International Friendship Day - Exchange Programmes with Asian Schools

Department/Committee/Team: CCE + GCP + Regional Studies

Leader(s): Aloysius Foo

Member(s): Annie Koh, Delphine Tan, Norazlina binte Abdul Jalil, Liew Chiat Siang

1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing?

The project addressed a gap in how International Friendship Day (IFD) was traditionally commemorated, which was typically through Kahoot quizzes or student-led presentations on other countries. While informative, these activities were largely passive, surface-level, and lacked authentic engagement with peers beyond Singapore. As a result, students had limited opportunities to develop deeper cross-cultural skills, global orientation, and an appreciation of Singapore’s geopolitical realities. Our rapidly evolving global landscape demands more than factual knowledge; it requires students to practise openness, empathy, and international collaboration. In other words, there needs to be a deeper effort to ensure that the IFD objectives are attained.

2.  How had it been experimented and enacted?

The project was piloted through a tiered, school-wide approach across all secondary levels, with each level engaging in activities tailored to their developmental stage while aligned with the objectives of International Friendship Day (IFD). For Secondary 1, students took part in an in-person exchange with visiting students from Sekolah Darma Yudha (Indonesia). Framed explicitly as an IFD exchange, the Indonesian students conducted cultural presentations in all Sec 1 classrooms. In return, our students introduced aspects of life in Singapore and their school experience. The exchange concluded with inter-group bonding through games and a collaborative art-and-craft activity celebrating the spirit of international friendship. Secondary 2 class leaders first attended a cultural appreciation workshop on the traditional Wau kite from Malay culture. During IFD, they shared its cultural significance with their classmates, with a special focus on Singapore-Malaysia ties. A video from our partner school, Sekolah Tun Fatimah in Johor, further enriched the experience by highlighting the meaning of friendship across borders. For Secondary 3 and 4, all 24 ABOM1s joined virtual exchanges with peers from Assumption College (Philippines) and St. Mark’s World School (India), respectively. They presented on Singaporean culture, traditions, and daily life, while also learning about the experiences of their international peers. These students then cascaded their insights to their classmates through classroom sharing sessions commemorating IFD. This multi-level approach ensured that all students could meaningfully develop 21CCs of cross-cultural and global literacy, and communication and collaboration skills.

3.  Which group(s) had benefited?

Students (Selected Groups), Students (Entire Cohort)

4.  What was the positive impact?

The project had a significant positive impact on students’ 21CCs, such as cross-cultural and global literacy, and appreciation of Singapore’s regional and international ties. By moving beyond traditional one-way presentations or quizzes, the initiative provided students with authentic, interactive platforms to engage with peers from different cultural backgrounds. Analysis of Sec 1 students’ reflections following the in-person exchange with Sekolah Darma Yudha (Indonesia) revealed high levels of engagement and learning. Most students reported feeling comfortable interacting with their overseas peers and expressed enjoyment in making new friends from other cultures. 70% gave the highest possible rating for cultural understanding, and their open-ended responses reflected recurring themes of wanting to “understand,” “learn,” and build “friendship.” Students also shared practical strategies to be better hosts in the future, such as reading up on others’ cultures and preparing more thoughtfully for presentations, demonstrating metacognition and personal growth. Beyond Sec 1, students at other levels also developed cross-cultural communication skills through direct dialogue. Whether sharing Singaporean traditions with peers from the Philippines or learning about Malaysia’s cultural symbols, students were able to reflect on similarities and differences and gain deeper insight into the importance of openness and cooperation. Student leaders took initiative to cascade their learning to classmates, fostering a culture of peer-to-peer education. This helped translate abstract concepts like “geopolitical realities” and “international cooperation” into relatable experiences, reinforcing the idea that diplomacy and friendship begin with everyday interactions and mutual curiosity.

5.  What is a future need that this IdEas@work could meet?

A future need which this project could meet is the development of sustained, student-driven international collaborations that go beyond single-day events. As global challenges like climate change and AI disruption become more complex, there is growing demand for young people to engage in long-term, cross-border dialogue and problem-solving. This project can evolve into a platform for regional collaboration where students co-develop digital storytelling projects, engage in thematic discussions around global issues, or collaborate on service-learning initiatives with their overseas peers. This supports not only the goals of International Friendship Day, but also national efforts to deepen global competence and regional literacy. Over time, the initiative can become a scalable model for other schools seeking to foster authentic, student-led global engagement grounded in Singapore’s geopolitical realities.

Recommendation and Comments from panel:

Some positive impact noted based on the reflections by Sec 1 students collected by the team. Team has made a change of an existing practice to bring in stronger impact (cross-cultural learning and appreciation).