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YEP Leadership Training Course (YEP LTC) Information Guide
The IVA is made up of very experienced International Volunteers who come from a diverse background and have together, a rich and diverse experience to pass on to people new to international volunteerism. As an association of volunteers from various organisations, the trainers of the YEP LTC after being certified, have come together to draw in each others’ experiences to impart skills and knowledge gained over many years of volunteerism and project management.

Course Itinerary
The IVA’s YEP LTC is an intensive 4-day + one overnight course covering the modules below. The course can be run in two permutations:

  1. Over two weekends (with one weekend break in between) : Sat, Sun, (weekend break), Sat-overnight-Sun;  or
  2. Five x 3-hour night sessions & and a weekend overnight: Tue, Thu, Tue, Thu, Tue, Sat-overnight-Sun

Modules
Module 1: Introduction
Module 2: Experiential Learning & Facilitation Skills
Module 3: Cross-Cultural Learning: Preparing to learn and work with the Host Community
Module 4: Risk Assessment and Management
Module 5: Leadership and Group Management
Module 6: Weekend training planning
Module 7: Field site set-up, Site risk assessment
Module 8: Overseas Partnership and Project Development
Module 9: Rural Kitchen Creativity & Team Building in Everyday Roles
Module 10: Fast-tracking Team Bonding
Module 11: Accident and Emergency Crisis Management
Module 12: Macro issues learning, Citizenry & Civic-Action
Module 13: Final Group Exercise: Programme Design and Expedition Planning

Background on IVA’s Involvement in YEP Training

The members of IVA and the trainers of this course have trained representatives from organizations throughout Singapore. 
IVA’s OIC Training was the designer of the YEP Expedition Leaders’ Course (YEP-ELC) that fused elements of the Singapore Adventure Leaders’ Training (SALT) Course and the Expeditionary Service-Learning (ExSEL) Course run by the Singapore International Foundation from 2000-2003. The YEP-ELC has been used from 2004 to 2009. The YEP-ELC forms the foundation of NYC’s YEP Leaders Training Course run presently.
Trainees include:

  1. Young adults from IHLs (NUS, NTU, SMU, UniSIM, and the National Institute of Education),
  2. Lecturers and teachers from the Polytechnics, Junior Colleges, and the Institute of Technical Education, MOE teachers
  3. Social workers, executives, and key volunteers from Non-Profit Organisation
  4. Executives from companies with CSR programmes in the region
  5. Staff and volunteers from partner organisations in Cambodia and the Philippines

In 2010, the NYC initiated a standardization of the YEP-ELC among the certified trainers to what it is today.

Training Team

There will be a Principal Trainer/Facilitator and an Associate (if the group is more than 10 pax).  The Principal Trainer/ Facilitator will be taking lead throughout the whole course. S/He will have an Associate who will be from our pool of experienced trainer/facilitators. We are happy to present you the profiles of the Principal Trainers and the Associate Trainers in IVA.

Principal Trainers
Ms Farheen Mukri, Mr Theodore Teo

Ms Farheen Mukri

Farheen has been working and serving in International volunteerism for the past eight years. She has managed community enhancement projects focusing on youth leadership and teamwork, in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and India. Her areas of expertise lie in conducting training and preparing team leaders/facilitators in the areas of overseas expedition planning, execution and sustenance. Farheen has worked on projects mainly in Southeast Asia such as Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam and India. She has also worked in post-disaster management situations in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia. Her experiences encouraged two independent Singapore-teams to volunteer in the Pakistan earthquake area. In 2008, she volunteered in Arusha, Tanzania, training a group of village school teachers using experiential learning methodologies. Her concerns lie in environmental issues, poverty reduction and child-focused activity based education in rural areas.

Farheen currently works at the Lien Centre for Social Innovation based at the Singapore Management University, managing a Professional Course for Non-profit Leaders ‘iLEAP’. She intends to pursue her passion in training and address organisational challenges especially in the non-profit sector. 

Mr Theodore Teo

Theodore is the Vice-Chair of the International Volunteerism Association. He has a strong background in the holistic development of the next generation’s leaders in both professional and volunteer capacities. Having worked in people development (youth, in particular) he also spent five years with the Youth Expedition Project. Using international community development as the vehicle for youth development, he progressed from coaching and training expedition teams, managing international partnership and community development projects in the field to steering the national programme at its helm.

One of his key contributions, still running today, is the design of a 5-day semi-residential experiential leaders’ and facilitators’ course. The learning journey of 9-12 months include impactful service to communities in ASEAN, China and India, as well as enabled learning at the personal affective level up to a level of appreciating macro issues of society and bilateral relations.

Theodore is the Assistant Director for Social Responsibility in the Singapore Management University. He leads his team to influence change in undergraduate attitudes and perspectives about their individual and corporate roles in society and industry. Theodore is an experienced facilitator in social impact engagement in both local and international volunteer teams.

Associate Trainers
Mr Anthony Ang, Mr Chia Song Yuan, Ms Juliah Bee, Mr Louis Ho, Ms Neo Chia Ying

Mr Chia Song Yuan

Song Yuan experienced his first taste of YEP in 2002 to India, Kollege Home, Bangalore as a participant. Subsequently, he got hooked on YEP trips and came back for more trips to different parts of India, Indonesia. He has attended Leadership courses e.g. SALT (Singapore Adventure Leaders’ Training) & ExSEL Course conducted by YEP (SIF) during his developmental years to equip him with facilitation and leadership skills for his trips. He feels privileged to have been selected to undergo the YEP Trainers Standardisation Course in 2010.

He currently volunteers as an EXCO member in Project Coast2Coast under the wing of Ayer Rajah-West Coast and wish to learn and share his experiences with other like-minded believers of International Service Learning.

Mr Louis Ho

Louis is currently teaching physical education at a junior college. He has been involved in overseas community projects since 2001 when he was part of Project Angel 2, a YEP project organised by NUS Science Faculty. From then on, he has led several overseas community projects to Cambodia, Thailand, China, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.  

He is currently heading the College's Overseas CIP committee in a junior college where he supervised his team of teachers in organising 4 to 5 Overseas CIP trips for students. He also organises Overseas CIP trips for his staff which started in 2006.  He has also conducted professional sharing on service learning in Overseas CIP trips among his colleagues. His involvement in the IVA sectors includes a current YEP Leader, an assistant trainer for YEP leaders course. He served as a member of the Advisory Panel for YEP in 2009. 

Ms Neo Chia Ying

Chia Ying first participated as a YEP member to Burma in 1999. From then on, she has lead teams to India, Cambodia, several projects to Indonesia (Aceh) and is currently an EXCO member in Project Coast2Coast (C2C) under the wing of Ayer Rajah-West Coast, Citizens' Consultative Committee. Under Project Coast2Coast, she helps set up international partnerships for new projects as well as advise C2C Expedition Team Leaders.

She is ExSEL trained by SIF, and recently attended the YEP Trainers Standardization Course. She is a qualified special needs professional working with MiNDs.

Venue/ Facilities Used

  1. The International Volunteerism Association works to enable the trainees to engage at the most immersed setting possible. All sessions will strive to emulate as close to the rural settings that most of the YEP projects will take place in. It enables the trainees to constantly be conscious and consider the learning settings and environment so that they will be prepared in most circumstances.
  2. Appropriate Technology will be used to transfer the skills. This will enable the trainees to easily replicate the activities and use the tools taught. There will be little need to adapt from high tech to appropriate tech environment and equipment.
  3. The venue will be at a convenient location for the classroom sessions and in a farm in Lim Chu Kang for  the residential weekend sessions.
  4. For the overnight training, foam mats will be provided for sleeping. Other accommodation, meals, training and central equipment will be provided.
  5. Trainees need to bring their own personal eating utensils, toiletries and change of clothing including wet weather clothing as some outdoor scenarios and activities will be conducted regardless of weather.

Costs

  1. Course Fees: $600 per person. All inclusive.
  2. Meals: Catered lunch for the weekend course (Halal and vegetarians meals can be catered for with prior arrangements)
  3. Light refreshment for teabreak during the residential component
  4. Funds will be provided for execution of the communal experiential rural dinner and breakfast during the overnight weekend.
  5. Trainees will provide their own transportation to the classroom sessions and to Yew Tee MRT Station for the residential component of the training. Group transportation to and from Yew Tee MRT to the training area will be provided for. Trainees who are late must pay for their own transport into the training site. Transportation assistance can be arranged if available, and payment made directly to the owner of the vehicle. One can also take a taxi to the training site.
  6. A Training Manual will be provided. Personal stationery is required.
  7. Participants are strongly encouraged to have attended and passed basic first aid training prior to the commencement of the course. It will ensure a more in depth appreciation and understanding of the Risk and Crisis Management Systems taught.
  8. Payment: For individuals, an ATM or internet Payment is highly recommended. For institution-sponsored applicants, a Purchase Order to be issued to the International Volunteerism Association one week prior to the course commencement. An invoice will be issued and payment to be made within 30 days of the last day of the course. Detailed payment instructions will be given.
  9. Due to the experiential nature and team focus of the course, it will be difficult to conduct the course with less than 8 participants. The IVA therefore reserves the right to postpone the course until the minimum number of participants is reached. The course can and would be better conducted with participants from other organizations so as to infuse a heterogeneous learning environment. A cancellation is the last resort.

Contact Information
For more information and clarification, please feel free to contact:

Ms Bernice Lee: Training Co-ordinator, IVA
Mobile: 9862 5084
Email: bernice@iva.org.sg

 

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