I am proud to announce that I have been elected by the Surfaid team as the new UWCSEA surfaid chair for the year of 2020-2021.

This was my speech to the surfaid team:

I would like to become the chair of UWC East’s Surfaid global concern. I have been in surfaid for the last 2 years, sitting as a member observing the service we carry out throughout the year and attended multiple service presentations including merchandise stock takes. I have propositions on how we can improve this service, and do more for Surfaid, and the islanders in Mentawai. I understand that this is a service where we also have time to arrive, eat lunch and talk. However, at certain times of the year, we have to work, in order to create and run fundraisers and awareness events such as Swimdonesia. As you already know, the service isn’t much- and we could potentially raise more money through even just another event. I would like to work on this. I have seen how the previous chair, Ben has handled the service excellently and being an organized person, I can handle this role. Surfaid’s aim is to improve the health, wellbeing, and self-reliance of people living in isolated regions connected to them and I hope I can lead this service and help the community.

Today’s date is the 13th of April, 2020. COVID-19 is present, as a pandemic slowly taking over the world. We are currently in an online school, and at the moment I am receiving word through email from the worldwide surfaid team. Unfortunately, due to this- As a school team, we won’t be able to aid without physical work. I Have read up on Surfaid’s COVID-19 Statement, and they are doing a respectable job at spreading awareness and equipment too help curb the spread of COVID-19. 

I hope that we will be able to carry out our 1st major event- Swimdonesia in October, to help fund Surfaid’s mission. 

I have decided this year to partake in a service (Global Concern) I feel strongly about, I have signed up and been accepted and allocated into the global concern; surfaid. This service will last for the whole year, and will take place every Tuesday lunchtime. This services name is surfaid and we strive to reduce malaria and help locals, this year in October we will be hosting an event called “swimdonesia” where swimmers (who make up most of the service) or anyone in UWC can receive a pledge card in groups, pledging to swim laps to earn money for the Global concern of surfaid. 100% profits go to surfaid; and in the service right now we are brainstorming/carrying out ideas such as:

Finishing our planning and carrying out stage as soon as we can so that we can start advertising the event/ and bring in as many people as we can to partake in this wonderful event. Last session; the chair Benjamin Lim has presented an idea of having have the pool for swimmers, to swim laps and the other half of the pool we can have obstacle floats; selling for wristbands/paper tickets for $10. We also went through the entertainment perspective and decided that since the event is 1 week before the unplugged concert, we could kindly ask the crew to perform for us/do a dry run as a form of entertainment. Or we could find a willing DJ from the DJ club in school such as one of the swimmers. I am very excited to help and participate in the service and it’s events, and am looking forward to my contributions to this wonderful global concern.