Orientation 2011

Hi guides,
after a month of prep in December, orientation finally was concluded on the 8th of January where all the scouts and guides came down to showcase the best of our cca! Below are some posts from our guides:


from the OICs;
On Saturday, we had cca orientation for the year1s, which was the time to showcase our cca to them. It was the time where we were able to share with them and their parents about what guides is all about and why they should join guides.
In order to prepare for this day, we had orientation preparation on the 20th, 21st and 23rd of December. These orientation preps were used to try out the different structures that we were going to have on the actual day. It also included the trying out the games and outdoor cooking and the making of the banners and posters which were used and pasted around the school.

The first orientation prep day started out slow as many of us were new to the committees and were not sure of what we had to do for the respective gadgets or structures. It was also the first time for the year2s this year in many of the stuffs we did, which includes doing traditional games for the first time or tying structures using spars. There were many mistakes and confusion on the way but these are all areas and points which are meant to be improved on and taken note of at the next orientation prep.

For the second and third day, things went on more smoothly as we were getting used to our respective task for the specific committees. There were also a lot of improvements made since the first try and things got better along the way. During these two days, performances rehearsals were also conducted with and without audiences to allow the performers to get a feel of how it would be on the actual day. As the days progressed, the performers got better at their respective traditional games and also managed to shorten their timings from the first day. Overall, it was great effort put in by everyone through these prep days, where we were able to try out and modify our original ideas and designs such that it would turn our better at the end of the day.

Soon school started and the actual orientation day was drawing near. We stayed back on the 6th and also 7th of January to prepare for the actual day. On 6th, the main frames of the structures were done such that it would make things faster and easier on the next day when erecting the structures. On Friday, everyone stayed back to get all the things up and done, which includes the games, structures and also the different decorations around the booth. Not only that, performance rehearsals with other UGs were also conducted to ensure that the whole programme would flow well and be interesting to the year1s. The day soon ended and most of the stuffs were ready for the next day.

On the 8th of January, we gathered in school at 7am to have some final touches to our structures and booths. By 8am, we were all in our full guides uniform and ready to welcome the year1s and get to know them better. The ushers played an important part throughout the cca exhibition as they were the ones who brought the year1s around the area and explained to them certain parts of the structures and to also answer their queries about guides. The year1s seemed to have fun playing the games prepared for them and also the experience of climbing up to a two-storey kitchen shelter and the platform on the gateway.

Hope everyone had fun during cca orientation and also got to know more year1s through this short interaction time with them. As what Mrs Poh says, since we have put in our best for this cca orientation, it is already good enough. The outcome does not matter, but it would be a bonus for us if more year1s put guides as their first choice for cca.

It was a good start to the new year and for the first activity for year. Jiayous for the rest of the jihes in future!

From the performance team;
For orientation this year, there were three performances from the guides and scouts, which were monkey climb (sheng qiao), fireman’s ladder and sour grapes. Monkey climb is an all-guides team, sour grapes was an all-scouts team, while fireman’s ladder was a team made up of both scouts and guides. Before the start of the actual preparation days from orientation, the performance team met up in school on the 17th to try out the structure. As there were many who were doing it for the first time, we wanted them to be able to get a feel of how to climb the structure as well as to get them prepared for the preparation days. Although it was the first time for most of them, they picked up fast and were able to cross the structure well without falling after a few tries. The timing may be slower for the first few times, but after awhile they got better at it.

On the first day of preparations, we started off with warm up, and then brought the structure to the MRL where we trained for the 3 days. Warm up is very important, as without it, we would get muscle aches very easily and hence be unable to perform to our best potential. Initially, the pace was very slow, such as when tying the ding jiao. As the performance team, moving quickly is also very important. When we run in and out, getting into positions and when we jihe, we have to be very quick. It will show the energy in us, and that will further impress the year 1s!

Not only that, morale is really very important to the performance teams. With a low morale, the year 1s would not feel the fun aspect of guiding and especially since we were to perform on the spot and the year 1s would judge us by that, having a high morale and energy is especially important.

On the second day, the pace of things was faster. The day before, the performers were told to reflect on themselves and think of areas they could improve on. We also bonded more, and as a performance team, team work is the most important. Even with one missing person, we would not be able to carry out our performance. We had to work together, like when placing the mattress and setting up the structure. We also timed ourselves to allow us to know our own timing so we could improve. I could see that everyone put in their best effort to perform well and challenge themselves to cross faster.

2 days later, we had a performance rehearsal, one without audience and one with the scouts and guides acting as audience. This was to get us prepared for the actual day where we had to perform in front of the year 1s and some parents. Overall, I could see that all the performers, every single one of them, put in their best effort and trained really really hard despite all the pain and muscle aches.

On the day of CCA orientation, all the performance teams put up an excellent and amazing performance and literally ‘wow-ed’ the audience! Performance is not only about impressing others, but also learning new things and having fun while bonding with the rest of the guides!

From a year 3;
On the 8th of January, we had our annual CCA Orientation, which was to give the new year 1s an overview of what we do in Guides and Scouts. For this orientation, we were split up into various committees, such as gadgets, gateway, kitchen shelter, performance, outdoor cooking, mini games, and publicity, and we had several days of preparation for this day during the December holidays, such that things would run smoother and we would be well-prepared for it.

We had 3 days of prep, and we tried to make use of our time in these 3 days to practice hard for what we are supposed to do. I was in gadgets comm., and for us, we had to take note of certain features of the gadget (kitchen table). For example, the barbeque pit and seat should be tied at a comfortable height for the year1s, such that they would not have troubles using the features. Another thing that I learnt was that we should take note of the protrusion of the spars. However, I think that the most important was that we should’ve tied tighter lashes by chou-ing more and holding tension, such that the gadget would be more stable and safe. Furthermore, we should always make use of our time extensions instead of taking them for granted. In general, I think that all the guides and scouts had practiced equally hard for the orientation day, in order to ensure that it was a success.

Finally, on the actual day itself, our efforts paid off as many of the year 1s seemed rather interested in what we had to showcase to them, and some even asked questions regarding the activities. When the year1s came down to the area, the scouts performed lion dance for them, and after that, we did the adiji yell to welcome them. Next, the ushers brought them around the Guides’ and Scouts’ area to tell them more about what we do and to make them feel more welcomed. Many of them were impressed after knowing that we built the gateway, kitchen shelter and kitchen tables ourselves, and at the mini games area, we could tell that they had a fun time playing the games, especially the Gladiator. Lastly, after 6 classes finished touring the UG area, we had the performance. The hard work and practices of the performers paid off too, as the performances were really good, and the year1s appeared to be really engrossed with them. As for the 2nd batch of students, some of their parents came with them to watch the performances, and they too, seemed to have a good impression of our CCA. Hence, I think that we had done a pretty good job for this CCA orientation, and thus, this shows that practice (orientation prep) makes perfect! As the theme for this year’s orientation was ‘Painting your Rainbow’, we hope that, through joining Guides and Scouts, the Y1s could find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (:

After the year1s left, we started to clean up. The orientation seemed to be rather successful, and I think that this orientation was very meaningful, not only did I have a chance to brush up on my skills; I also realized that hard work always pay off. (:


Lastly, from OIC Chai Ning;
To all guides: While you were encouraging new y1s to pick up the paintbrush and join scouts and guides, hope that all of you had fun painting a part of your rainbow during orientation as well (: