● 160 schools & over 1,800 students and teachers have stepped up to champion kindness among their communities

● Guest-of-Honour, Second Minister for Education, Dr. Mohamad Maliki Osman, gave a pre-recorded video speech to congratulate these kindness ambassadors

● Students were recognised in 4 different award categories: Friend of Singa (FOS), Write for Kindness (WFK), Kindness Badge Award (KBA) and Seed Kindness Fund Junior (SKF JR)

● In a COVID-19 disrupted year, many projects focused on expressing gratitude towards under-recognised workers in our communities

SINGAPORE – 22 Jan 2021 ━ 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the Friend of Singa programme and the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) celebrated this momentous milestone with its first-ever virtual ceremony on Friday, 22 January 2021. To kick off the celebrations, SKM premiered a video on its social media platforms, featuring a message by Guest-of-Honour, Second Minister for Education, Dr. Mohamad Maliki Osman. In total, 160 schools and more than 1,800 students and teachers were recognised for their efforts towards inculcating kindness in their communities. The virtual awards video acknowledges the dedication and commitment of the students who have participated in the four different award categories, Friend of Singa (FOS), Kindness Badge Award (KBA), Write for Kindness (WFK) and Seed Kindness Fund Junior (SKF JR).

Giving thanks to essential workers

 

One of the winners of Friend of Singa was Nanyang Primary School. When COVID-19 forced schools to adopt home-based learning, tireless campus security guards of Nanyang Primary School continued to work through the Circuit Breaker to ensure the safety of students and staff during the trying period. Kindness ambassadors from Nanyang Primary School decided to express gratitude towards these hardworking defenders, and proceeded to interview them when schools reopened. To show appreciation to these silent heroes, they produced a video, which was shared on their school’s e-magazine. The video was well-received and inspired other students of Nanyang Primary School to be grateful and to show their gratitude to these essential workers. The video can be viewed here.

 

Uniformed groups conveyed gratitude towards delivery riders

 

Similarly, the NCC cadets of Swiss Cottage Secondary observed the spike in food delivery orders during the Circuit Breaker period, and wanted to express thanks towards these delivery riders. Rain or shine, these hardworking riders have provided Singaporeans much convenience, while observing safe distancing measures. As such, these NCC cadets prepared care packages, including appreciation cards penned by students, for the riders. They also interviewed food delivery riders to gain insights into the job and some of the challenges encountered. These students managed to spread awareness on the importance of treating delivery riders with respect with the produced video, earning them the coveted Kindness Badge Gold Award.

In his message for the student award recipients, Dr. Mohamad Maliki Osman, Second Minister for Education, commended them for finding ways to give and be kind to others despite experiencing a year of adversity, uncertainty and change. He said, “Being kind does not require extraordinary effort, but it does require us to be other-centric, placing others before ourselves. Thanking a frontline worker, greeting a bus driver or cheering up a friend who is feeling down, are all simple acts of kindness that can be done by anyone. We need people to do more of such kind acts regularly in their daily lives, and we can encourage our families and friends to do their part in helping to build the kind of society we want to live in.”

“For 30 years, the Singapore Kindness Movement has been recognising youthful kindness ambassadors for their efforts in making a positive difference. I still have working adults approaching me, recounting winning the Friend of Singa award as one of their proudest moments in their formative years. I am glad
to witness this significant 30-year milestone and the great work that the students have accomplished so far. I hope to see great things from this year’s batch of kindness ambassadors.” Dr William Wan, General Secretary of SKM remarked.

View the full 30th Annual School Kindness Awards ceremony video here.

Click here to download the Kindness Awards 2020 images. Kindly credit the images to the Singapore Kindness Movement.

View the speeches by Dr. Mohamad Maliki Osman and Dr William Wan

Click here to view the Kindness Awards 2020 booklet, which includes the full list of winners.