10 LUMEN | PROGRAMMES
SJI ’ s DESIGN ( ed ) for CHANGE
By Samuel Pang , Lee Shang Shin , Timothy Tai and Seo Jiwoo
SJI ’ s Signum Fidei Programme ( SF ) aims to develop Josephians to integrate and transform their learning into practical solutions . Through the design thinking processes , the boys will innovate beyond their existing paradigm and offer a fresh perspective into real-world issues which they are passionate about .
During the two-year programme , the students will acquire theoretical knowledge underpinning design thinking , needs analysis , research methodology , interdisciplinary approaches and gain the opportunity to hone their communication and presentation skills . They also collaborate with other team members and apply this knowledge to investigate the needs of a local organisation and propose meaningful solutions / prototypes to the organisation . The students also use the lens of innovation and enterprise to serve the needs of the community through two anchor programmes at Year 4 : Innovathon - a competition for innovation and creativity ; and SFgives - where students will use their creativity and enterprising spirit to contribute to a charity in fresh and innovative ways .
Samuel Pang , Lee Shang Shin , Timothy Tai and Seo Jiwoo from MN401 share their experiences of their SF journey in this story .
The ripple effect of an effort to change the world for the better Our journey of innovation and collaboration in The Signum Fidei programme has brought us through a journey of using the design thinking framework to ideate and raise awareness for societal and environmental problems in society . During SFGives , we collaborated with Sembcorp organisation to produce a video on recycling electronic-waste . Our project , entitled Jimmy ’ s Bad E-waste Habit features Jimmy , a teenaged boy whose parents bought a new phone for him on his birthday . The story revolves around his moral dilemma : should he choose to dispose of his old phone in an eco-friendly manner or throw it into a rubbish bin ? Like many consumers today , he chooses the easy way out . The dire consequences of his choice in the end urge viewers to view the e-waste issue as one of utmost importance for our environment . During
Innovathon , we created a simple water purifier to share the message that “ Every Drop Counts ” with regard to saving water in Singapore . Taking part in the Design for Change ( DFC ) Singapore Challenge has allowed us to extend our efforts in our SFGives project and expand our sphere of influence with people from countries around the world on the DFC platform . Working together towards a common goal for the greater good has enabled us to hone our skills of conflict resolution , communication and organisation . But more importantly , it has enriched us with the experiences of serving the larger community and the opportunity to grow as people-centered citizens who use the Design Thinking framework to innovate : coming up with different ways to raise awareness about prevalent issues like e-waste and water wastage in Singapore . To sum up , we have been humbled by our journey and will continue our efforts towards becoming Men for Others .
Looking forward , we hope that our winning the DFC competition will inspire others to have faith in the ripple effect of a simple effort to make the world a better place .
Samuel : As the group leader , I suggested that we participate in this competition to extend and deepen our efforts for SFGives . Not only has the DFC journey helped us concretise our efforts , it has also enabled me to develop the skill of observation with compassion and to take the initiative to improve my environment . Sharing our project and goals with people from other countries and learning about their projects has been nothing short of inspirational . All in all , I am thankful for this opportunity to truly grow the Josephian way towards becoming a community builder . In the future , I hope to use the skills of communication and ideation I have gained from the DFC and SF journey and apply them to my