Background

The Explorations in Ethnicity (EiE) programme was jointly developed by the National Institute of Education and the People's Association to provide a platform to stimulate and facilitate honest, open and unreserved sharing and discourse on ethnicity in a multi-racial setting. Participants undergo a journey of self-discovery and exploration that opens their minds to the nuances and challenges of living in multi-racial and multi-cultural Singapore.

EiE is a movement that enables participants to gain deeper understanding of the nature and manifestation of inter-ethnic relationships, as well as enhanced awareness of the presumptions, perceptions and attitudes with regard to ethnicity, through honest and open facilitated discussions and reflections.

The 2 components of the EiE programme are:

• Basic Course (2 days residential) – Targeted at participants such as youth leaders, teachers, and selected grassroots leaders, between the ages of 17-25.
  
• Facilitators' Course (4 days 2 nights residential) – Designed for adult volunteers (aged 21 and above) to impart the essential knowledge, skills and tools to facilitate the EiE Basic Course.

Since the commencement of the Explorations in Ethnicity programme, the Facilitator Courses and Basic Courses conducted have trained 70 facilitators and reached out to more than 200 youths. Look out for the next EiE Basic Course!

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Explorations in Ethnicity Basic Course on 28 February – 01 March 2009

The EiE workshop is an experiential learning program that enables the participants to gain a deeper understanding of inter-ethnic relations and awareness about perceptions, presumptions and attitudes to ethnicity.

The 2-day course began at MOE Diary Farm, Bukit Timah. Beginning with simple trust exercises, students were soon taken out of their comfort zones with honest and open discussions and reflections about race and racism. Different documentaries exploring the issue of race were used as a starting point for discussions. The discussions were complimented with physical activities such as a 4-way tug of war which was physical representation of majority and minority challenges faced in Singapore . The day ended with students embarking on a “Life Journey” and sharing their personal experiences and building strong bonds with fellow participants.

Nomination of OnePeople.sg EiE Facilitator to ASEAN + 3 Youth Festival

“It was a fantastic experience and I learnt a lot and made numerous contacts locally and internationally from it. I am really grateful to OPSG for the opportunity to be part of the ASEAN +3 Youth Festival (AYF).”

•  Sherefudin, OnePeople.sg EIE Facilitator

OnePeople.sg seeks to constantly groom our volunteer group and recently nominated our EiE Facilitator, Sherefudin for the ASEAN +3 Youth Festival (AYF) held from 28 Jul to 3 Aug 2008. Hear what our EiE Facilitator says about his experience!

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Photo Gallery

Explorations in Ethnicity Basic Course

Explorations in Ethnicity Facilitators' Course

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