Speak Good English Movement - Past Themes - Rock Your World! Express Yourself (2007-08)

Rock Your World! Express Yourself (2007-08)

Launched by Radm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Minister Of State For Education on 31 July 2007 at Timbre Music Bistro, the 2007/08 Movement targeted 4 broad groups- youth, parents, teacher and frontline staff. The key focus was on the youth, while parents, teachers, and frontline staff were seen as the main people to have interactions with them, thus having a vital role in the language input that they receive. The organizers tried to encourage young Singaporeans to express themselves through the arts and music. This year also saw the appointment for the new chairman – Mr Goh Eck Kheng, publisher of Landmark Books for a two year term from 1 March 2008 to 30 April 2010.

Rock Your Word - A Social Networking initiative

From August 2007 to June 2008, the movement held weekly programmes and performances which aimed to allow youths to grow their confidence and fluency with the code. Programmes included music, oratorical performances, film, drama, stand-up comedy, and poetry. In providing a platform for local artists, it had hoped to use the power and reach of those artists to send its message to youths in Singapore. It also embraced new platforms, such as social networking media like the following:

• MySpace: Rock Your World @ MySpace
• YouTube: Rock Your World @ Youtube
• Facebook: Rock Your World @ Facebook
• Stomp
• Youth.Sg
• The Speak Good English Movement website
• Blogs by band members

Partner Programmes in 2007-08

• Inspiring Teacher of English Award 2008 (The Straits Times): This was the first national award to acknowledge passionate English teachers in Singapore schools who have ignited love of the English language in their students by using innovative methods to help students speak and write better.
• Good English Tip-off!(Youth.Sg): A monthly series which provided nuggets of information about using English.

• Fat Kids Are Harder To Kidnap – 31 plays in 1 hour (Youth Empire): An interactive theatrical production performed by How Dram company which ran for 3 Wednesdays between 5–16 March 2008.

• Schools Digital Media Awards 2008 (SDMA): In this year, there were some winning entries that were related to good English.

• School Invasion Tour at Temasek Junior College: On 31 January 2008, music acts by Switchfoot, Speak Good English Movement activists, West Grand Boulevard and Caracal where performed for students at Temasek Junior College.

• Speak Good English Day at Singapore Polytechnic: On 28 November 2008, Students and Lecturers from the School of Business at Singapore Polytechnic held performances to emphasis the importance of speaking good English. The programme included a skits of a Singlish version of 'Little Red Riding Hood', a courtroom trial as well as a mock debate on the topic "Men Are Redundant".

• English As It Is NOT Broken! (Singapore Polytechnic): Held a version of the oratorical competition- Plain English Speaking Award to proficient speakers to represent the school in the annual Plain English Speak Award by the YMCA.

• Switch On to Standard English! & Interactive Storytelling Sessions (Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning, National Library Boards): 2 events were conducted with a talk "Switch On to Standard English!" on how Standard English is crucial to children's success in school, and Interactive Storytelling Sessions which used drama, puppets and music in the process.

• Stories My Grandparents Told Me Storytelling Competition 2007 (Acropolis English Centre, National Book Development council of Singapore): 13 primary school students qualified as finalists in this competition.

• Special Edition of Rock Your World (Timbre Music Bistro&Bar, The British Council): ON 5 December 2007, Charlie Dark was brought in for a one night only performance.

• Rock Your World @ Youth.SG Contest : Contests where held every last Tuesday of the month where participants had to creatively express an emotion such as 'joy' or 'anger' in any way.