batam for our OCIP trips.


Why


Q: Why should I choose to participate in OCIP?

A: OCIP is an experience that not only enriches our lives, but also the lives of needy people abroad. It broadens our horizons and allows us to live life outside our comfort zone, one that you would never experience without stepping out of Singapore.


Q: Why should i choose to participate in YFC?

A: If you are interested in social entrepreneurship, YFC is a must join opportunity. It integrates business together with a social cause, which is a very meaningful experience.


Q: Why was the common meeting time on Wednesdays and Fridays removed?

A: As Saints Advocate is a project-based CCA, the common meeting time on Wednesday and Friday was removed as it was found to be ineffective and time-consuming. To effectively maximize our potential and progress of different projects handled in Saints Advocate, it is necessary to divide members into different taskforces, whereby within their individual taskforce, they can arrange a flexible time to meet and discuss about their projects.

However, there will be time set aside for common meetings such as team-bonding exercises [originally known as (Thank God It’s Friday!) TGIF! sessions], CCA CIP,[Commence in 2011 with Gawad Kalinga project] etc.


Q: Why should I choose Saints Advocate?

A: Saints Advocate provides a platform for you to advocate a social cause, help fight social issues, to develop servant leadership qualities, as well as to enable you to learn more about yourself, the world and to enjoy many new experiences along the way.


Who


Q: Who should join Saints Advocate?

A: Any one can join, as long as you are interested in social work and have great ideas to change the world and its other prevalent problems both in Singapore and around the world. If you have a big heart for the community and are interested in social issues such as poverty, hunger, sanitation problems, we welcome you into our family!


Q: Who are the teachers-in-charge and will they be there to guide the students through every project?

A: The teachers in charge are Mrs Chia, Miss Lim Hui Ching and Mr Louis Ho. They will guide the students along each project and monitor the progress of the project every now and then to check on how the students are coping with their projects.


Q: Who are the people that Saints Advocate mostly help out and advocate for?

A: There are no specific groups of people that Saints Advocate mostly help out and advocate for. We generally advocate and help out different various groups of people who needs help. The projects Saints Advocate had done in 2010 include the Yellow Ribbon Project, Mercy Relief, Project Acknowledgement and Watoto concert.

Are the teachers the one who decide on the projects that this CCA works on or do the students decide on what type of service learning project they want to do and contact the organisation themselves?

Projects are assigned to the students by the teachers. However, students may also contribute ideas and start off their own service learning projects. For example, Project Acknowledgement was an original idea proposed by members of Saints Advocate.


How


Q: How will I be able to contribute to Saints Advocate?

A: Show enthusiasm in the projects you are assigned to, be innovative and keep a discussion going. Always keep an eye open to CIP events to introduce to the entire CCA (or to the college) and if you find something that Saints Advocate might like to take on, share it with the CCA and develop plans from there.


Q: How will Saints Advocate allow me/my child in developing my/his/her potential as a leader/ in serving community/etc?

A: Ask not what Saints Advocate can do for you, but what you can do as an individual to help Saints Advocate grow.

Real Answer: Saints Advocate opens opportunities such as YFC and OCIP, as well as other local-based projects Saints Advocate had developed in 2011 so as to enable you/your child to be able to developed effective communication skills (discussion with organizations they are working with), leadership skills (leading a project), learn to be a team player as well as other important life skills such as money management and improvisation skills.


Q: How will the projects be chosen? Is there free rein in my choice or is it predetermined?

A: The projects in 2010 are mostly determined by the teachers, with the exception of YFC projects and our original initiative-Project Acknowledgement. In 2011, you will have more free rein over the projects you may want to work on, and the seniors will determine the projects we will be working on during the first term of the year, until the junior batch is ready to take charge.

However, Saints Advocate are always most welcome to initiate new projects as long as it serves to meet a community need and enable our college to be more aware of social issues.


Q: How will Saints Advocate function if every member is allocated into different projects? Would the CCA be bonded?

A: There will be general meetings conducted to keep track of how each project is managing along the way. If any task force requires help for any of their projects, they may request the entire CCA to offer a helping hand. Also, to keep the CCA bonded, team-building activities and outings will be frequently conducted as of 2011 to get everyone to be familiarized with one another.


Q: How will I be able to opt for YFC/OCIP if Saints Advocate makes it optional?

A: You may still opt for these events with your fellow Saints Advocates or friends when the school announces these events to the SAJC community if you wish to attend. It will be a good learning opportunity so we would encourage you to take part in it if you are interested.


Others


Is being an Advocate stressful or time-consuming?

Being an Advocate requires a large amount of time and commitment. As a student leadership CCA, a lot of effort will be required to plan projects for your class, and also events for the whole school.

However, as mentioned under WHEN section, question one, there are no meetings during exam periods. Sufficient time will be given to prepare for the exams, and events will never coincide with examinations.


Can I join a second CCA?

Being an Advocate requires a lot of time and commitment. As a rule of thumb, we would encourage you to commit to Saints Advocate instead of juggling between two CCAs. However, if you are capable of juggling studies, fulfilling the duties of being an Advocate and the duties of a second CCA, you may choose to do so. You may consult our teachers-in charge (Mr. Louis Ho and Mrs Noelle Chia) for more guidance and information regarding this issue.

*Students are only allowed to join 1 student leadership CCA: Student Council, House Council OR Saints Advocate


Q: Will the CCA be hectic and take up a lot of my time?

A: Because of the nature of our CCA [Which involves splitting members into different taskforces to work more effectively on different projects], the hectic times are usually seasonal and only when the taskforce is working on its project, such as during the execution period in Terms 3 and 4. Providing manpower to other projects will be less time-consuming.


Q: I am only passionate about serving a certain sector of the community. Will I get to choose my projects that reach out to that specific group?

A: You may state your preferences to our teachers-in-charge [Mr Louis Ho and Mrs Noelle Chia] and source for various workable projects within that particular community sector that Saints Advocate can participate in.

We will consider your suggestions; however, it is likely that the final decision lies with our teachers. However, we would encourage you to do so if you really are passionate about a particular sector of the community and we would do our best to place you in a project that involve that particular community sector.

Saints Advocate would like to expose its members to all different community sectors that deserve help. We generally focus on the less popular/more obscure communities, such as migrant workers, etc, for we wish to be their voice to speak up about their circumstances that few people are aware about.

Technical Details of Saints Advocate

Expectations of a Saints Advocate


Some of the qualities we hope to see in a Saints Advocate are as follows:


Enthusiasm: First and foremost, we hope to see all Saint Advocates being truly enthusiastic and passionate about their work and the cause they are supporting. By doing so, we hope to motivate future Advocates to work diligently with their advocacy work instead of viewing their work as a burden.


Commitment and dedication: We need all Advocates to be fully dedicated to our Advocacy work despite the various commitments a student may have. Hence, we hope all Advocates will be able to be able to juggle his/her work well in order to meet the demands of Saints Advocate. (Refer to ‘Demands of a Saints Advocate’ below)


Spontaneity: We hope Advocates will take the initiative in every aspect of their school life, be it to help our fellow schoolmates, or to give a presentation or even initiate a new project/advocacy work, hence showing initiative is a fundamental value all Advocates should possess.


Innovativeness: We hope for Advocates to be creative and innovative in planning our projects to develop good problem solving skills, which are necessary when tackling problems which arise during the implementation of a project. Additionally, we hope to implement Advocacy projects in a more creative manner so as to garner the interest of the school community in supporting our cause.


Trustworthiness: As a student leader in SAJC, Advocates need to be trustworthy to be able to lead others. By practicing this value, we will be able to avoid causing unnecessary worries to our teachers due to things such as late project submissions, etc. Also, by being consistent with our promises, our fellow Saints will be able to trust us with handling any projects. This trust comes In particular when we have to lead our classmates during our own classes’ Service-Learning projects every year.


Responsibility: Advocates should take responsibility for all decisions and actions that they make instead of pushing the blame to others. We also need to understand that a wrong decision made may affect our team members, teamwork and progress of projects, hence being responsible is a very important value we hope to see in all Advocates. Additionally, there are times when a project can get dull or stressful, hence we hope that all Advocates will accept that a project they are assigned to is their responsibility and will not disregard it or reduce their quality of work.


Confidence (presenting in front of a class or during assembly sessions): Saint Advocates will also have to appear confident as a person so as to be able to inspire in others to complete a task well. Moreover, Advocates will have to make presentations to a sizable crowd from time to time, be it in front of students, teachers, principal or external organizations, hence as a Saints Advocate, we must be able to summon our courage when the need arises.


Courage: As servant-leaders, the heart to serve precedes the aspiration to lead. Often, through out the journey of servant-leadership, one must always ask oneself: Does the one being served benefit from it and grow as a person? One must have the courage to do what is right to benefit his/her beneficiaries, to be their temporary crutch [but never permanent] and empower them until they are able to do so themselves. As a leader, one must also have the courage to stay faithful to his/her cause despite opposition and make right decisions despite popular consensus. Therefore, courage is something we hope to develop in all Advocates.



We understand that it may be difficult for all Advocates to attain all of the abovementioned qualities, but we hope that throughout one’s journey as an Advocate, these qualities will be strengthened and developed well.


Ultimately, it is the desire to serve the community and to improve and develop oneself that is what we are hoping to look for in any Advocate. Having a good learning attitude is also vital. If your heart is in the right place and for the right reasons, as an Advocate, no matter what cause you are advocating for, you will find the program meaningful.



Demands of Saints Advocate


As Advocates, you are expected to be able to adapt to a very flexible schedule. Many of us work in small groups for different projects so our meetings are not fixed. They can take place anytime and anywhere as long as group members of the project you are involved in are free.


Additionally, you have the liberty of organizing your meetings and carry out your projects when at where you find it most suitable. The way you run your projects can determine its success and efficiency so do remember to be practical when planning and executing projects.


However, the flexible schedule Advocates enjoy is a double edged sword. Firstly, there may be periods of intensive work when projects are going at full strength. During these periods, you are required to stay back at school for meetings or preparations. Additionally, there are many bring-home assignments you may have to do to compensate for the lack of time to complete these assignments in school. But these difficult times only last for a short period when the project is at its climax. Hence, a tip to avoid rushing and unnecessary stress is to plan your projects properly and adhere to deadlines.


Lastly, Advocates are expected to be independent learners and to be disciplined in their studies. Since meetings and projects are not fixed, you have to plan your studies ahead or risk rushing your projects and homework simultaneously.



Our milestones of 2010: Citibanks YMCA Youth-for-Causes projects

Citibanks YMCA Youth-for-Causes: n-ABLE
n-ABLE [A group from Saints Advocate consisting of Zhen Hui (leader), Minh Anh, Andrea and Candice] was one of the participating groups from SAJC that took part in the Youth-for-Causes competition this year-an annual event which promotes social entrepreneurship.
This competition aims to involve youths to take an active, independent role in tackling the many social issues that different community sector currently face.
n-ABLE aimed to tackle the social issues that the disabled face in today’s society, such as public discrimination, etc, and empower the disabled to live a fulfilling life and overcome stereotypes by encouraging them to actively participate in sports-specifically in wheel-chair basketball.
Collaborating with Wheelchair Basketball Association (WBA), a wheelchair basketball event (HOOPS ON WHEELS - A Wheelchair Basketball Competition) in SAJC and held several street and school sales featuring merchandise such as t-shirts, files, etc, all of which were designed specially by n-ABLE. These events were done so as part of n-ABLE’s effort to raise funds to help the beneficiaries of WBA.
Saints Advocate had helped make this project a success by providing the essential manpower for n-ABLE’s events. Thus, through the efforts of everyone who had participated in n-ABLE’s fundraising events, a total of $ $3701.10 was raised. Additionally, the school is now more aware of how sports such as wheelchair basketball can be used as a platform to integrate and encourage interaction between the disabled and the able-bodied in the sporting community, where a divide between both groups is often wide.


Citibanks YMCA Youth-for-Causes: Protecteurs Des Animaux

Protecteurs Des Animaux is the name of a group of Saints Advocate students [task force: Ong Jin (leader), Li Ying, Hilary and Shawn] from SAJC selected to participate in the annual Youth-for-Causes competition in 2010.

Youth-for-Causes is a prestigious competition promoting social entrepreneurship, supported by the President’s Challenge 2010. It aims to encourage youths to take an active independent role in tackling the many social issues that different community sectors currently face.

Protecteurs Des Animaux is a social enterprise which targets both animal lovers and non-animal lovers alike to develop their interest and passion for the wildlife.

The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) was founded by a group of Singaporeans and registered as a society on 24th May 2001. It aims to foster respect and compassion for all animals, improve the living conditions and welfare of animals in captivity, and educate people on lifestyle choices which do not involve the abuse of animals and which are environmentally friendly.

Collaborating with ACRES, road shows were organized at various venues to raise awareness about animal cruelty. Street sales were also held both in SAJC and in other places such as in shopping malls to raise funds for ACRES.

Through Protecteurs Des Animaux events, awareness about illegal animal-trafficking and animal abuse had been raised in both SAJC and amongst the Singapore public. Also, through their various street sales and fund-raising events, a sum of $3836.25 was raised. More people are made aware of the degree of cruelty displayed to animals, and had shown their support by purchasing merchandises from ACRES and signing a petition to stop animal abuse.

Our milestones of 2010: Project Acknowledgement

Project Acknowledgement


Project Acknowledgement was an idea that was brought up by members of Saints Advocate during our service learning camp in 2010 when we were given the time to brainstorm about possible service learning projects that we could carry out in SAJC.

The purpose of this project was to acknowledge the non-teaching staff for the efforts and contributions they have put in to maintain our school and to provide us with a comfortable and conducive learning environment.

However, their efforts are often neglected by the students. Saints Advocate [Task force: Phuong(I/C), Brenda(AI/C), Miao Li, Dong Hoon and Theodore] felt that their contributions deserve recognition; hence sought to convey to them the importance of the non-teaching staff to SAJC, through a video using the analogy of traffic lights to depict the non-teaching staff.

We had hoped that this project could provide students with a platform to learn more about the non-teaching staff as well as to express their gratitude towards their contributions.

During the course of Project Acknowledgement, we had managed to come up with five different insect cards [Appreciation Boards] for the five different Houses. Students of each House were in charge of appreciation notes to different non-teaching staffs such as the AVA assistants, librarians, cleaners etc. During our publicity week in late August to early September, we had also come up with an exhibition featuring write-ups about the various ways the non-teaching staff had contributed to maintain SAJC as well as to let the students know more about their job scope and about them.

Project Acknowledgment was a success because although this project was held during the Promos and JC2 prelims period, most SAJC students still made a conscious effort to take some time to write notes of appreciation and decorate the cards their class were issued.

Through this project, students had also managed to learn more about what the non-teaching staff does and the contributions they have made towards our school.

Without them, we would not enjoy a conducive environment to study in. Hence, we hope that this project could be sustained by the future Saints Advocate members in years to come.

Our milestones of 2010: The Yellow Ribbon Project

The Yellow Ribbon Project


Launched in 2004 by the President of the Republic of Singapore Mr. S R Nathan, the Yellow Ribbon Project seeks to engage the community in accepting ex-offenders and their families, giving them a second chance at life and to inspire a ripple effect of concerted community action to support ex-offenders and their families.


The Yellow Ribbon Project aims to empower ex-offenders away from a life of crimes, as well as to remove the stigma they face when trying to integrate back into the society by engaging the community to accept ex-offenders, give them a second chance at life and to inspire in the public to care and support these people and their families.


The more cynical amongst us believe that The Yellow Ribbon Project is chasing a euphemistic dream in trying to unlock the second prison; it is undeniable that the average person would be wary of ex-offenders, for these people had damaged the trust others had in them, and trust is a value that has to be earned.


However, since the launch of this project in 2004 by the President of the Republic of Singapore Mr S R Nathan, many ex-offenders had had the opportunity to begin anew because there are people who believe in them. The society may see them as prisoner, but to different individuals, they are a friend, a father, a mother, a spouse, a child, a sibling. This project aims to encourage the community to be open-minded and to not judge ex-offenders based on their former mistakes, but give them a chance to learn from their wrong-doings and to prove themselves again.


Saints Advocate [task force: Abigail (I/C), Amos (AI/C), Felicia, Ivan and Meng Yang] had launched The Yellow Ribbon Project from 30th August to 3rd September 2010, as part of our effort to raise funds to support this project and its beneficiaries- ex-offenders. We also hope to spread the message behind The Yellow Ribbon Project to the SAJC community. Through an innovative display of yellow ribbons on strings, many SAJC students learnt the etymology behind the very object that had become a symbol for this project-that is, the yellow ribbons. The sale of Yellow Ribbon was very successful, raising an impressive sum of $1286 from the sales of yellow ribbon.


Additionally, an inspiring speech on the motivation behind The Yellow Ribbon project was made by Ivan, a fellow Saints Advocate during a Friday Assembly.


Through the launch of this entire project, Saints Advocate hoped that it has inspire in others, especially the students, to think about how society tends be very discriminating. While Singaporeans are generally passive, the internalization of their disdain for prisoners cannot hide the stigma that is externalized in many other ways, mostly through action, such as through employment issues. While wearing the Yellow Ribbon as a show of support is easy, we hope that the students truly understand the meaning behind the yellow ribbons and learn to open their hearts to ex-convicts.


Our milestones of 2010: Mercy Relief Exhibition and Dialogue Sessions

Mercy Relief Exhibition and Dialogue Sessions with MP Denise Phua and Mr. Andrew Ang


Mercy Relief-Extending hands, connecting hearts


Mercy Relief is an independent, non-governmental humanitarian charity that has reached out to 18 countries and more, since its inauguration by then Deputy Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong in 2003. It is an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity that is secular and multi-racial, extending its services regardless of country, culture or creed in responses to tragedies in Asia.


Lauded for its significant contributions in rendering aid to crisis-stricken areas surrounding Asia, Mercy Relief had always been able to respond to any call for aid within 72 hours, thereby being among the most effective organisations in offering timely assistance to countries in need.


Mercy Relief had offered assistance in the form of distributing food and medical supplies, long term developmental projects such as reconstruction efforts to education programmes to improve the lives of impoverished and disadvantaged communities, despite its limited resources of only 15 full-time workers and a modest HDB void deck apartment as its main headquarters.


As part of Saints Advocate’s advocacy [task force: Kenneth [IC],Daniel [A/IC] Edlyn, Wendy and Jessica] , we paid Mercy Relief a visit on the 21st July 2010 to learn more about the organization, and shared ideas as to how we could create an innovative exhibition to the school.

After which, we worked with Mercy Relief to advocate its works to the SAJC cohort through an innovative photo exhibition on strings launched from 2nd to 6th August 2010.

The photo exhibition was an interactive one that contained speech bubbles to allow students to pen down their thoughts and notes of encouragement to the volunteers and beneficiaries of Mercy Relief, as seen by active participation of the students when writing encouragement written on the photo-exhibition.


As Mercy Relief is an organization that requires a fair number of willing and long-term volunteers, we had hoped to inspire Saints to come forth and volunteer for Mercy Relief’s future humanitarian efforts through the interactive photo exhibition. Additionally, a small fund-raising event was carried out for a week, selling merchandise from Mercy Relief to support their operations.


In addition to our advocacy work, there were also three dialogue sessions were held in 2010 to members of Student Council, Saints Advocate, Saints Activists and House Council. These dialogue sessions were conducted within the months of June to October, to which Saints Advocate organized a dialogue session on Servant Leadership on the 11th of August, guest starring MP Mrs Denise Phua and Mr. Andrew Ang.


All of these dialogue sessions were engaging and meaningful, with each guest speaker sharing with us interesting anecdotes of their personal experiences.

Particularly memorable were the words of MP Denise Phua and Mr. Andrew Ang, whose efforts in community service [Community Sector: Children, Autism and other mental and physical disabilities] and humanitarian work [Community Sector: Local and Overseas, specialize in disaster relief and helping disadvantaged communities] respectively strike a chord in us all and allowed us to learn a lot of valuable life lessons about community involvement and servant leadership.

We learn that service is not as simplistic as most of us perceive. It is not just about giving and receiving, it is just not about donating and nor is it just about helping others out of their debilitating circumstances.

Mr. Andrew Ang from Mercy Relief shared with us that service requires a person’s head, heart, honour and humility. He stated that Service encompasses learning from both parties. Often; it is these people who you are offering help to in times of adversity that teaches you what is truly important in life.

According to Mrs Denise Phua, service is a life-long commitment and as with all commitments, it can be a long and tiring process. Many a times, we may feel that helping others is wearing us out as it demands a lot of our energy, time and resources. However, as the saying goes, others before self, so even during the most tiring moments, don’t give up.

Quoting Mrs. Denise Phua, “What is worth doing is worth doing well. So, do what is right even when no one (important) is watching.”

Together with Saints Advocate, make service a part of your life.

Our milestones achieved as of 2010: Watoto Choir

Watoto Choir


Watoto is a holistic care program that aims to rescue children orphaned by Aids and vulnerable women from Uganda through a choir program to build in them leadership skills, so as to empower these people to be future leaders of their country.


The Watoto Choir taskforce [Pearline (I/C), Nathaniel (AI/C), Rachel, Tracy, Cheryl and Isaac] carried out an assembly program on both 29th and 30th July 2010 to the JC 2 and JC 1 cohort respectively, inviting the Watoto Choir children to come down and perform for the school.The Watoto Choir sang to the SAJC cohort to spread the message of HIV prevention and hope, touching the hearts of many in the audience.


The students were visibly awed by the enthusiasm shown by the children from the Choir and their admirable strength in facing the future and picking themselves up even after facing tragedies in their lives-losing one or both of their parents to Aids, giving the children from the choir a standing ovation after the end of their inspiring performance.


While the Watoto Choir had certainly left a lasting impression within the hearts of the SAJC students, they also left behind physical memorandums of themselves and their efforts through a fund-raising exercise that sold merchandise from the Watoto organisation.


Also, a few weeks prior to the Watoto Assembly performance, the students of SAJC were bemused to see old jeans hanging on the ceilings around strategic locations of the school compound. As it turns out, the jeans were another fund-raising effort of the Watoto task force in providing the children from Africa comfortable clothes. The responses for the jeans were slow but steady, eventually amounting to more than 30 jeans being collected throughout a two-week publicity period.


The Watoto project is overwhelmingly successful. Besides enjoying a successful fund-raising / jeans donation stint and effectively raising awareness of HIV, Aids and its impact on families in Uganda, the Watoto Choir had also left behind a lasting impression on SAJC, with every student reminded of the enthusiasm and strength of these children every time the verses of “I am not forgotten…” is heard when the morning assembly jingle plays.


Saints Advocate’s Executive Summary, Mission, Vision and Aim

Saints Advocate is a young CCA pioneered in 2010 focusing on advocacy and fund-raising work to raise awareness for different causes within the community sector [Elderly, Children, and Minority groups, Disabled, Environment and Animals].
Barely into its first year, Saints Advocate has already seen the completion of four projects [excluding YFCs and OCIP], with each project advocating for a different cause in the community. We had the Watoto Choir advocating the plight of Aids orphans and the impact of this disease across Africa; the local Mercy Relief organization educating us on relief work to disaster–stricken areas within Asia; Dialogue sessions with MP Denise Phua and Mr. Andrew Ang; the Yellow Ribbon Project advocating to give prisoners a second chance in integrating into society and Project Acknowledgement, a school-based project seeking to recognize the efforts of the non-teaching staff and to show appreciation to them.

All Saints Advocate members will play a role in taking charge of their class’s CIP projects, and will also be exposed to opportunities such as Youth for Causes competition and OCIP trips.

A voluntary competition, YFC has also seen two groups in Saints Advocate attending, each advocating a commendable cause in their own right. N-able had taken on the cause of assisting the disabled to be able to live an active lifestyle by rallying to raise awareness for wheelchair basketball, while Protecteurs Des Animaux, as their name suggests, advocate for the plight of animals that are powerless to speak for themselves.

OCIP trips in 2010 see Saints Advocate going to Cambodia in June, and to North and South Vietnam, Cambodia and Batam during the end year trips. During these trips with the Student Council, House Council [In June] and successful SAJC applicants [End year], we had helped improved the living conditions of those in need through the building of water pumps, libraries and toilets. Also, through learning about their culture and customs as well as interacting with our beneficiaries, we had take back with us a lifetime of experiences that can never be compensated through static learning.

We hope to build a more charitable Singapore/SAJC community and develop in individuals the love for others before self, by serving the community and leading by example. If you have the passion for serving the community, inspiring others to do the same and lending a voice to speak up for different causes; Saints Advocate welcome you into our family.

Mission: Developing Servant Leaders
Vision: Others before self.
Aim: Advocating changes, Inspiring Lives