Description of Programme

This trail tells the unique story of Singapore stories along Singapore River – the birth of our nation, the struggle of the early pioneers and the unique challenges Singapore faced in the past, and today. The trail allows the participants to explore the changing economic, social, historical, geographical and cultural landscapes of Singapore River and the British’s open reliance on a strong military force at the river (viz at Fort Fullerton and Fort Canning) to protect its commercial interests right from the onset. It also allows participants to explore up to 10 WWII related landmarks and buildings in the Civic District; understand the impact of war on civilians and the consequential need for national defence.

Learning Objective / Total Defence Pillars

Civil Defence:
• The story of the big River clean-up is a narrative to remind Singaporeans that we must not take our current state of things for granted – even the basic cleanliness of our shorelines and access to a clean Singapore River was something Singapore did not have just generations ago.
• The cleanup of Singapore River seemed impossible, but it was done over a decade – the story remains a reminder to the young generation of the resilience and hard work of our Pioneer generation in ensuring that Singapore has a clean and green environment.
• Its story and the visions of our Founding fathers also remind us nothing is impossible for us to do.
• The visit to Lim Bo Seng’s memorial and his story (and others like him) is a lesson for our participants – Lim Bo Seng is a civilian who took up arms during war time to protect his country. He died a war hero and we must remember his fighting spirit and that during times of crisis, we must all do our part.
• During times of crisis or disaster, resources will be strained and we will need everyone to pitch in. If we know what to do, we can save ourselves and our loved ones, help others and ensure that life goes on as normally as possible. Learning what to do in an emergency before it happens - such as taking part in emergency exercises and attending first-aid and emergency preparedness programmes that the Singapore Civil Defence Force conducts - helps us respond more effectively in times of crisis.

Social Defence:
• Stories shared along the river depict the difficulty the early government had in managing a multi-racial community. The harmony we have today cannot be taken for granted. How could we as a nation manage this better, and avoid mistakes of the past?
• Asian Civilisation Museum is a place that facilitates the understanding and appreciation of Asian cultures. This is important for social defence - By being sensitive and respectful of other races in Singapore, and learning more about their traditions, cultures, religions, and heritage, we are putting social defence into action.
• Preservation of our common heritage not only build up the Singapore identity, it gives our citizen a shared history which bond us as a nation.
• The war memorials are built in honour of war heroes who came from different ethnicities, but who all gave up their lives to protect Singapore. These stories serve as reminders to us- to put away our cultural, religious and individual differences, to live harmoniously and respectful of one another.
• By putting social defence in action, we can achieve social cohesion. So that in time of crisis, we will come together as one united people, to protect Singapore.

Military Defence:
• The history of two military forts by the river tell of a military defence strategy of the past. In contrast, our strong SAF today continues to underscore the fact that no economic growth is possible without the presence of a strong military force.
• Today, Singapore needs more than just military defence to ensure our security. Hybrid warfare is the warfare of the future. Total Defence is the antithesis of hybrid warfare. Especially important are a strong Psychological and Social Defence.
• Participants will be tasked to reflect on what will they do and what can they do to defend Singapore, as a soldier and as a civilian.
• The war stories at the Cenotaph, the defeat of the British army at the Cathay and the failure in defending Singapore make our pioneer rethink military defence – that military defence alone is not sufficient.
• In today’s complex world, our defence strategy must take a more holistic approach that involve everyone.
• We need a SAF and a population of citizen that will stays committed to defending the country.
• This requires us to continue to strengthen ourselves, our community and our nation.

Duration

1.5 hrs

Session Timings

1000 - 1130 /
1330 - 1500 /
1600 - 1730

Pricing (per participant)

$22 (For 20 to 120 pax)
$20 (For 121 to 240 pax)
$18 (For 241 pax and above)

Terms and Conditions

• Includes the design and development of the trail contents, media assets and games
• Provision of unique access code for each participant
• Based on Use your own Device concept.
• Provision of 1 facilitator per 40 pax below 45 pax or less, and a maximum of 12 facilitators to groups of 500 pax and above.
• Teleconference Zoom large meeting provisions provided. Zoom breakout rooms will be arranged