Bridging Past, Present and Future

Implemented through the Youth Solidarity Fund with the support of:

Intro

Bridging Past Present and Future

In this UWC Short Course implemented through the Youth Solidarity Fund with the support of UNAOC, Bridging Past Present and Future (BPPF) explored pre- and post-colonial narratives as well as their relationship with our current political reality and equipped our youth participants with the necessary tools to question pre-existing narratives, construct alternative discourse and devise solution-based approaches to identity-based differences in our communities and society.

A 2-Week Immersion into History, Politics and Youth Engagement

Our participants ages 16-19 learned, discussed and debated about the Malayan Emergency, social media freedom, local conflicts as well as youth mobilisation in contemporary politics. By placing themselves in the shoes of various positions throughout time, they developed greater empathy towards different communities and recognise the ways in which historical narratives are consumed as well how to consume them critically.

Currculum

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A Curriculum to Empower Youth to become Changemakers in their Own Circles

Our participants were guided and equipped to develop their own community engagement projects to better understand ways to think about identity-based differences in our society. In order to do so, participants learned how to canvas a community, project planning, problem analysis, solution mapping and post-project reflection.

Download our Capstone Project Handbook here.

Capstone Project Gallery

Click on the project to learn more about each topic!

Projects

Our Impact

"I've learned to come to terms with my own microaggressions to a certain degree during this short course especially through the movie 10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka by Fahmy Reza. I also can't choose a favourite session because everything is interconnected throughout this Short Course. The Short Course is also very fun because the participants are so social. Besides, I am very grateful for the facilitators especially Pree for being so kind and patient with me by giving me a space to talk about my (what I'd refer to as) controversial or radical opinions and giving me some insightful feedbacks or thoughts to ponder upon.

I would really encourage people of all political, social spectrums to join this short course to expose themselves to a wider variety of view points and when they do so, they should come with an open mind. Thanks for planning such a memorable and somewhat life-changing short course."

Ian Lim
Participant

At first, I thought that this Short Course was just another boring program with lots of long lectures. I was happily surprised that this program was nothing but that. Short Course was an amazing, interactive program that teaches me to question my beliefs and reevaluate my thoughts. It opened up my mind to a world where conversation is valued more than ego or pride, and it also helped me to find new friends outside of my social circle. I love participating in this and I hope I can join again in the future!

Huzaifah bin Fakhrul Anuar
Participant

Amanda Loi
Participant

The thing that makes the Short Course so great is the amazing people who are part of it—the facilitators, the participants and the guest speakers. This Short Course gave me the chance to meet so many people from different backgrounds and with different interests. I got to learn and talk about things I normally wouldn't be able to. It was a humbling experience indeed.

I particularly enjoyed the two sessions about journalism. These sessions showed me the effect of the words we use and the impact journalism has on our society. 'Peace Journalism' taught me to be more mindful and to consider the agendas/motives behind articles and the like. 'Media Impact Journalism' gave tips on how to effect change successively through journalism and media, but more importantly, it left me with a lot of hope. Mad respect for journalists who are reporting the truth and creating change!

44% of our participants decreased stereotypes about other races, moving the average from neutral to disagreeing with stereotype contents.

27% of participants demonstrated greater positive emotions towards other racial groups, decreasing its difference with feelings towards one's own group.

21% of our participants reported improved media literacy and knowledge of media as an empowerment tool.

Impact