By Kim Min Seok (13A03B)

Running a business shouldn’t come as a challenge for any member of the Raffles Entrepreneurs’ Network (REN). The club’s members are regularly exposed to various vicarious and unmediated business situations that train them for the real world.

Still, for Shurvin Ho, “REN is so much more than just running businesses. It’s about learning how to mature as a person, a leader and a Rafflesian.” “By being part of REN, members can not only pick up practical skills about running a business, but they can also enter competitions to pilot their ideas,” enthused Zera Ong, Vice-Chair of the club. “It is really a fulfilling and rewarding experience, my competition team had a turnover of a few thousand dollars last year!”

Members of REN, which was founded in 2003, participate in various national and international level competitions, including the prestigious Students for the Global Advancement of Entrepreneurship and Start-up@Singapore.

“We are a really tightly-knit community. Ideas just come together when we discuss things. It’s like an intersection of truly unique perspectives,” said Kim Min Seok, Public Relations Director at REN. “Our obligations as students do not fetter our ambitions. We really want to experience what it really is like to be an entrepreneur,” he explained.
The club holds weekly 3-hour general meetings (GMs), during which members share various industry insights and perspectives. “I really gained so much from these sessions, I even compiled a list of memorable business ideas and entrepreneurs!” said member Isabel Chew.

Various industry experts and start-up founders are also invited to their GMs to discuss their experiences. Social enterprise pioneers such as Sourabh Sharma, founder of Milaap, have also been invited. In 2010, the club invited Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.

“Social enterprise is something we really hold dear to our hearts,” said Chairman Annabel Tay. “We don’t just try to make money, but we also consider the social impacts and consequences behind what we do. That’s why social enterprise is so crucial in both our club and the enterprise world today.”

New members are selected through interviews, and will be challenged to delve into their entrepreneurial selves. “We aren’t looking for the ‘perfect businessmen’ – that would be unfair for those who are genuinely interested but lack experience,” explained Ms Ong. “We want members who are truly passionate, dedicated and love entrepreneurship.”

Recruits will have to go through an induction camp. The camp, which involves a ‘Mini Business Pitch Competition’ to give new members a taste of what the club has to offer, takes place annually in March. “The camp was really enjoyable and allowed me to genuinely explore entrepreneurship,” mused member Chong Yong Xing. “The camp is certainly tiring, but it was so fun!” Mr Chong added with a grin. Given the club’s reputation, the interviews are known to be highly competitive. In 2012, only 25 fortunate recruits could join the club, out of the 150 students who applied.

By Marcus Chia (13SO3H) and Li Shaowu (13SO6G)

Not allowed to play card games in school? Well, the Raffles Institution Bridge Club gives you an opportunity to do just that! Established in 2004, the club continues to grow rapidly, in terms of membership and the quality of players. Just last year, the club set its place in the local Bridge scene, clinching 4 out of 5 championship trophies across the major interschool competitions. Members have also started to participate in international competitions, such as the ASEAN Bridge Club Championship held in Bali last December, with a 3rd place finish.

To improve the skills of members, the club conducts its trainings every Wednesdays and Fridays. During trainings, there are usually pair matches and team matches (different Bridge competition formats) to prepare members for all competition types.

Bridge Club is looking for students with an interest for games of mental strength, intelligence, wit, creativity and flair. Members are dedicated to spending time learning about Bridge and picking it up as a hobby, with much passion for improving their skills.

While some might think that joining Bridge may not add a lot to your curriculum vitae, as scholarship boards will view Bridge as merely a card game, this is far from true. Seniors who have graduated and clinched scholarships have remarked that their interviewers were looking for people with a hobby they were committed to pursuing.

Furthermore, Bridge itself is a highly engaging and interesting game. Unlike many other card games, it is not based on luck but on skill. Your results depend not on your cards, but how you play them. Each hand thus presents a new and interesting problem. Bridge can be said to be a game of strategy, much like chess. One’s tactical decisions at the table often decide the outcome of the game. However, where chess can be said to be likened to a war, where one needs greater experience and overall tactical insight to achieve victory, Bridge is much more like a small skirmish. In Bridge, one must be able to leverage the small advantages available and have a full understanding of the situation, supplemented by tactical knowledge. This is not to say that bridge is a game purely for “intellectuals” or a game where more experienced players always win. Almost every new member of the club is new to the game as well. Hence, new members can learn to enjoy and explore this truly amazing game in a friendly environment at Bridge Club.

Interestingly, research has shown that Bridge can help in the development of mental capabilities and enhance the social aspects of students’ lives. It also builds teamwork and understanding among students. Tay Min, a member, has this to say on the game: “A winner listens to his partner’s point of view, while a loser just waits until it’s time to express his own.”

As a Bridge veteran once said: “Every hand is an adventure”, so join Bridge to start your adventure!