By Randy Soh (13S03O)

The library is a central component of every school, without which there would be no place for quiet and comfortable study, no place for the borrowing of books, and no place for research. Thus, it is important to upkeep the conditions of the library to ensure that every student is able to utilize it to its full potential. That is the role of a librarian. If Raffles Institution were a human body, then the Shaw Foundation Library is the brain where all the knowledge and information is stored, then librarians will form the skull – protectors of the brain.

Librarians are tasked to promote good library etiquette. Furthermore, they champion the use of the library’s bank of knowledge and services. Librarians assist library staff in the day-to-day upkeep of the library, which include shelving, wrapping books and paperwork. Not only that, librarians will get a chance to assist the teachers with PW research workshops, creating research slides and giving presentations to the students.

What one gets out of most from the library society is the experience, even though one’s efforts will not go unnoticed either. All duty hours will be counted as CIP hours (a total of 100 for two years). Aside from that, the library society also organizes CIP events related to books or the library for its members. According to Lim Tet Yuan (13S06N), “We did a Reading Assistance Program this year and it was certainly a gratifying experience teaching these primary school children to read. What I gained were not only the skills and patience necessary to guide these children, but also the need to contribute to society and cultivate our heart of service.”

Librarians are not the stereotypical nerds commonly portrayed in the media. Those in Library Society certainly have fun too. Every year, there will be an end-of -year camp and a learning journey to libraries in others schools such as the School Of The Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts! “We were exposed to the different technologies utilized by libraries nowadays and how it might be applied to our own school library to improve our own lives. That’s cool,” said Lim Jia Qi (13S06N).

The Library Society welcomes all with a passion to serve the library; normally around 10 librarians will be inducted into the small, cozy and tightly knit community. Meetings are held weekly on Wednesdays, from 2-3pm in the special library workroom. This is an exclusive home in the library just for the librarians, with amenities such as sofas, television, and computers. Librarians can use this place to hang out after school, and many choose to watch movies or have just talk. The Library Society is no doubt the perfect platform for one to serve and gain a cozy community of friends at the same time.

By Laura Lee (13A01C)

When one hears ‘public speaking society’ one is generally inclined to think, a little nervously, of very pompous people eerily keen on speaking in front of large groups of people, or self-assured extroverts too eloquent for their own good. Or simply people who talk too much.

While this may be an unfortunate stereotype of Singapore’s public speaking circuit, this is decidedly (and thankfully!) not a description of the Raffles Gavel Club. They advocate the power of speaking (an act of proactive, passionate personal articulation) over the power of speech (a detached oral delivery based on set requirements), and endeavour to move beyond a culture of passive preaching in all that they do. Why talk at people when you can speak to them?

As a subsidiary of Toastmasters International, club members improve as speakers following the established academic outline of 10 speaking projects. These are assignments that get progressively more challenging as speakers improve their skills and grow more comfortable with speaking to an audience while maintaining sincerity, personal authenticity, and of course, a general sense of well-being that, for many of us, is difficult to maintain in the spotlight. The Gavel Club actively promotes a healthy culture of feedback, which is crucial to one’s growth as a speaker; the club critiques each member’s performance with constructive criticism and lots of positive reinforcement, and is a safe, supportive audience with which to entrust one’s learning.

The weekly commitment that the Gavel Club expects from its members is 2 hours. Members complete their Toastmasters projects in smaller groups on Tuesday afternoons, when the entire club meets. Club sessions are used for speaking activities which serve to train speaking skill, allow club members to better acquaint themselves with each other through personal sharing on issues they find significant, and inspire a safe, non-judging, trusting environment for self-expression.

In addition, for members who are especially keen on community work, the Gavel Club collaborates with the Children’s Cancer Foundation, extending its public speaking experience to physically weakened teenagers battling terminal illnesses through weekly enrichment lessons.

With the right attitude, one can benefit enormously from opportunities to speak in front of large audiences in different arenas, from weekly club sessions to national public speaking competition opportunities which are available exclusively to Gavel members. Besides this, the constant availability of constructive feedback enables members to identify specific areas for improvement of which they were previously unaware.

Beyond the different academic learning opportunities that being a member of the Raffles Gavel Club grants, joining the Gavel club is an opportunity to join a family of forthcoming, warm and determined people with extremely varied interests and backgrounds. The transition to JC can be daunting and a little lonely for everyone at points, and the Gavel club is a warm, unconditional base that one can always return to for support and energy, and contribute towards through honest expression.

All interested candidates will undergo a selection interview. The selection criteria is not based on eloquence in speaking or one’s command of English; it is based on how keen members are to learn and grow in effective self-expression. The Gavel club welcomes all applications regardless of which country or school candidates hail from or their present levels of fluency. Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone has a voice that must be found and used.

Anyone can take the stand and talk, to assume bestowed authority, but it takes courage and confidence to make a stand and speak: to create your own stage when you have something to say. The Raffles Gavel Club envisions a team of true 2014 speakers who will bring to the table humility, respect, and dedication.

The Raffles Gavel Club will be led in 2013 by chairpersons Aristo Phedro Joseof and Laura Lee.

By Natasha Nabila (13S03P)

The famous saying reads, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Raffles Community Advocates (CA) believes that effecting real, positive and sustainable change in society cannot be fully accomplished through the offering of individual services alone. They strive to go a step further by identifying the root causes of problems, and from there, raise awareness to rally the support of the masses. Only then, can the change effected be meaningful and sustainable.

New members will be sorted into one of the 4 Student Interest Groups (SIGs) based on their area of passion: Doveswarm (Migrant Worker Issues), Glass Ark (Environmental Issues), Empty Pocket (Poverty) and Lifeline (Healthcare Issues). These are closely aligned with the Millennium Development Goals. Within these groups, members perform direct service with beneficiaries of their choice to gain greater awareness of their needs. Subsequently, they embark on two self-planned advocacy projects; one for each of their two semesters in CA.

Alongside SIG projects, CA has been at the helm of several flagship events. Arguably, the most well-known one is Hair for Hope. Held annually at the Yr 5-6 side, the event is organised in collaboration with the Children’s Cancer Foundation and is a satellite of a larger national movement. It aims to eradicate the association of baldness with ugliness.

Participants show support for children suffering from cancer by shaving their own heads bald. 2012’s event saw a staggering 214 shavees, including a record 20 girls, which was indeed heartening for the team after months of rigorous preparation. OT member Glen Tay (13S03O) said: “In spite of the intensive planning process where time was both our enemy and ally, we all found great meaning in taking on this project. I have made many new friends along the way, especially amongst my teammates – it’s not possible to ever forget something like HFH.”

Currently, the CCA is preparing for their batch project: No Shoes Day 2013. On that day, Rafflesians will get to experience being barefoot. Through this, the larger student body can experience what people who cannot afford shoes have to go through, and thereafter not take the little things they have for granted.

An exciting project also awaits CA in June 2013, as they will be playing host once again to the biannual Global Alliance of Leading Edge Schools, a conference bringing participants from all around the world together. Participants discuss social issues experienced by their respective countries, brainstorm possible ways to improve the aforementioned situations and hone advocacy skills.

Members can – and are highly encouraged to – initiate their own projects. Projects such as 30 Hour Famine and 500ml (more details can be found on their website below) were the brainchildren of members who were keen on exploring causes outside their SIGs. Through this wide range of events, the CCA is able to continually pursue more innovative methods of advocacy, and improve as advocates for the community.

Of course, General Meetings (GMs) are not all work and no play. A portion of every GM is dedicated to activities encourage intra-CCA bonding amongst members. Members also go out for several outings together after CCA and over the holidays. Hence, CA is not only a place for shaping your advocacy skills – it’s also where you have the opportunity to make great friends with similar interests.

Are you someone who is keenly passionate about speaking out and making a positive difference to the lives of those around you? Do you need an avenue to channel that passion into action? Join CA.

General Meetings are held every Wednesday from 2-4pm.
More information is available on CA’s blog: speakactchange.wordpress.com