Basketball

Despite the many hiccups such as our first proposal of teaching APSN students to play Basketball getting rejected due to COVID-19 restrictions, the EJC Basketball members continued to maintain a positive outlook for our VIA, persevering through the rejection to come up with the new idea of a park cleanup. We thus carried out a project in partnership with NEA, aligning with our goals of cultivating a spirit of giving back to the community within our CCA.

Throughout the planning process for our clean up of Bishan Park, there were many aspects for us to consider such as safe distancing measures due to the current COVID-19 situation, safety precautions, weather conditions and the areas to be cleaned up. After surveying the area we were able to determine the best routes for each of the groups to take ensuring safe distancing while not compromising the area covered this allowed us to be able to clean up practically the entire park picking up rubbish. Safety was our main priority and we achieved that by ensuring that none of the groups would cross any roads and move near steep areas. In addition, preservation of the environment was another one of our concerns in which we instructed the different groups to not interact with any of the animals that they might encounter.

On the actual day itself, we were sure to maintain safe distancing throughout the activity, starting even from the reporting locations, where we split everyone into groups of 8 and staggered the timings to move to Bishan Park. We made sure to brief all participants on safety precautions. For example, we sent out slides detailing what and what not to pick up without proper protection.

The groups proceeded to move to their respective sections, which were carefully allocated to avoid intermingling. Braving the blazing heat, everyone carried out their duties with enthusiasm.

The actual activity went very smoothly, despite a few initial hiccups such as the school gate we initially wanted to exit from being locked. This led to many of us having to walk a whole round to reach our locations. However, we are proud to say that our peers adapted accordingly and followed the new route with no complaint. It was heartening to see how quickly we could adapt to unforeseen circumstances and how enthusiastic our CCA members were to carry out the activity despite the hot weather and longer walking time.

During the actual activity, some members expressed their uncertainty that there would even be enough rubbish for us to collect, due to our past experiences of PE in Bishan Park, where it was always in pristine condition. However, to our surprise, there was a sizable amount of rubbish to be collected!

Our assumption that Bishan Park was always clean was proved wrong with this activity. This made us even more aware of how hard our cleaners work to maintain the cleanliness of our public spaces. Given that we already collected so much rubbish in a matter of hours, we could only wonder how much trash cleaners have to collect every day. With this, we realised that many of us turn a blind eye to rubbish, especially when we are not the ones collecting it.

Overall, this VIA activity was a very enriching experience as it allowed us to help play a part in improving the environment in which we live in, giving us the opportunity to give back to the Bishan community by clearing up some rubbish that’s lying around and beautifying the surroundings. At the same time, we were able to enjoy the beauty of the scenery in the park, helping us gain greater appreciation for the environment. This motivated us to continue doing small actions like this in the future to keep the environment clean.

One learning point we got from this project was the importance of communication and organisation. As VIA representatives, we had to liaise with external organisations, the teachers, the rest of the CCA committee as well as the rest of the 60-member strong CCA. This proved to be quite difficult to juggle at the start, however we learnt through the process of trial and error to minimise miscommunication, organise time spent on each part of the project and delegate roles based on one’s strengths to maximise efficiency.

All in all, we are very thankful for this opportunity to helm a VIA project that proved to impact not only us, but the wider community. This was especially meaningful since EJC uses Bishan park so often for PE lessons and Investigation lessons. The chance to maintain the cleanliness of a public space we so often use was extremely insightful, and we are proud to say that our CCA members also found this project enjoyable and meaningful. We are grateful for the personal growth we experienced through the planning of this project, as well as the opportunity to impact the lives of our CCA peers and imbue them with a sense of responsibility to keep Singapore clean even beyond this project.

CCA VIA Ambassador

Liang Ka Hei (20-03)