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Space Jamb, Green Jamb An environmental initiative by the North Sub-Camp Text by Gao Chuanyu and Li Ming Yang, photos by Benjamin Chiew A unique conservation initiative shows you just how a jamboree can be eco-friendly: the North Sub-Camp has managed to get its campers to reuse metal utensils, trays and cups for every meal! Contrary to the styrofoam plates we usually see at the dining halls, the North SubCamp is using trays and disposable brown paper to contain their food. After each meal, the paper will be disposed of, and the trays and utensils will be washed by individuals. That is why no trace of styrofoam is seen from North’s garbage bags. Not only does this not waste styrofoam, which is a non-biodegradable material, campers also exercise the habit of washing their own ‘dishes’ after each meal, instead of conveniently disposing of them. Assistant Area Commissioner (North) Mr Eric Lam, commented that “the deal was worked out with the caterer, International Catering, to loan trays, cups and utensils for free, with the aim of educating participants about the importance of saving the environment.” Eco-friendly initiatives do not necessarily mean that they are more
Smile!
Asst Area Commissioner (North) Mr Eric Lam highlights his Area’s commitment to sustainability
expensive, and this particular creative solution “kills two birds with one stone’. Coincidentally, we found Chief Commissioner Mr Tan Cheng Kiong dining at the North Sub-Camp during our interview. He commented that this is “a great initiative and he enjoyed his meal very much.” Not only does he hope that participants can learn valuable lessons about environmental conservation, he encourages Scout troops to take up initiatives to propose eco-friendly ways to promote sustainability. Mr Tan further expresses SSA’s interest to collaborate
with National Environment Agency (NEA) and Public Utilities Board (PUB) to further promote environmental conservation amongst Scouts. Unlike other sub-camps which would produce several trash bags of waste after every meal, the North Sub-camp only produces one and a half bags of trash. Not only was this eco-friendly initiative able to reduce the amount of waste generated, each meal costs much less with each piece of paper disposed of. Our gratitude to the North SubCamp for spearheading the effort and we hope that every participant will be inspired by this initiative, to incorporate elements of environmental conservation in Scouting too.
Photos by Jacqueline Lau, Ang Lian Kwee, Benjamin Chiew, Kelvin Chew and Lim Kai Keat
SPACE JAMB!
Get it?
ISSUE #2 6 DECEMBER 2010
The Official Newsletter of the JAMB100 & 3rd ASEAN Jamboree
It’s time for take-off Contingents of flags, uniforms and cheering youths. Confetti, drums and the Kudu Horn. This is as Scouty as it gets... and the party officially starts! Text by Chiang Kar Mun, photos by Jacqueline Lau and Kelvin Chew
On a sweltering hot Sunday morning, participants of JAMB100 gathered to anticipate the arrival of the President of the Republic of Singapore, His Excellency S R Nathan to officially start the Jamboree. Other notable guests were Mr Jejomar Binay, Vice-President of the Philippines & Chairman of APR Scout Committee and Prof Dr H Azrul Azwar, Chairman of ASEAN Scout Association for Regional Co-operation Committee. During the wait, there were several performances, such as the traditional Pohchong Pohchong dance led by a group of talented scouts from Indonesia. “It was amazing to see many scouts dancing together and enjoying themselves,” commented one Filippino leader. As the performances went on, many took the chance to interact with Scouts from foreign countries. Finally His Chief Commissioner Mr Tan Cheng Kiong (left) blows the Kudu Horn as confetti rain onto the Arena after the Chief Excellency arrived to the roaring applause Scout, His Excellency S R Nathan (center) accompanied by SSA President Mr Noel Hon declares the Jamboree open of the waiting crowd, accompanied by the Camp Chief, Chief Commissioner Mr Tan Cheng Kiong and Mr Noel Hon, the President of the Association. The Yeung Ching Scout Lion Dance Troupe was stationed at the entrance of the camp to provide a customary and energising welcome for His Excellency. His Excellency then rode in a buggy waving energetically to thousands of participants trying to get a glimpse of him. In his speech, Mr Noel Hon said, “This Jamboree demonstrates the international nature of the brotherhood of Scouts.” This is indeed true, as there are 14 countries participating in this Jamboree. Nearing the end of his speech, he added, “I hope you will deepen your friendship with one another over available social network channels.” Commenting on the theme of this Jamboree, Mr Tan Cheng Kiong mentioned that ‘Building Common Space’ was to encourage Scouts and friends alike to expand their physical, mental and emotional spaces. Finally the time came for the official opening of the Jamboree. The crowd waited in excitement and expectancy as the Chief Scout declared open the Jamboree, pointing three fingers in the Scout Sign towards the fire pit, which burst into flames, burning strong and bright, signifying the start of the Jamboree, the start of an Adventure and the start of something new.
Cubs turn Day Adventurers! Text by Imran Shah, photos by Kelvin Chew
The Jamboree Media Team: Caleb Cheah, Jacqueline Lau, Ang Lian Kwee, Gao Chuan Yu, Li Ming Yang, Imran Shah, Asohk Kumar, Kumanan Ilangovan, Benjamin Chiew, Chiang Kar Mun, Ng Yin Hong, Kelvin Chew , Collin Wan, Lim Kai Keat
Cub scouts were expecting a fun-filled afternoon and they sure got it. The Day Adventurer Trail of tents housed 11 stalls ran by both Cub Scouts and their older brother Scouts. Games were creative and far from typical funfair games. There were no “topplethe-cans” or “score-a-goal” game in sight. One of the games which deserve special recognition for its innovativeness would be the Rubber Headed Apple Biter. Players were expected to bite on apples that were hanging freely which by normal standards wasn’t difficult. However, the ingenious part was that
their heads were held back by an elastic string, like a dog chained to its leash. This game was quoted by many Cub scouts as being the best game of the carnival. Continued on page 2...
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Singapore’s very own Bollywood? Text and photos by Ng Yin Hong Business for the stalls was so good that they had to end work at 3pm. Cub Scouts also commented that the interesting design of the Day Adventurer badge, which the Jamboree Badge would fit right into it, was another important incentive to play the games. Public visitors to the Jamboree also entertained themselves through playing the games. Though good comments were many, there were still some level of dissatisfaction evident as many Cubs commented that there were too few stalls and hence they quickly finished their quest for the highly-sought Day Adventurer badge. A Cub was quoted as saying that they were “Jam-boring”. Despite that, with the overwhelming good response from a majority of the participants, it is obvious that our Cub Scouts, overflowing with enthusiasm have thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Day Adventurer’ programme.
Tucked away in a snug corner of Singapore, Bollywood Veggies played host to 38 Scouts and leaders on Day Two of the Jamboree. The journey there from the campsite seemed surreal, as it was totally unlike the suburban landscape that dominates Singapore. Instead, we were treated to views of lush vegetation, huge stretches of farmland and the rustic splendor of the Kranji countryside. The 10-acre farm is named Bollywood Veggies as its owner Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim, former Singapore national netballer, is half-Indian and half-Chinese, hence this reflects her heritage. On the other hand, it is also supposed to represent the farm as a fun, entertaining and relaxing place, just like how Bollywood movies are. Indeed, the Scouts and leaders had fun strolling through the farm, with a
tour guide showing them the various plants being cultivated, and giving some tips and insights on the benefits of the plants and organic farming in general. The guide even poked fun on stereotypical Singaporean behaviour, when explaining why the longans on the tree were bagged up, commenting, “We put longans in the bag because during the night, bats will come and eat them, while in the morning birds will come and steal some, and in the afternoon, Singaporeans will come and pluck them!” Haji Bahmin, a Bruneian Scout Leader from, stated that he“found the banana most interesting. I had thought that they were all edible. However I found out that banana plants with flowers pointing upwards cannot be eaten, while only those with flowers pointing down can.” After the tour, the Scouts played a harvesting game, where they were given a list of 10 plants and they had to find and harvest them as fast as possible. The game was really entertaining and brought out the competitive edge in the young and energetic Scouts. A group of Indonesian Girl Scouts emerged champions in the end, but everyone walked out winners in their own right, as they all have gained new knowledge of plants and organic farming. This trip has indeed emphasised a Scouting motto of leaving the world a better place than they have found it, reinforcing that we should not destroy our environment and work towards its sustainability in the long run.
Flames of Friendship Keeping memories and brotherhood alive Text and photos by Kumanan Ilangovan
Two nights have almost passed. Despite our varying nationalities, races, religions or colour, friendships have been forged on the commonalities of our Scouting brotherhood. What better way could there be, then to celebrate these friendships, around a campfire. The way Scouts do! As the campfire was opened at South Area Sub-Camp, cheers and claps were thunderously roaring. But unfortunately, the campfire seemed to be in a more dampened spirit then the participants were, after the heavy showers yesterday. Smoke engulfed the circle, but never give up was the spirit of the Ventures and Leaders who did their best in reviving the fire that was started. Never mind the fire, let’s enjoy the night, was the reaction from our Scouts. The night was well-planned and enjoyed with a string of Scouting songs led by Assistant Area Commissioner (South) Lai
Kwok Chin and Scout Branch Commissioner (Western Australia) Vern Casey from Australia. The Scouts from First Toa Payoh Primary got the ball rolling by putting up their own rendition of the Black Eyed Pea’s song, I’ve got a Feelin, which got the entire Sub-Camp on their feet and dancing to the beats. The Sri Lankan and Indonesian (Gerakan Pramuka) Scouts also entertained the crowd with their traditional dances. As the evening drew closer to an end, Vern Casey gave a yarn which was about his experiences as a Scout, and the things he had benefitted through Scouting. The yarn got me thinking about my own journey into Scouting and the commitment I had made to the value of Scouting, when I made my first promise as a Cub Scout. And so should every Scout think, about his journey. As well as the adventures they’ve been through, the friendships that they have forged and the values they’ve committed themselves to. Let’s celebrate our Adventures & Continue our Journey!
Bangladesh
Slang it up!
Compiled by Ng Yin Hong
5 Singlish words you could use: 1. LAH The ubiquitous Singlish tag. Used like a full stop in a sentence. “It always rains in Singapore, lah.” 2. KIASU (kee-ah-soo) Hokkien (Chinese dialect) adjective literally meaning, “afraid of losing”. A highly pejorative description of Singaporeans, possibly being our defining national characteristic. The nearest English equivalent is “dog in a manger”, though even that is pretty mild. “You came four hours early just to get a good lodging space for the Jamboree? How kiasu are you?”
3. HAR? Super contraction of “Could you please repeat that again?” The equivalent of “What?” Scout leader: “John, are you paying attention to me?” John: “Har?” 4. MEH A Singlish tag which accompanies questions. Adds a slight tone of incredulity. “This is the right way, meh?” 5. BOOMZ Popularised by former Miss Singapore World 2009 champion Ris Low, it is used to express approval about an object, usually meaning cool, amazing, pretty or anything else positive. “The Singapore Jamboree badge is so boomz!”
3 Belgium
Indonesia
1. 2. 3.
Name Age Nationality
1093 Singapore
6 Taiwan
332
Simply make sure to include your (after writing what you’d like to say of course!)
Thailand
Maldives
India
You can nominate someone interesting to be interviewed!
73
8
2
41 Brunei
166 Malaysia
Hong Kong
Or
Spot the Sillies
6
3
You can choose to write an article…
Cultural performance by the Sri LankanScouts
40 Cambodia
Look out for the SUBMISSION BOXES located at each of the 4 sub-camps. Have your voice heard on the next issue of Space Jamb!
Submissions will be collected at 7pm every day.
A quick (rough) tally of Country representation among the participants
Australia
HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND? (YEAH!) BUT NOWHERE TO VOICE OUT YOUR DEEPEST, INNERMOST DESIRES? (AWW…)
Then, fold your submission and insert it into the hole at the side!
And in this corner we have....
27
You can be published here too!
Vietnam
41
39 Total: 1880 The Philippines
“I hope that, by now, every Scout should have made at least 20 new friends. And if they have already done so, they can go on and make another 20 more!” ~ SSA Chief Commissioner Tan Cheng Kiong
Spot the Media Team staff wearing this pair of funky sunglasses or sporting this fiery hat during the Jamb and say to him or her: “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand” (or something to that effect) and win Jamb-related prizes. While stocks last!