here - Waterways Watch Society

Volume 8, Issue 1
Newsletter Date:
Jan—Apr 2016
Waterways Watch
E-News
Dear friends,
It was an extremely active first four months of the year for WWS. In total we managed 76 schools programs (from RM, WWE, Talks, Exhibitions, etc.) and
over 13 corporate programs. It was encouraging to see more schools and corporates approach us and sign-up for one of our many educational and
awareness programs. In total, we had 76 new volunteers these 4 months. During this period we were also blessed with new partners and sponsors.
Corporates like Laneige, Amcor, Pratt & Whitney and also NWCDC are now sustainable partners with us. World Water Day in March saw us do more
activities at Kallang and Punggol, and we congratulate our partners Woodgrove Secondary School and CH2M for being one of the recipients of WWD Award
2016. Going forward, we will be expanding our activities at Punggol Waterways and introducing two new programs - Garden Program and Paddle Boat
Program. Contact us for more information.
Finally, thank you all for your continued support as we all work towards a sustainable environment for our future! Special thanks to our weekend admin
staff Brian Chia who will be leaving for an internship this May.
Eugene Heng
Chairman & Founder
River Monster
From January to April 2016, Waterways Watch Society conducted 15 River Monster programs inspiring
over 600 students from Singapore Polytechnic Accountancy, ACS (International), Chongzheng Primary,
Ping Yi Secondary and Farrer Park Primary.
We will continue to share the importance of environmental conservation to these young ambassadors
and thank the schools for their interest and continued support. Our programs include Value-In-Action
(VIA) activities, adding real value and meanings for our participants.
Assembly Talks
In the last four months, Waterways Watch Society held a total of
9 assembly talks for over 5200 students and staff. These included
schools such as Chung Cheng High (Yishun), Fuchun Secondary,
Chongzheng Primary, Damai Secondary, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
and ITE College East. Our corporate talks involved Swissotel
Merchant Court Hotel in conjunction with World Water Day.
We hope participants have gained a deeper understanding into
our environment and the proper ways of preserving it.
Page 2
Waterways Watch
Learning Trails
Between January to April 2016, we conducted 25 Learning Trail programs for over 620
students. Some of these schools that participated were Bukit View Secondary, Woodgrove
Primary, Hougang Secondary, Chung Cheng High (Yishun), Punggol Green Secondary, Youth
Corps & Lakeside Family Services, Tanjong Katong Girls’ School, Xishan Primary, Victoria School
and Marymount Convent. Some of these learning trails were in partnership with North West
CDC and corporates like Pratt & Whitney, PowerSeraya and Ascendas. Students and participants
had an enjoyable time and we hope they will have a greater sense of ownership to the
environment in their daily lives.
Values-In-Action Programs
Waterways Watch Society encourage schools, corporations and organizations to be more
involved in specifically-designed Values-In-Action (VIA) Programs, and happy to report that we
have managed to conduct 4 other programs alongside our main VIA programs (River Monster,
Learning Trails etc). These programs involved over 170 students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and
Bartley Secondary. We hope that interest and participation continues to grow in the years ahead.
Page 3
Waterways Watch
Kayak Patrol
Between January to April 2016, we conducted 14 programs for over 450 participants. Participants
were from schools as well as corporations, including Damai Secondary, Raffles Institution ODAC,
Ngee Ann Polytechnic Green Volunteers, St. Andrew’s Junior College, Nanyang Girls’ High, Ministry
of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Finance, KKH Healthcare Services Employee Union
and River Valley High. Some of these programs were conducted as learning trails alongside the
regular arrangements.
It is heartening to see the versatility of this program in bringing individuals from different age
groups. We hope this trend continues to grow in the future!
Member Duties
Between January to April 2015, we continued to see an increase in member hours with over 6,200
hours from over 500 members’ duties. We would like to thank our members for their unwavering
dedication to the Society, and more importantly towards the preservation of our local
environment. The member duty hours does not include members’ involvement in our other
programs.
As a Non-Government Organization, Waterways Watch Society’s outreach is only as strong as the
dedication of its members. However, we are certain that our outreach will only continue to grow in
time!
Page 4
Waterways Watch
Volume 8, Issue 1
Page 4
Beach Clean-up
Within the first 4 months of 2016, Waterways Watch Society conducted 6 beach clean-ups that
involved over 800 participants. This included both schools and corporate participants from Loyang
Primary, Woodgrove Secondary, Salesforce, Ascendas and OCBC.
Participants enjoyed themselves whilst helping to keep our shoreline clean! We are glad to see
many participants found this meaningful, and look forward to conducting more beach clean-ups
in the coming months.
Corporate Visits and Talks
Waterways Watch Society continues to provide programs not just for youth, but also for adults,
senior citizens, businesses and corporations. From January to April 2016, we managed to organize
13 different CSR programs with companies such as PUB Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, Sports
Hub, Singapore River One, Swissotel Merchant Court Hotel, Singapore Scouts Association, All
Nippon Airways, Brother Singapore, Laneige, Pacific Radiance, Salesforce, Moody’s and Xylem. In
total, we managed to reach out to over 400 individuals.
It is very encouraging to see more businesses making active efforts to involve their staff and
colleagues in adopting a more environmentally conscious lifestyle! The opportunity to show and
share our concerns in the challenge of climate change and global warming and the need for more
sustainable social behavior is something we want to do more.
Page 5
Waterways Watch
Volume 8, Issue 1
Page 5
Waterways Watch Booths
Alongside our programs, Waterways Watch Society also reaches out to spread environmental
awareness through our interactive booths. Within these 4 months, we set up booths in 7 events in
institutions and offices including Victoria Junior College, Anglo-Chinese Junior College, River Valley
High, Anderson Junior College and a LinkedIn exhibition, involving over 2000 visitors.
Additionally, we conducted a mini carnival with Better Trails where we set up a booth near our
premises, and involved migrant workers and cleaners to participate in our event, involving over 120
visitors and participants.
Camp Enviro-Awareness
To further our outreach and education, we also conduct camps that involve team-building skills,
games and tasks, all in the theme of environmental awareness. From January to April 2016, we held
a 3 day 2 night camp for students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. We are glad that the students
enjoyed themselves, and displayed great enthusiasm with the appointed tasks.
It was a good learning experience for both the students and our members and we hope to have a
few more camps planned for the second half of this year.
Page 6
Waterways Watch
Volume 8, Issue 1
Page 6
River Monster Junior
Following up on the soft launch of our new program for younger children and special-needs youth,
Waterways watch society conducted another River Monster Junior program for the students of Pathlight
School and Stamford American International School, involving over 150 participants.
Such programs are conducted in a manner suitable for these participants, and involving more members.
My Waterway@Punggol
A new development regarding the Punggol office concerns our new launch of the Coney Island project.
This new program will bring participants to Coney Island, where we impart knowledge concerning
environmental awareness amidst the lush vegetation of the island and its history. This program was
initially designed at the request of our new partner North East Community Development Council (NECDC).
During our first run through, the participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and we were glad to see the
new program become a success. We look forward to more participants in the future!
Stop Press
We have a new sponsored program with MPA
Thank you Laneige, Pratt & Whitney and
(10 school talks) covering the challenges &
NWCDC for your sponsorship this year. Your
issues in our seas. Check our website for
support will help us promote sustainable
more information!
environmental practices!
Stay tuned for new partnerships and
programs with SAFRA Punggol and
SAFRA Cohesion!