Health Promotion Board Student Health Ambassador Programme For Secondary Schools: Temasek Secondary School

After a successful first run at Yuhua Primary School for the primary school students, the Student Health Ambassador Programme began its inaugural run for secondary schools. Welcome to Temasek Secondary School, the hosting school for the two day workshop. A collaboration of Health Promotion Board and Lionel Lim Lifestyle Works, we welcomed an energetic group of slightly over 40 students from East Spring Secondary School, Pei Hwa Secondary School, Yishun Town Secondary School and Temasek Secondary School.

It may be the one week school break but there’s no stopping the enthusiasm of the students who turned up in full force. Young, energetic and all raring to go, they soon electrified the atmosphere in the classroom. Gone was the rhetorical one-way theory style of teaching. Instead, we played more games than we could ever recall. And through the games and activities, it was literally a theatre of live youthful energy with their cheers and claps for their schoolmates.

Keeping with the same mode of sharing of the modular knowledge, but with greater emphasis on communication, teamwork and project planning; the two-day Student Health Ambassador Programme promised to be most fun workshop they could even imagine. For some activities, I even moved all the students out of the classroom into the carpark downstairs.

Many students in the group had an inkling of the projects they aspired to implement back in their respective schools. Whether it was an anti-smoking exhibition in the school canteen or leading the entire school to do the latest harlem shake dance craze at the school’s sport day, the ideas came fast and furious.

As student health ambassadors, being able to share what they have learnt and further inculcate the knowledge to their school mates when they return is the real calling. In class to pick up the necessary information ranging from nutrition planning, exercise, mental resilience, anti-alcohol to anti-smoking, I particularly liked the energy they exuded. I threw them challenges constantly throughout the two days and the students excelled in all of them. Whether it was a creativity quiz or teamwork demanding camaraderie, natural leaders were born and support from the others poured forth.

I’m looking forward to the next Student Health Ambassador Programme during the next school vacation!