At this year's Community Day, students from Crest Secondary School (Crest) extinguished "aliens", played human foosball, and gained important life lessons whilst doing so.

Temasek led its employees to a fun-filled day at the secondary school, which is Singapore's first specialised school for Normal (Technical) students. Just two years young, Crest runs a special curriculum that focuses and builds on students' strengths in performing hands-on and operational work. It gives students a strong foundation in high-demand industries such as hospitality, retail, and mechanical services.

But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so the Temasek contingent put together The Quest— a space-themed series of games and fun challenges, designed especially for the students at Crest. 

This year's Temasek Community Day is a space-themed quest - definitely no walk in the park!

Community Day takes place each year on 25 June to mark Temasek's anniversary and reinforces its desire to give back to society by encouraging its employees to partake in a company-wide event. Staff from Temasek and Crest identified principles shared by both sides, and created activities that emphasised three main values throughout the event: Self-Worth, Resilience, and Teamwork.
 

Space theme spotlights need for confidence, teamwork

Ms Hannah Lee, an English teacher at Crest, said the theme appealed to her young charges. She added that the activities provided valuable opportunities for teachers and students to bond, and also helped build confidence in among youths. In the human foosball station, for instance, five teachers and five students were tied to poles and had to score goals against each other's team.

"Some students initially were unsure about trying out the game so we egged them on and they eventually had a great time," Ms Lee said. "The teachers were clearly better players, but they 'gave chance' and I think the students appreciated that. It allowed both teams to bond and offered a new experience that the students would otherwise not be able to try."

Secondary 2 students, Danz Leow and Hazim Firdaus, had the most fun "whacking" aliens, who were Temasek staff dressed in out-of-this-world costumes. Students were given plastic light-sabers and water pistols to chase down the aliens. They stand to collect extra points if the aliens surrendered.

Danz laughed: "My instructor said we were abusing the aliens!" 

Temasek staff don alien suits and bring the games to life for Crest students.

Like Ms Lee, Hazim enjoyed the human foosball challenge, adding that it required a lot of teamwork. Laughing as he described how he was tied up to the pole with a thinner schoolmate who found it difficult to manoeuvre quickly to grab the ball, Hazim said: "I'm heavier than him so he couldn't move unless I moved along with him!"

The joy of giving back

Bhupesh Kumar, Director of Portfolio Management at Temasek, played the role of an alien. Although he had to "run for his life" and "come under attack" from alien hunters, Bhupesh said it was worth the bruises when he saw the smiles on the students' faces.

Fellow employee, Eddy Ho, agreed. An Associate from the Investment Group at Temasek, as well as Lead Befriender at Community Day, he said hearing the cheers from the students--when they learnt their mystery prize was a one-day admission to Universal Studios--created the best memory for him.

"I gained great satisfaction from interacting with the students, understanding their backgrounds, and helping them build self-confidence by empowering them with responsibilities at the various game stations," Eddy said.

Bhupesh also appreciated the opportunity to help inject joy into the young lives, even if it was only for a day.

"Some of the children we met at Crest Secondary did not have a good start in life, but I was delighted to see that with a caring and supportive environment, they would be able to grow to become as fulfilled and happy as any other kids," he said.

Programmes like Community Day are part of T-Touch, Temasek’s staff-driven volunteer initiative aimed at making a difference for the wider community. The company hopes to create memorable and meaningful activities that its beneficiaries otherwise might not be able to experience. 

Planning their conquest: a memorable way to learn Self-Worth, Resilience, and Teamwork.

Hazim summed it up best: "I thought it was going to be small affair. But when I arrived in school, everything was so big and there were so many things for us to see.

"It was very fun," he said with a wide grin.