Young NTUC’s Youth Campus is traditionally an orientation to the Labour Movement. But in the three years that it has been organised, each edition has always had a unique spin that makes learning about the Labour Movement and its intricacies more interesting and relevant to participants.
Little surprise to know that the recent third edition of the Youth Campus, held on 10 November 2018 at Camp Challenge in Sembawang, was modelled after PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds, a popular online battle royale game where the winning objective is to be the last team standing.
Modified to include learning elements, over 50 young leaders nominated by the various unions, youth activists from NTUC’s nEbO junior membership wing and Young NTUC’s networks, as well as Young PAP (People’s Action Party) representatives got to work together in groups to complete Labour Movement-themed challenges to prepare for their final ‘battle’.
In the same way players in the game interact with their surroundings to find resources as they strive to be the last player standing in the game, each group had to put their leadership and communication skills to the test. This gave them the opportunity to know each other better as they solved mini challenges on topics such as tripartism, the role unions play in the work landscape, the purpose behind NTUC’s social enterprises and NTUC’s symbiotic relationship with the PAP, among others.
“Attending this Youth campus has changed my impression about the Labour Movement because as a union leader, I am not just helping workers, but also protecting the whole nation against future challenges.
“The activities we did as a team made the biggest impression on me because I not only had a chance to work with fellow union members, but learn more about myself in the process too,” said Young NTWU (National Transport Workers’ Union) representative Nurmuhyiddin Bharutheen, 29.
A Fireside Chat
As part of this year’s programme, participants also had the opportunity to engage NTUC Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) Koh Poh Koon in an intimate fireside chat.
Candidly sharing personal anecdotes and experiences, DSG Koh elaborated on many trending topics. Some of the key conversations included how unions and its leaders can help support industry transformation, and the important role its union leaders play as advocates of lifelong learning, in sharing the message of training and upgrading with their members.
“I'm very thankful to have been able to learn more from DSG Koh about some of the current issues we have to tackle together (as a nation) as Singapore continues to progress.
“Ultimately, we all want to become better and improve in every aspect of our lives. And to do so, we sometimes need to change the way we think and be more open!” shared 24-year-old Goh Geng Ting from Young NTUC’s Heart To Home affinity group.
