International Friendship Day

Innova Primary School commemorated International Friendship Day (IFD) on 3 April 2023. This year’s theme is ‘Singapore in Asia’. IFD is dedicated to the understanding of Singapore’s relations with neighbouring countries and beyond. This is especially important as the world today is getting increasingly interconnected and people are more mobile. Thus, there is an increasing need for us to expand our understanding of the world and to know our roles in it.

IFD commemoration in IPS kickstarted one week earlier. Flags and information posters on the 10 ASEAN countries were put up in the canteen and EL Arcade to expose students to the different ASEAN countries and to learn more about them.

On IFD, our three emcees (Yu Yin, Marrisa and Alvin) led the assembly programme for students to understand the key messages and big ideas of IFD 2023. Following that, students watched an interactive video created by the InnovaTech Influencers where they had to guess the various ASEAN flags. Students also learned to say ‘thank you’ in different ASEAN languages. The assembly programme ended with a few of our Innovians presenting the various costumes of the ASEAN countries through a fashion show where they donned the costumes and paraded on the stage to create awareness of the cultural costumes. 

The colourful costumes that were presented to the audience during the fashion show created awareness about the type of costumes worn in ASEAN countries. Through the fashion show, students got to know the costumes and their origins better especially when their non-Singaporean peers shared informally about their country's costumes with each other. Students who participated in the fashion parade learned and had fun while showcasing the costumes to their peers and this indeed gave them a very fulfilling experience in cultural exchange through the display of the various costumes.

There were also recess activities for students to try out two traditional games (five stones and kite making) from the ASEAN countries. Students also watched a video called Wayang Kulit which is a traditional form of puppet-shadow play originally found in the cultures of Java and Bali in Indonesia.

Through the various activities, students were encouraged to get along well with friends of other races, cultures, and nationalities in order to bring about better learning and living with other socio-cultural groups.

International cooperation remains key in our complex world. Asia is the world’s fastest-growing region, and Singapore continues to facilitate closer economic, political, social, and cultural cooperation within ASEAN and in Asia.

On 7th April 2022, Innova Primary School commemorated International Friendship Day. The theme for International Friendship Day this year is “Singapore in Asia”. Our students are given the opportunity to explore and gain greater awareness of the kaleidoscope of races, cultures and religions in ASEAN nations. Our students were also able to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between Singapore and its neighbouring countries.

By recognising the importance of connectedness between our neighbouring countries, our students can play an active role in fostering people-to-people ties, and thus celebrate the region’s diversity and vibrancy and promote the spirit of friendship and collaboration.

A series of activities were planned and conducted during Social Studies and Character and Citizenry Education (CCE) lessons to help pupils understand the importance of friendship between Singapore and its neighbours. Our lower primary pupils learned about the different traditional costumes and greetings used by the various ASEAN nations through the making of a bookmark. Our middle primary pupils had fun creating their own “grocery bag” which contained a variety of groceries that are distinct to each ASEAN nation. The upper primary pupils were exposed to a wide range of interesting facts about each ASEAN nation. They even penned down the most interesting fact about each nation in order to consolidate their understanding and appreciation of the different nations. The wonderful work of students were then displayed and hung outside every classroom by the teachers, which concluded the festive International Friendship Day celebration this year!

As a little red dot surrounded by a sea of green, Singapore realizes the importance of forging strong solidarity and friendship with its neighboring countries in order to survive. This ideal is imparted to students through International Friendship Day commemorated every year on the third Friday of Term 2. This day is dedicated to the understanding of Singapore’s relations with neighboring countries and beyond. It aims to alert students towards the geo-political realities inherent in Singapore, as well as nurture in them the spirit of friendship and partnership among different countries and different people.

This year, our events took a different shape as they were conducted online. Nevertheless, the significance of these events was not lost among our students as they learned the importance of building cross-cultural skills and relationships with people from other countries.

An E- Assembly programme was held on 8th April 2021. The CCE department shared with the school the key messages for International Friendship Day and the importance of connectedness within and beyond ASEAN. 12 posters (information sheet about the ASEAN countries) were displayed in the canteen to heighten students’ awareness on ASEAN countries.

CCE teachers conducted lessons about International Friendship Day and completed the activity sheet while Social Studies teachers went through the slides on how ASEAN has provided necessities like rice, vegetables, and meat to Singapore. The pupils also completed postcards by drawing and/or writing a thank you note to any ASEAN countries. There were also interesting facts on the hosting country for ASEAN in 2021 – Brunei in the Kindsville Times for teachers to share in class. 

The commemoration of IFD in Innova Primary School this year has helped students gain a deeper appreciation of regional cooperation and recognizing how an active foreign policy has enabled us to maintain our international space and good relations with neighboring countries.