Temasek Foundation has been bringing Asian journalists together in Singapore through this unique programme since 2009. The programme was hosted first by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, and since 2017 by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore. The Covid-19 pandemic forced us to cancel the 2020 programme and in 2021, it was run online only. In 2022, we had a hybrid AJF, with four weeks online and two weeks in Singapore. The 2021 Fellows came too, creating a first for AJF, with two batches present at the same time.
The 2022 programme in Singapore was a mix of visits to newsrooms and media campuses, talks by experts, journalism-related training workshops, and dialogues with senior government officials and media personalities.
Visits to the Housing Board and water agency PUB showed Fellows how Singapore, a compact city state, builds homes for its people and works towards becoming self-sufficient in water supply. A visit to the Jurong Lake Gardens showed some of the work being done behind the scenes to maintain “a city in a garden”.
In a series of seminars, the Fellows presented on important events in their countries, issues that matter in their societies or the work they do. These ranged from the impact of climate change, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the challenges faced by women in journalism, politics in the Philippines and Malaysia, crimes in India that make international news, and more. Our first South Korean Fellow explained the economic value of hugely popular Korean boyband BTS.
Several Fellows with expertise in specific areas also shared what they knew in informal “Masterclass” sessions. These ranged from personal financial planning to digital tools for trainers and how TikTok can work to put across serious messages.
No AJF programme runs without a set of fun activities that gets Fellows together in small and large groups. This included eating out, cycling in the East Coast Park, hiking in MacRitchie Reservoir and just chilling at the apartments.
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