organisations
“The experience was awesome! I faced some challenges during the planning and funding processes. Skillseed has been most helpful in assisting to source for alternative options to make the workshop possible. None of the vendors I had worked with is as proactive and engaging as Skillseed. They sought to understand my challenges and I am most grateful for their positive encouragement along the way which helped me to persevered and make the workshop happened at the end. ”
“It was a great afternoon of fun and learning! The workshop was very engaging, re-energizing and conveyed practical skills. Despite the little time we had together, the session was very well planned. The time allocated to each segment felt right - not rushed nor slow, and each segment complemented or reinforced the learnings from the preceding one.
Learning through doing was also evident throughout the workshop, from the various hands on activities to interviewing the citizens. The group sharing and reflections were also helpful for me to get to know my colleagues better.”
“Engaging, collaborative and fun! Excellent facilitation and sharing of Kampung Admiralty by facilitators who made the session interesting and enriching for the participants’ learning, good time management. Smooth pre-event coordination despite short lead time, adjusted programme according to our needs (ie. shortened classroom session and kept the guided walk so that we can come back in time for our afternoon class).”
“I found the Skillseed training to be extraordinarily helpful not only to gain solid grounding in the game-changing tools of design thinking and asset-based community development, but also to facilitate much needed conversations among the different teams present. Through extremely effective facilitation and tasteful insertion of real-world experience, the Skillseed team has helped us take our work to the next level.”
“The Skillseed team’s dedication can be seen in their timely responses to our requests, sincere feedback and comments to the programme operations and smooth communication with our team. The partnership evolved into friendship that our team has come to appreciate a lot. Skillseeds’ commitment to better their efforts in training youth with disability was exhibited in their keenness to build up knowledge through SPD’s disability awareness training at the outset (i.e. prior to the start of training). With that, we were convinced that they were the right people to work with.”
“Skillseed delivered a highly contextualised course relevant to the needs of our participants. Contents such as understanding stereotypes and dignity violations offer immersive experiences and takeaways. Working with the Skillseed Team was an immensely enjoyable journey as we implored pertinent topics and deepened the analysis for learning outcomes. Thank you Skillseed very much once again for the partnership! :)”
“Efficient, Effective, Empathetic. During the preparation process, Skillseed showed such dedication, patience and attention to details that were very impressive. Keep up the good and meaningful work :)”
“The programme experience was well thought-out and informative. The team was conscientious right down to small details, such as participant energy levels and movement. The team were accommodating and understanding in our requirements and were able to professionally include our goals into their programme. The participants really enjoyed the time meeting with their community partners (CPs), we appreciate Skillseed taking the time to prepare the CPs for the interaction and adjust their programme to suit our CPs’ accessibility needs.”
TEACHERS
“Collaboration with Skillseed was a rewarding experience as they were able to accommodate and adjust accordingly to our requirements. The coordination and communication were prompt and effective, thus contributing to the successful experience for all parties. ”
“Authentic, humbling, inspiring. Very smooth communication channels and quick response time... thank you very much! ”
“The presentation was thorough and the facilitator gave prompting questions to help students to stretch their thinking and re-examine their thought process. The trainers were also skillful in guiding the students to develop problem statements and guiding students to think and modify their statements. The whole process of working with Skillseed was smooth as the trainers were prompt in sending relevant materials to the school and were clear in the amount of logistics that were required. Thank you for training our students!”
“This was absolutely as close to perfect of an experiential learning trip we could have had.”
“This was our second year partnering with Skillseed, and we continue to be impressed by the high levels of professionalism, engagement and passion the Skillseed team has. The Skillseed team took the time to understand the needs of our students and customised a practical series of workshops for them. The students benefited from the recap of last year's ABCD workshop, learning the fundamentals of Design Thinking and applying them in the school context. We have decided to embark on some of the project ideas that came up during the workshop, including raising awareness of our school "frontliners" - the non-teaching staff, security team, cleaners and vendors.
When the Circuit Breaker hit halfway through the series of workshops, the Skillseed team was very quick to adapt to the situation, transforming the physical workshops into online sessions. These e-workshops ran seamlessly and students were similarly engaged. A big thank you to the Skillseed team for designing an excellent programme.”
- Ang Huan Ting, Teacher, Evergreen Secondary School on customised learning journey
“Nine students from Keystone Academy in Beijing, China had the opportunity to travel to northwest Bali to participate in the Biosphere Environmental Stewardship programme organized by Skillseed and the Biosphere Foundation. It was an amazing week filled with experiential learning relevant to the students’ lives. The goal of the week was to learn about our fragile biosphere and the impact that humans are having on it. We had an amazing facilitator, Sally Silverstone, who coordinated and led all of the activities each day.
Each activity was fun and engaging and tied back to the theme of environmental protection. We hiked mangrove forests, snorkeled in coral reefs, removed invasive species, cleaned plastic from the beach, and had an insightful activity personifying nature. The students had time to explore the plethora of life within the mangrove trees and in the ocean.
The programme had a great balance of physically challenging activities, academic learning experiences, and free time for students to relax, reflect, and play in nature. Sally is an incredibly passionate scientist and educator with a drive to really help young people learn their role within the biosphere and their importance in making decisions about its health. It was such a pleasure to work with Sally and her team and to see her passion motivate others to care for the environment. Every person on Earth has a duty to learn about protecting our biosphere as it is the only one we have. I certainly will bring Keystone students here next year.”
- Brad Gibbs & Yang Yang, Teacher Chaperones from Keystone Academy in Environmental Stewardship, an exposure ELP
STUDENTS
>82% of participants
feel a stronger sense of social responsibility after Skillseed’s courses.
>80% of participants
would recommend Skillseed's courses to others.
> 80% of participants
have positive feedback for our facilitators.
“To all the people who have made this trip all the more worthwhile! Thanks for the amazing company, the great laughs and the many insightful conversations along the way. It’s always inspiring and encouraging to meet people from diverse backgrounds with so many different and interesting opinions and perspectives, yet also with similar interests and a genuine desire to see and create change. Thanks for broadening my perspectives and stimulating my curiosity. Also shoutout to Skillseed for the amazing programme and facilitators!!!”
“The trip was truly amazing! As I have said, it’s probably the best trip I’ve ever went on. Here, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all of the organisers and our teachers. Thank you all for what we’ve learned throughout the trip. You guys are the best teachers. Thank you all for the [care] and friendship we’ve built throughout the trip. It’s unforgettable and will always be a part of my memory.”
"I learnt that you're never too young to make a difference and if I have an interest in a certain field I ought to take the initiative to search for a suitable organisation. However, it also reminded me that when volunteering, the most important aspects are passion and commitment. Personally, what set certain entrepreneurs and organisations apart during this trip were their sincerity and love for what they were doing. They taught me that if I want to volunteer, i ought to really put in my all and care for the cause."
- Goh Keyi Chloe, Methodist Girls' School, participant in Social Entrepreneurship 2016
"It made me consider ever doing jobs in the future that were for social causes, which was something I had never considered before. Hearing from the tour guides from Local Alike, the founder of the Akha Ama coffee, as well as the Skillseed staff following us made me realise that helping via organisations was more impactful than I had realised, given that I was always reserved towards the idea as I felt it was helping from a distance”
- Kathleen Ng Shee Min, Methodist Girls' School, participant in Food for Futures 2016
Parents
From a Chinese parent:
"各位老师：与孩子沟通后觉得此次伦敦游学活动内容丰富，既长知识又涨见识。这次活动在时间安排方面，紧凑、合理，每天从早到晚上午下午做什么，每个时间段做什么都清楚仔细。在活动内容安排方面，既有城市著名景点的参观，又有文化艺术交流和欣赏；既有豪华商场的购物体验又有纯英式下午茶的品尝，连孩子都说许多地方都是自己去英国无法体会到的。在组织规划方面，老师们提前探路，打听好路线和各项时间，组织孩子们乘地铁、逛市场、自己拿钱去解决晚餐，以提高孩子们的沟通能力和语言能力。老师们很用心，想得很周到，对遇到的各种问题都有各种解决方案，让孩子感到很踏实也很充实。感谢老师们的细心、用心和耐心，希望以后能越办越好。谢谢！"
- 关颜松妈妈，participant from Creatives x Alternatives 2017
"I decided to send both of my children, Nicole, who is nineteen and studying in Yale-NUS College, and Nathaniel, who is sixteen and studying in School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA), on the Film For Good programme so as to let them have a different kind of year-end holiday.
"Being their parents, we felt that it would be a valuable learning experience for them, exposing them to a different culture and environment to see the needs of others and to learn the value of empathy.
"Getting to learn the basics of filming on the trip was definitely a highlight of the programme as I felt it was really useful for them to learn a new skill and even explore potential career options. Going together as a brother and sister team also meant bonding time, while working with a big team also helps foster team spirit.
"After nine days in Vietnam, both Nicole and Nathaniel concluded that it was a rewarding experience. Although they were bitten by many mosquitoes and even fell ill halfway during the trip, they were able to rise up and have a never-say-die attitude. Presenting their work on stage to an audience about their films during the screening was also a new experience for them. I was proud of them as I could witness them beaming cheek to cheek, full of pride for what they had done. For me, I felt that it was indeed money well spent on a different kind of holiday which brought back many invaluable returns."
- Phyllis Yeo, mother of participants in Skillseed's Film For Good Course in 2014
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
“We need more programmes like Skillseed, because when participants are immersed into a culture, into the community, into real hands-on work, when they graduate from the programme, they are then real advocates for social change. And that is what the world needs now.”