Introduction
The Leadership Symposium is the apex of a series of Leadership Development Programme activities that give NJC student-leaders and other interested students the opportunity to engage in issues pertaining to leadership in various fields, in order to groom future leaders who will serve the country and community with honour. Through this 3-day symposium, they can also learn about how the field contributes to national development.
The idea of a Leadership Symposium was first mooted by our alumnus Desmond Lim, the 2006-7 President of the Sapphire Scholars Programme who had a vision to enrich the learning experience of NJC student leaders, particularly in the field of public service. He felt that NJC, as a College of the Nation, had to take the lead in grooming Singapor's future leaders. His proposal was strongly supported by Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education. He noted that the college had a wealth of knowledge and experience residing in our varied and illustrious NJC alumni. With that, the inaugural Leadership Symposium 2007 in the NJC Leadership Series was born, focusing on Leading in the Public Sector.
Following a successful inauguration, in 2008, the Symposium's focus was on "Business Leadership in the Private Sector: Global Outlook, Local Insight".
This year's Leadership Symposium - Leadership in the Field of Science: Possibilities and Responsibilities - focuses on the leadership in the science domain in Singapore. It aims to provide student-leaders with a platform to:
> explore the meaning of leadership in the field of Science
> learn about the challenges that leading scientists face as they seek to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge
>recognize Singapore's global position as a Science research hub
>gain an understanding of the kind of scientists who will take Singapore to the next level in the coming decade
In LS 2009, we seek to understand the challenges that leaders in the field of science grapple with, and the decisions they make. This year's Symposium aims to give participants a new perspective into the field of science, with leading Singapore scientists sharing their experiences and views with students. The 3-day Symposium (which will be held from 21st to 23rd May 2009) opens with a keynote address which gives participants an overview of the theme, with focus on its place in Singapore's development. Over three days, there are various activities conducted to enable participants to appreciate the role that leaders in the field of science play. The highlight of the three-day Main Symposium is a Future Problem-Solving activity which allows participating teams to make decisions in difficult but entirely possible future scenarios, while juggling various priorities. Leadership and science come together in a competition where participants exercise their critical thinking skills; hone their leadership competencies and develop team work skills. Participants should come away from the Symposium with a better understanding of what it means to be a leader in the chosen field, and what kind of leader Singapore needs to take the country to the next level. The Symposium concludes with a dialogue between participants and an Alumni member who is a leader in the field.
This Main Symposium is the culmination of several Pre-Symposium Activities, held before the Main Symposium, that have been organized to engage participants and allow them to develop a more rounded, broader perspective of what it means to be a leader in the various fields of science. Participants will see how the various Pre-symposium Activities (Science and Health, Moot Parliament and Language Arts Fringe Activities) align to the main Symposium through exploring sub-themes.