Kill Two Birds with One Stone: MTC’s Mentorship Week

The last leg of MTC’s Design For Good Youth Competition comprised of a special mentorship week at Make The Change. The finalists of the competition were invited from Pasir Ris Secondary School and Serangoon Garden Secondary School to join the MTC crew for a full, 5-day programme.

Crafted for the secondary three students to learn more about design and social entrepreneurship from industry experts, the finalists gained from both sides of the coin last week.

On one hand, they went through insightful lessons on how to further develop their artistic abilities while expanding their horizons on social entrepreneurship at the same time.

What does it mean to design, for good?

Here’s a glimpse of what it’s like to kill two birds with one stone at DFG’s Mentorship Week:

To Design: essential tips on visual literacy

On one hand, the mentorship week opened a door for the promising talents to further develop their aesthetic sensitivity. MTC invited a seasoned and esteemed lecturer, Mr Kenji Choo, to elaborate on what it really means to be visually literate.

One of DFG’s finalists, Sherine, mentioned that the course content was helpful in showing them how they can further improve on their shortlisted works. Mr Kenji touched on varying visual elements such as typefaces, shapes and colours.

Interestingly, each and every one of them carry a distinct meaning and evoke specific emotions. An effective visual storyteller will have to understand what these elements stand for and arrange them into melodic pieces of work.

These pointers on composition can be translated to help the finalists in their final examination as well, as all of them have taken Art as a school subject.

For good: experiential learning with MTC’s partners

Besides developing a keener sense of design, the finalists are also invited to pay a visit to two of MTC’s partners. One of them was MDAS (Muscular Dystrophy Association Singapore) while the other was St Luke’s Eldercare.

Another finalist, Evelyn, recounted that the group activity at St Luke’s Eldercare was the most memorable for her, as the team built a periscope together with the elderly. On the other hand, Ashley felt that conversation she had with an 18-year-old girl from MDAS was her key takeaway.

There is a general consensus amongst the finalists that they would love to experience more of such trips in the future.

Combining the two to design for good

Our last finalist, Hui Qi, also mentioned that the DFG mentorship week was an unique experience for her, citing the social entrepreneurship project ongoing at St Luke’s Eldercare was highly similar to what she wanted to do in the future. We wish her all the best ;)

With this, MTC’s mentorship week has ended on a beautiful note for 2017. We hope that this mentorship week has been a meaningful one and we would like to wish our finalists and all the secondary school students a happy holiday!