Special Thanks to Waterloo Members

It has been a while since I last updated this blog..

Our team has just concluding our fundraising drive for Project Waterloo!

Special appreciation

The following people -

Joyce (for the ice-cream)

Wenhao (for the water filtration unit and layout of the booth)

Shaorong (for the hearts and photos)

Have helped tremendously in the organising and running of the booth.

Without them, we wouldnt have gotten such success from the booth.

Team Kamikaze

Thank you to the crazy fellas who stayed overnight at the booth!

First Night: Joyce, Yiing Jye, Wenhao

Second Night: Wenhao, Ming Hui, Shaorong

Third: Wenhao, Minghui, Diana, Shaorong, Denise, Michell, Joyce

Best Vocal Award:

This award goes to our dear Eunice, for having the sweetest and loudest voice in Team Waterloo.

According to a report from one of the Mentos, Mingzhou, he was able to hear Eunice's "Ice-scream for sale" even when he was at the toilet's urinal.

Best Money Counters:

Shaorong & Guanyi for counting the money and depositing the money on a daily basis.

Btw, I still have alot of coins in the drawer.

Please clear them!

Best Gossip Monger:
This special award goes to Yi Ting!

No one else has proven to be more worthy of this award, other than Yiting.

With her daily feed of the latest gossips in the team, our guys at the booth have endless stream of entertainment.

According to YiTing herself, she is quiet and reserved.

Apparently not so.

Her claims are now being questioned by several, including the Royalty.

A check-up has been scheduled with IMH.

Everyone in Waterloo!

Last but not least, every single one of you who had taken time off your studies to help out at the booth!

We have all gotten closer to one another after putting so much effort at the booth.

I believe our booth is the only 24hours stall in NTU's history, even better than 7-11. :P

My email to Waterloo Applicants

Boo!

Did your heart miss a beat when you see the title of the mail?
I must apologise for playing such a prank on you.
I know all are eagerly waiting for the results.
I am not releasing the results now, because I still have people who have yet to pay up!

The purpose of this mail is mainly to show my appreciation to everyone who make time for the application.
At the same time, I would like to share my thoughts with everyone who applied for Waterloo.

Both Diana and myself had the opportunity to talk to every single one who had applied for Project Waterloo.
Despite the time-constraints that we all have, everyone made the effort to attend the interview sessions.
My stomach was rumbling during some of the time because of the lunches I missed.
I was hoping that someone would have bought me some nice muffins for Cafe Express to bribe me during the interview.
Jokes aside, I would like to apologise for any hiccups along the way(i.e. missing out names or failing to keep to the scheduled timing).


Limitations on group size.
Over the past 3 days, I could feel the sincerity and eagerness that most of you have expressed during the interview.
Unfortunately, the vacancies I have are limited.
Furthermore, the village in Cambodia may not be able to sustain a group that is too big.
On the other hand, the people who deserve a place within the team is definitely more than 20.

Diana and myself had literally spent hours poring through the applications at night.
Even during today morning, I still had a big headache finalising the namelist.

For those who arent selected, please do not be disappointed.
I still would like to invite you to join us in the local efforts for this project.
I strongly believe that the local projects is certainly equally meaningful.
For those who continued to persevere with us despite not being chosen, I will do my best to let you join the expedition.
I am looking into the possibility of increasing the team size.


Just some thoughts I had during the interview.
1. Firstly, I was very much impressed by the experiences of community service everyone has shared with me. With all these experiences, I hope you will continue to serve as well as to inspire those around you to serve. NTU SIFE attracted me because it gave me the free reins to do whatever projects I would like to be engaged. I hope all of you will take part in our projects and eventually play a part in creating new meaningful projects for the community.

2. Secondly, I also do come across some who are still searching for their passion. Our time in NTU is very short. I will urge you to expose yourself to as many different experiences as possible. SIFE promotes a worth and interesting cause. You will be pleasantly surprised by the warm reception that we students enjoy from people experienced in their fields. Talk to people. Businessman. CEOs. Poly students. Politicians. The namecards will be extremely useful. Make good use of them.

3. Thirdly, NTU SIFE is made up of a group of friendly and down-to-earth NTU undergraduates. The most important reason why we can worked so hard together is because we enjoy working together! I will like to encourage a fun and open culture within the club. I hope you will find your true friends in SIFE, just like what I had found.

It is a lengthy email and thank you for reading up till here.
I will look forward to working with everyone very soon.

If I missed out anyone or his/her friends, please either forward this mail to him/her or inform me.
Lastly, if you have any thoughts which you would like to share with me or Diana, feel free to express them.
I would like to hear from you.

Thank you!

Designations in Project Waterloo

Hi all! Thank you for coming down for the welcome tea session! It was great meeting like-minded folks who wish to contribute back to the community. NTU SIFE warmly welcomes you into our fraternity!

For those who signed up for Project Waterloo, you may wish to be informed of the following designations in our team, so you can prepare for the interview this coming week! (click image below to enlarge)

1.0 Co-leaders

Co-leaders of Project Waterloo will be tasked with overall project management, as well as people management. Leaders have the heavy responsibility of ensuring that all aspects of the project, from pre- and post-expeditions to the expedition itself are carried out smoothly. They have to manage team members’ expectations, and ensure that the well-being of members is constantly taken care of. On top of that leaders are also encouraged to conduct regular facilitation sessions with members, so that members will actively reflect on the activities that they have done.

1.1 Process

Process relates to the core activities under Project Waterloo, consisting of Engineering (building the water filtration system), Local Projects, and Business (fundraising, sponsorship and sourcing of business opportunities).

1.11 Engineering (4)

The engineering manager will be in charge of overseeing the building and implementation of the water filtration system. He will have under him a logistics officer, responsible for soliciting the purchase of the raw materials needed, and transportation of the raw materials to the building site. The liaison officer will be responsible for communicating the requirements of the engineering project to the head of the NGO in the village, and the technical experts helping out with Project Waterloo.

1.12 Local Projects (4)

The local project manager has to ensure that the local projects are initiated and implemented successfully. The importance of local projects cannot be belittled; in fact they are as important as the overseas project itself. They represent areas where the YEP team can contribute to the local community and where members have opportunities to bond with one another before they set out to Cambodia. He/she has to manage the people in his committee, who will also handle liaison and logistical work. One of our local project partners is Blessings In a Bag (www.blessingsinabag.org), but the committee is encouraged to source for other partners that we can benefit.

1.13 Business (4)

The business committee has 3 main tasks: fundraising, sponsorship as well as in sourcing for business opportunities in the village in Cambodia in conjunction with the setting up of the water filtration system. Fundraising activities can be as creative as possible, such as in selling of hand-made or food items in school, selling food vouchers that can be redeemed etc. Sponsorship should take up the bulk of the funds to be raised, and thus the liaison officer should approach corporate for donations of any kind.

1.2 Support

The support activities that help to ensure the success of Project Waterloo include: publicity and media, and welfare/Human resources.

1.21 Publicity and Media

The publicity and media manager is responsible for setting up and maintaining a website/blog detailing our journey through YEP. They will also be in charge of documenting the journey through any means possible, be it through photos or videos.

1.22 Welfare/HR

The welfare/ HR committee takes care of the needs of the team, be they food, shelter or living space, ensuring that all needs are adequately met. In addition the first aiders under the welfare committee will serve as the medics of the team, providing the relevant first aid when necessary.

SIFE Recruitment

Dear Potential SIFE Members,

A very big thank you to all who were present during our Welcome Tea Session!
We hope the presentation during the session enabled you to gain a greater understanding of what SIFE is, as well as the opportunities that SIFE is able to offer.
We would like to apologise for the minor hiccups during the registration but we are sure the delicious buffet has probably made up for the inconvenience. =)
The following are some administrative matters for SIFE members.
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Registration for SIFE membership
1. Please fill in the following form, http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGw4VHRnVm9xNlFEUlNUWVNJWUdxelE6MA
2. Indicate the interested project.(It is for our reference so that we can share more relevant information wrt the project, it does not mean that you must join the project)
3. Registration deadline for SIFE membership is 31st August 2009 2359Hr.

In addition, SIFE will prepare a box of 100 namecards for each member.
For those who have already indicated that they are joining SIFE, please fill in the form so that we can capture your data for the namecards.
As we expect to meet business leaders during our networking sessions, we advise that you give some thoughts to the email address submitted in the form.
Please refer to http://www.saipeopleblog.com/top-10-tips-to-write-a-professional-email-address-in-resume/ for some suggestions.
The cost of the namecards will be advised in a later date.

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Registration for 5th September SIFE Workshop
1. Please indicate your attendence in the same form, http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGw4VHRnVm9xNlFEUlNUWVNJWUdxelE6MA

We strongly encourage all SIFE members to attend the session.
This event is organised by SIFE SG. Other universities and polytechnics are also invited for the session.
SIFE SG will be covering the competition criteria and the SIFE team model.
It will be a good opportunity for us to interact with fellow SIFE members from the other schools!

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Registration for YEP
1. Submit the completed Registration Forms to ntusife@gmail.com by 29th August(Saturday) 2359Hr via Email with the title"Registration form(Waterloo)"/"Registration form (Tiwala!)" for administrative purposes.
(Remember to register for SIFE membership to be eligible for it)
2. The respective project leaders will be interviewing the applicants over the course of next week.
3. We will release the list of selected members latest by 4th of Septmber(Friday)
4. First YEP meeting will be scheduled on 5th September(Saturday) from 2pm to 4pm (after our SIFE workshop, venue to be confirmed).

We are aware that a number of the attendees may not have received the Registration Form for YEP. We have attached the form to this mail.
Due to the huge response, the team has decided to make both YEP Projects exclusive for registered NTU SIFE members only.
And Project Tiwala! will be extending their registration datelines from 26th August to 29th August 2359.
For those who have submitted your forms already, you do not have to submit again.

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Once again, thank you for taking the time to learn more about SIFE.
The Exco team is very heartened by the favourable and passionate response from our attendees during the tea session.
NTU SIFE is always seeking for passionate, like-minded people like ourselves.

The projects which we have shared are going to be challenging yet fulfilling.
We can assure you that the experience and the contacts that you gain along the way will be very different from your peers.



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Best Regards,
Students in Free Enterprise(NTU SIFE)

Mission: Serving the community through sustainable enterprise and joint partnership with business leaders .
Vision: Achieving self-sustainable communities and producing socially responsible business leaders.

Recruitment

Hi guys!

Those interested in joining Project Waterloo, Project Tiwala or NTU SIFE, please note that there will be a welcome tea session next:

Wed,
26th of Aug,
6.45pm-8.00pm @
South Spine S4 Seminar Rooms 12 & 14.

Light refreshments will also be provided.

Be prepared to be engaged!

Register for the tea session by clicking here.

What can SIFE do 4 me?

SIFE is about developing the capabilities and character of students with its structured programme co-organised with our corporate sponsors.

Through:

Workshops

Internships

Networking sessions

Forums

We hope to equip SIFE students with the essential skills and aptitude to participate and take up community projects both locally and overseas.

SIFE places a strong emphasis on project creation and management because we believe that they are one of the most effective ways of applying what we have learnt in classrooms onto the real world.

SIFE projects are different from normal community projects because of:

• Our emphasis on sustainability
• Fusion of business acumen with a heart for the community
• We do not simply build facilities, but we build up the capabilities of communities to rely on themselves for a living
• We track the income and standard of living in the community to assess our impact