56th JCRC, King Edward VII Hall

Annual General Meeting Report

56th JCRC, King Edward VII Hall

Annual General Meeting Report

Annual Report from AB Block Committee 2012/2013

Main Projects for the Year Project/Event Inter-Block Games Participation Comments Improvements to be made Rate Good Participation was good, but IBG was too long, especially difficult to pull numbers for with the weather delays, and some sports, especially blocker participation dipped towards the end. Publicity towards the end. IBG should be was made via sms, kept to a maximum 2 weeks. Facebook, phone calls, and door-to-door. Facebook posts were useful in updating the blockers about each nights sports and results. Maintaining a positive and sportsmanlike attitude helped to boost block spirit. Positive feedback was received from blockers about how IBG helped to facilitate block spirit and how the freshmen had fun. This should remain the focus and goal of IBG. IBG shirts for each block were a good idea. Poor People tend to avoid fire Cash incentives for drill, choosing to avoid participating/performing blocks returning to Hall during the is ineffective and unnecessary time period or to hide in for an activity which is PGP/Med Library. supposed to be educational. Participants are mostly Cash incentives also pose a block committee members problem when incidents and a few blockers. This happen such as the one in the negates the purpose of firefirst semester where the PGP drill. fire alarm caused confusion among blockers and many went ahead and moved to the meeting point only to be told to go back. A separate fire safety briefing during the first block suppers may be more effective at communicating the information than the fire-drill where participation is generally low. Good Having a small supper Scheduling should be done committee to plan each carefully to avoid clashes with

Fire-drill

Block Suppers

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Annual General Meeting Report supper and decide on theme and menu is more efficient compared to having the entire block committee gather and discussing. Publicity via email, sms, facebook, door tags, and posters was adequate. Food purchase and preparation were done in good time. Good feedback was consistently received about the quality of AB supper food. major Hall events. The Hall calendar should be up early and Block Heads should be aware of major event dates so that they can plan for their own supper dates. What happened often this year is that the blocks all had supper within the same week. This is not a bad thing, but it shows how there were limited time slots during which block suppers could be held. Have to take into account block dynamics when setting supper dates (if most blockers are from a certain CCA, avoid having suppers on the day of the CCA) Can have more themed suppers (CNY themed, Valentines Day, etc.) Xinyao performance at the beginning was entertaining but too time consuming. Games are more engaging for the entire audience.

East Wing Supper 1 Oktoberfest

Good

East Wing Supper 2 Hunger Games Good

AB Secret Valentines (Angel/Mortal)

High

Attendance was good at the beginning and increased towards the time that the food was released. The partner charades/guess the song game was highly entertaining and one that engaged all the blockers. Other games such as the bread eating game were entertaining, but held too near the end of supper as blockers were already finishing their food/leaving. Door prizes of mugs and party-poppers were good. Attendance was lower at the beginning and some confusion over the initial game led to a slow start. However, attendance greatly increased near the time food was brought out. Revelation of Best Demon/Poor Mortal was entertaining and the prizes were good. New initiative this AY which was effective in encouraging more

More interactive games with the blockers (similar to the game nights of previous years) would be more engaging. Block committee members should make a point of participating actively in the games to encourage participation from the rest of the block. Revelation supper could have been better planned and executed. Better timing can

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Annual General Meeting Report interaction among blockers that usually do not talk. Posts on facebook by Angels/Mortals alike were good in generating interest and hype about the game as it was ongoing. Blockers seemed to enjoy the gifts/small acts of kindness and many were quite enthusiastic. Timing the game around Valentines Day was helpful in setting the festive mood of the game. New initiative this AY which was effective in encouraging more interaction between East Wingers. Posts on the East Wing Facebook page by Demons/Mortals alike were good in generating interest and hype about the game as it was ongoing. Blockers seemed to have genuine fun with the pranks while keeping it within reasonable/safe guidelines. Many were quite enthusiastic and creative. Timing the game around April Fools Day was helpful in setting the festive mood of the game. Response was good initially, but attendance tapered off towards the end of first semester and Barley Nights did not continue into second semester. A worthwhile effort as it does help to build a core of enthusiastic blockers and is a good avenue to unwind. However, block committee members must be committed to its execution. New desserts other than barley are a welcome enable more people to come down. Generally, participation in the game was high among those that signed up. More blockers can be encouraged to sign up, as this is a good avenue for blocker interaction. Block committee participation should be mandatory in order to encourage other blockers to participate.

East Wing Demon Week

High

Revelation during 2nd East Wing supper was well done. Showing photos of the pranks on screen was highly entertaining. Generally, participation in the game was high among those that signed up. More blockers can be encouraged to sign up, as this is a good avenue for East Wing interaction. Block committee participation should be mandatory in order to encourage other blockers to participate.

Barley Nights

Lukewarm

Frequency can be reduced to once every two weeks so that more budget can be allocated to each barley night. The burden on the block committee members would also be reduced as well. Block committee members should make a point of going down to meet/interact with blockers and to promote a more cohesive mood in the kitchenette.

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Annual General Meeting Report change for blockers. Delivering Barley Night desserts to IBG participants is a good idea and helps to generate block spirit/cohesion. Changes in design caused some delay, as well as problems with shirt type and color availability from the supplier. Blockers liked the color and design of the shirt. However, the quality was not as good as the previous years due to lack of stock from the supplier. Blockers seem to prefer cotton t-shirts to dri-fit ones. Door tag designs were detailed and original. All residents received new door tags in the second semester including new residents, which was good.

Block Shirt

N/A

Find another supplier other than the one that we have been using as they no longer supply the same quality shirt as in AY 11/12. East Wing shirt idea was not brought up this year. The East Wing Block Heads can consider reviving the idea for AY 13/14.

Door Tags

N/A

Welfare Pack

N/A

Blockers enjoyed both Sem 1 and Sem 2 welfare packs. Investing in a good welfare pack is a good way of returning money back to the blockers. Gathering suggestions from blockers about what they want in the packs is a good idea.

Many door tags were blown away by wind/rain throughout the first semester. New door tags need to be reinforced and more tightly secured to the doors. Blockers should be reminded to remove their door tags before moving out at the end of Semester 1 as cleaners will clear the door tags. Some perishable items (coffee/milo) in some of the SCRC packs resulted in a foul smell affecting several packs. These had to be washed and repacked. Some milo packets also burst during handling. Welfare items should be carefully checked to ensure that all items are fresh and undamaged.

General Comments

Mass sms-ing the blockers remains a good publicity tool and avenue for announcements. Buying more/new furniture for the block lounge continues to be a good choice as blockers now have better tables to study at in AB lounge and a variety of chairs to

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Annual General Meeting Report

use. However, the lounge should be cleaned more often (more than once a semester) and block residents should be reminded to clean up after themselves. A reminder should be sent to all residents that only KEVII residents should be allowed access to the block lounges. Any PGP/non-Hall people caught using the lounges unaccompanied should be asked to vacate immediately. This was a recurring problem for the AB lounge during weekends. Seniors should continue to be encouraged to come down for Block and Wing suppers. Participation in Block events such as AB Secret Valentines is also a good way for seniors and juniors to bond. Overall a good year in that a strong core batch of AB seniors was able to be carried over into the next year and the general AB spirit was maintained, establishing a good foundation for the new AY 13/14.

Prepared by: Miss Jennifer Yeh AB Block Head 2012/13

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Annual General Meeting Report

Annual Report from the CD Block Committee 2012/2013

Main Projects for the Year Project/Event Participation Rate Flag Day Above Average Details The attendance was good and CD flaggers did very well in terms of coordinating within the team and reporting to the KEWOC in charge. Came in first at Flag. With the help of the enthusiastic seniors, CD participants were very active and enjoyed the games a lot as a block. Managed to get the first place! Participation rate was average but players were aggressive and supporters were very helpful. Did a very good job in terms of strategy planning and teamwork. Came in second at IBG. The attendance was very good in the beginning and at the end of both semesters, but went slightly poor during IHG period and midterm weeks. The first EWS was Octoberfest and the second one was a revelation of Prank Week. Attendance was slightly poorer in the second one, probably due to the timing and venue of the suppers. However, Prank Week was quite epic and managed to get the blockers from both AB and CD to interact with each other. AnD became the peak of Semester One as the block turned into its liveliest state. Happenings and activities in Facebook can also be seen to have increased tremendously. Blockers got to know each other better Recommendations More seniors can be gathered to help and guide the freshmen and make it an even more enjoyable and fun experience especially for the freshmen. Both seniors and freshmen should be included as many as possible as this is the rare opportunity to get the blockers to know each other and interact since the start of term. More welfare could be provided to boost the morale of the players and more publicity and updates could be made to gather players for all matches. More publicity could be done via Floor I/Cs to invite and make sure all blockers are aware of the events and encouraged to attend. A weeklong event such as AnD week could be held prior to the suppers so that people are more keen to attend. Publicity could be grander and more frequent to grab the East Wingers attention.

Block Day

Average

Inter-Block Games

Average

Block Events (Suppers)

High

East Wing Suppers

Average

Angel and Demon Week

High

Try to involve all blockers as the game was definitely fun and added a lot of life to the block.

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Annual General Meeting Report through interactions via various gifts and pranks. Take and go desserts or drinks to boost morale of the blockers, especially during exam times. Birthday sabos and celebrations (both groups and individuals depending on circumstances) were done least once per month. Blockers liked the door tags a lot but most were torn down during the vacation.

Random (Welfare) Nights Birthday Celebrations

Average

Block committee could use the chance to interact with the blockers.

NA

Door tags

NA

Blockers should be reminded to keep the door tags before leaving for vacation to prevent the door tags from being torn down by the cleaner.

Block Shirt

NA

KEVIIans Day

Average

Fire Drills

Above Average

Senior Appreciation

Above Average

CD Newsletter

NA

A competition was held to collect designs and vote for the best one in a democratic way. Due to time constraint, the event was held in a rush but overall it was very successful and great fun with a new campfire element added to it. Attendance was good and everyone was very cooperative. Won the first prizes for both semesters. Graduation certs and gifts were prepared and notes were written by the blockers to all the graduating seniors. A very happy ending the AY! :D One newsletter per semester was prepared and distributed by the Publicity Team. Very good read and important to show the blockers about the upcoming events refresh their memories in the block.

The date of the event could be set a little earlier to make sure there was enough time for planning and publicity.

More writers could be recruited among the blockers instead of block members.

General Recommendations

1. Block committee should be well informed about the heavy year-long commitment from start to ensure constant commitment level (attendance for meetings, event preparations and cleaning up), especially during the intensive IHG period.

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Annual General Meeting Report

2. More interactions could be made by the block committees, especially Floor ICs, to reach out to the blockers and bring them into the block family especially during the midterm weeks. Dessert nights, waffle nights and random block bonding events should be utilized to talk to the blockers and make CD Block more homely. 3. Residents that entered in Semester 2 usually find it hard to integrate into hall and make friends. Block committee members can be assigned to new residents and help to integrate them into hall. An orientation for new blockers would help too. 4. STAY POSITIVE!
Prepared By: Miss Ho Sue Yuin CD Block Head 2012/13

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Annual General Meeting Report

Annual Report from E Block Committee 2012/2013

General Comments 1. Seniors and Juniors tend to not interact with one another. More platforms for interaction should be created, and block committee members should facilitate the process. 2. Block committee members need to take down posters after each event has ended. 3. Block committee members should make it a point to help new residents in semester 2 to integrate into hall and the block. 4. A feedback system would be helpful in reflecting what can be done by the block committee for the block. Major Projects Project Regular Block Suppers Comments - About 3-4 regular block suppers (excluding KEVIIans' Day and west wing suppers) were organized per semester. - Attendance for suppers is low with an average of about 30 blockers. - Attendance for west wing supper was high. - Good feedbacks were received regarding the effort in decoration of the dining hall. - Some food items were insufficient during the course of the supper. - The stage games effectively gathered people to interact with one another while cheering for their blockers in their games. - There were no carnival games, but the event was still fun-filled. - Excessive food was being prepared, leading to food wastage. - The after party segment of the event received poor response as people started to leave after the food was cleared. - Participation of Angel and Areas for Improvement - Blockers should be encouraged to attend suppers - Interaction between blockers should be encouraged.

West Wing Supper

Budgeting of food must be carefully planned as over-spending may be a problem.

KEVIIans' Day

Food amount should be reasonably planned to prevent wastage. The photobooth should be better promoted.

Angel and Mortal

An opt-out option can be

56th JCRC, King Edward VII Hall

Annual General Meeting Report Mortal was high in semester 1. Facebook was used as an effective tool to share images of the gifts received, which encouraged many to participate in the game. T-shirt designing is open to all residents of E block. The winning design is selected by the number of likes on Facebook. given for those who do not wish to participate. Feedbacks were given that 2 weeks is too short for the game.

Block T-Shirts

Designing should start early in case changes are needed.

New Initiatives Project Exam Welfare Supper Comments - Food was being ordered during reading week leading to final exams. - Supper was easy to execute, and received very good response. - Running Man game was played around the area of E block and the admin block (dining hall and comm hall area). Areas for Improvement - May order more food if budget allows as many people (approx. 50) tend to join the supper.

Running Man

The event should be better promoted to encourage more people to join. The nametags should be well attached to the back of the players as they tend to fall off with masking tape.

Problems Encountered Problem Block commers and block members are busy with major productions in semester 2, leading to lower attendance for block suppers and lack of manpower. Recommended Solution - Block commers should take the initiative to let the block head know about their other commitments. - The committee should plan early on semester 2s activities and ensure there are no clashes with major productions. Exchange students and students who moved into - The block committee should take note of hall in semester 2 found it hard to integrate into these students and take extra effort in hall. helping them integrate into the hall and the block.

Prepared by, Miss Adela Lee E Block Head 2012/ 13

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Annual General Meeting Report

Annual Report from the F Block Committee 2012/2013

General Comments F Block Committee underwent a thorough revamp in AY2012-2013. The most distinctive change from the previous year was that the committee had one Block Head and two Assistant Block Heads. Assistant Block Heads were able to provide a system of checks within the committee, and had the authority to make decisions as well. However, the final decision would be made by the Block Head. In addition, instead of splitting members into three distinct departments (Food and Programs, Logistics and Special Events, Design and Publicity), members were not placed into any particular department, therefore allowing them to be shuffled around to carry out different tasks for different events. This was to allow members to gain a wider range of experience handling activities from different planning perspectives. Members The new structure of the committee appeared not to work as well as the previous years structure in terms of efficiency and developing team spirit, perhaps the structure may be revised further before it is reintroduced again. Member composition At the start of the AY, there were a total of 20 members in the committee, of which there were 7 seniors and 13 freshmen. However, over the course of the year, 2 freshmen left the committee and we were left with 7 seniors and 11 freshmen. This posed a problem with succession of the Treasurer position as one of the freshmen who left hall and F Block Committee had taken up the role. Seniors came from a wide range of backgrounds and experience with block committees. All seniors were Year 2s, and some had come from other blocks' block committees previously. This gave us a chance to pick their brains on how other blocks ran their block committees, giving us a new perspective and more ideas on how to run activities for the block. The senior-to-freshmen ratio was also unusually high, which may have caused some problems within the committee. Seniors, apart from the Block Head and Assistant Block Heads, were to be considered the same rank as freshmen (i.e. they had no particular authority over them to order them around, etc.). However, some freshmen may have perceived a hierarchy whereby the seniors were of higher ranks and thus did not mingle much with them. This undoubtedly created a clear freshmen and senior divide within the committee. Buddying Block Committee Members with residents In previous years, F Block Committee members would be assigned a number of F Block residents and act as a bridge between them and the Block Committee. This included the dissemination of information for suppers, engagement activities and hall events, as well as the collection of information from the residents. This year, however, instead of assigning each member a number of residents, we restructured the system. A group of 2-4 members (Level ICs) would be in charge of each level, depending on how many rooms there were on the level. Thus different levels may have

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Annual General Meeting Report had different ways of disseminating information (e.g. one person sending out messages to all level residents, or each member handling a number of residents). However, in the end, despite whatever means they used, things still got done. Bonding between Block Committee Members Members in the committee were bonded to a certain extent, however, they tended to form cliques and stuck to those rather than interacting with everyone. The first bonding activity (outing) did not take off well, and attendance was extremely poor (most seniors, plus 2 freshmen indicated that they would be going). The failure to develop a strong sense of belonging and a bonded team may be because of the different characters of the members, where some people may not be able to gel or get along well with others. Perhaps it was also a lapse on the Block Heads part to push and implement further bonding activities or avenues for interaction between block committee members as well. Referring to the previous years success in bonding the committee and creating the sense of attachment, more unofficial gatherings, heart-to-heart talks (HTHT) and making sure to have meals together should be carried out so that members will better understand and be more comfortable with each other. Personal Development of Block Committee Members There were many promising members; however, many did not show their full potential in the end. Whether this was another lapse on the Block Heads part or other reasons, overall, every member was given at least one chance to take on a leadership role in planning of suppers or engagement activities. Succession of Leadership Leadership succession started in the second semester, where potential candidates for the next block head and assistant block head were identified. Unlike the previous year, there was no election process as only one candidate was identified. This was followed up by personal talks between the current block head and the incoming block head for mental preparation and advice. The incoming block head was given more authority in making decisions, and more experience with planning events or management throughout the second semester. Areas for Improvement Following are some areas that problems arose in, some of which may be recurrent in previous years as well.

1.

Members of differing personal views and conflict resolution

Many members, especially the seniors, had strong views and opinions about how certain things should be carried out. They were also much more vocal during meetings than the freshmen, thus the freshmen tended not to speak up, and meetings at the beginning of the year tended to be senior-run. The way that the committee was run based on efficiency may have turned off some of the freshmen because they were not given the chance to try out their ideas, and were coerced by the seniors to do things that were already tried and tested in previous years.

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Annual General Meeting Report It may be worth allowing freshmen to try their ideas, and deal with any failures later so as not to give them a feeling of disengagement from the block committee as they feel that their ideas have been shut down and are not appreciated.

2.

Maintaining member motivation

Many members seemed to lose steam in the later part of semester one and semester two. This could be due to academic issues, or commitments to other CCAs. Once again, referring to suggestions from the previous year, such issues should be identified early on and everyone in the team should pitch in to help find a solution. This may range from lightening the workload during busy periods, or making sure the workload is spread amongst people who do have the time and energy to carry it out at different times of the semester. More support should be provided, whether from other members or the block head, where someone who feels stressed, overwhelmed or unhappy can get everything off their chest. This may solve the problem of members quitting, or losing motivation and lack of commitment to the committee. Programmes and Events F Block Committee AY1213 did conduct a number of programmes, mainly suppers and engagement activities. We aimed to have at least one supper a month, and two engagement activities per semester. The year started off great with F Block winning Inter-Block Games for the first time in a number of years. The first engagement activity, angel-mortal, was started before FHD 1, and it was heartening to see people participating and posting on the F Block Facebook group about things that their angels had done for them. Attendance for the Welcoming Supper and welfare suppers were also high, with more than 50 residents turning up. However, as the semester continued, other engagement activities did not seem to be as well received and suppers tended to clash with other events or CCAs. Perhaps activities for the upcoming year should be reviewed and checked to ensure that residents will enjoy them and participate in them. It was especially heartwarming when the F Block couple won DnD this year as well. Though F Block may not have been as vocal with constant cheers or jeers as the other blocks were, it was great to know that F Block residents rallied around their pageant contestants and voted for them. Publicity of events We encountered problems with publicity of events, as none of the members seemed to be particularly inclined towards designing posters or other publicity materials. As such, publicity tended to be more slow-moving and did not get done as fast as would be ideal. This may have negatively affected the number of people attending the events as well. This problem may just be attributed to bad luck as one of the seniors who was consistently designing posters for F Block Committee events for the previous academic year had left hall, and there happened to be no freshmen that had the skills to take on that role. Allocation of manpower

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Annual General Meeting Report This has been a recurrent problem, especially during supper preparation, execution and washing up. Allocation of manpower should be taken into consideration as it ensures that everyone that is needed turns up, and that everyone present is working efficiently. While it is important to have enough people around, it is equally important to ensure that there is no excess manpower. Members who show up but end up not having any task to do will feel like they are not needed and this may lead to the previously mentioned problem of losing motivation. Ensuring that members stay to complete the washing up and cleaning up of the supper and cooking area is another problem as members tended to leave halfway through the supper and insufficient manpower was left to clear up later on. One possible way of countering this would be to allocate manpower for food preparation, serving and cleaning up, so that none of the members would feel overly drained or spend too much time for one event. Miscellaneous

1.

Importance of member personalities

As raised in the previous years report, this is truly an important point. Despite attempts to develop a sense of attachment and belonging, if the individual personalities of the members do not match, they will not be able to build strong rapport with one another. If a strong bond between members is established, they would be better able to galvanise and rally their residents to participate in events. This is purely based on luck of the draw, and cannot be helped.

Prepared by Ms. Melissa Chee F Block Head 2012/13

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Annual General Meeting Report

Annual Report from the GH Block Committee 2012/2013

General Comments GH Block Committee faced many problems in the prior academic year, leading to a loss of block pride and other related problems among the previous batch of blockers. The first and foremost objective of the AY12/13 GH Block Committee was to foster a strong block pride in seniors and international students, not just the freshmen. I believe that this objective was achieved in seniors and freshmen. Successful existing methods were kept and new initiatives to solve exsiting problems were also implemented. Main Projects for the AY 12/13 Project/Event Participati on Rate High Comments Improvements to be made

Block Time during KEWOC

Block Day

Low

Flag Day

Moderate

Participation was good and the mood was high, probably due to the excitement from KEWOC Potential block committee members were scouted during this time and the initial promotion for block committee was conducted during this time. This could have led to the high sign-up rate for block committee Whacko and other ice breakers were conducted during this time Participation was low due to event being held during the weekend and the nature of the activity. The atmosphere was quite awkward for the blockers initially though much effort went into making Participation was poor among the seniors and moderately good among the freshmen Publicity for Flag Day

GH block could have been more prompt for the next activity so as not to affect the schedule

Block Day could be on a weekday instead or conducted when there is a stronger block pride The activity could be held in hall The activity could be unrelated to water so that it could be more inclusive for everyone More publicity could have been conducted during KEWOC so that freshmen would flag with their blocks, instead of with

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Annual General Meeting Report was conducted during Block Time and every freshman was individually contacted through their phones, to be informed about Flag Day Potential block committee members were paired up with a senior from the block committee so that they could be informed more about the block committee This initiative was tweaked from the previous year, with there being two weeks of Angel and Mortal and the final week being Buaya week, when a persons assigned Devil will play pranks on him, before revelation during supper. This was an initiative taken from Sheares Hall. To give ideas for Buaya Week, an example was given by conducting a demonstration on one of the blockers doors. To boost the participation rate, prizes were given to the best Angel and Devil, as well as to only involve the seniors who wanted to play. This led to a moderately high participation for Angel and Mortal but still a low participation for Buaya Week. Participation was good for most games and there were a number of supporters for each their faculties

Angel and Mortal (with Buaya Week)

ModerateHigh for Angel and Mortal. Low for Buaya Week.

One suggestion could be to involve only the blockers who want to participate in this activity, so as to keep the game moving quickly. Block committee members could set examples by giving more flamboyant and public gifts to their mortals. Buaya Week could be taken out as it does not suit the nature of KEVII Hall now and breaks the momentum of Angel and Mortal.

Inter-Block Games (IBG)

Generally High

Training sessions could be conducted for all sports, initiated by block members familiar with the sport, so

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Annual General Meeting Report IBG game. However, it appears to be that roughly the same people will turn up to participate and cheer for their block mates. Publicity was carried out early, during the first supper, through SMS and email. One senior familiar with an IBG sport was in-charge of it and was responsible for finding players and training them. The seniors were briefed through email. Block committee members posted reminders on the GH Facebook group, as well as score updates to boost morale. The participation for block suppers were high in general, with about 50 blockers each time. Food and activities were well-received each supper, especially in semester 2. Food purchase and preparation were usually well-planned and executed. Publicity was done through Facebook, SMS service and innovative and eye-catching doortags, door gifts and posters. The creativity was a hit among the blockers. For example, for the last supper of Semester 1, the publicity poster was an interactive one. This was a new initiative for GH block committee to have as to train and bond the team. A more effective method should be come up with to get blockers to come down for match support. A suggestion could be to hold mini suppers during that time at the IBG game venue. Besides using Facebook to remind and boost the morale of the blockers, more platforms could be used, such as through email and SMS.

Block Suppers

High

The activities conducted during supper should be at one venue and should not be too sadistic The food prepared should not be too ambitious or unique so that they will be well-received and prepared on time Proposals should be given for all events, besides just a briefing, so that the rest of the committee knows about the exact plan.

Mini Suppers

High

This is a very good initiative to allow blockers to interact more. However,

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Annual General Meeting Report more interaction among the blockers but not at the scale of a block supper, to reduce the workload of the block committee members. Mini suppers have the purpose of having no activities planned, allowing the blockers to eat the food and mingle while eating. Participation was high, with about 40 blockers turning up each time, as many as for a regular block supper. Publicity was also done through Facebook, SMS service and innovative and eye-catching doortags, door gifts and posters. The creativity was a hit among the blockers. In this case, for the Chinese New Year Mini-Supper, the block was decorated with red packets and hong baos with one gold coin and a doortag were given to each blocker. Programmes and publicity went well, with few hiccups. More food could have been purchased with the amount spent though, if proper research was conducted. The theme was adhered to and quite a few blockers came dressed to suit the theme. Playing station games to get food stamps was a good idea to get people to play station one suggestion could be to put in less effort into each mini supper but distributed to have more mini suppers so that there will be more interaction among blockers. This is so as to have more suppers without over-taxing the block committee.

West Wing Supper

Moderate

There should be more communication between the different committees so as to cross-check on various decisions being made, such as the food items bought, when cheaper substitutes could have been bought in a larger quantity, resulting in the same amount of money spent on more food. More creative stage games could be played to get the blockers to interact more with one another, instead

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Annual General Meeting Report games Screening Scooby Doo was effective in gettimg blockers to stay until the end of the event. Programmes, publicity and food were all wellreceived in general. Food was slightly slow in coming out, leading to the delay in starting the event. The games consisted of stage and station games. Hardly anyone played the station games, resulting in not many blockers getting the stamps for taking a photo at the photobooth. The theme was Beach Day, a theme that many blockers could adhere to in terms of outfit, as well as a theme that the three committees could incorporate. This was also a new initiative. An outing was planned to West Coast Park during the first recess week. About 25 blockers turned up, most of them being block committee members. Publicity and programmes were well-organized but many non-block committee blockers chose not to turn up as they perceived this outing to be a block committee outing This was another new initiative by the GH block committee. of in their cliques.

KEVIIans Day

High

More time could have been given to food preparation. For stage games, games played should be clearly visible to the audience and not be blocked by people on stage. Having 4 station games and 3 stage games, with time blocked out for dancing, in a span of two hours is a rush. Resources could have been allocated to other areas. All block committee members should be present on the day itself, from the start until cleanup is over, for the event to go more smoothly.

Block Outing

Low

Frequent suppers are more useful than a block outing as blockers are more willing to turn up for suppers, instead of devoting one entire day to a block outing. While it is important for the block committee to be bonded, more effort should have been made to extend this bond to nonblock committee blockers.

Block Dinner

Moderate

This should be implemented as soon as the academic year starts,

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Annual General Meeting Report While members of the same block are likely to have dinner together, they might eat in their cliques or might decide to eat dinner outside. This initiative was implemented with the hopes of the whole block eating together at least once a week and to prevent the Jon Wong incident from occuring again. Participation started off high but decreased over the weeks as blockers got busier and as the hype died. However, people from other blocks would join the GH dinner table and were welcome to. The main objective of there being people to have dinner with was fulfilled and nobody should feel left out. While a cash incentive is wrong in principle, a monetary reward in incentive for blockers to attend the fire drill so that their block wins. This was evident when the last fire drill was conducted without any incentive. Therefore, if there is a monetary reward, more people in hall will learn how to react in the case of an emergency. Participation was moderate during the first two fire drills as blockers wanted to help their blocks to win. However, the last fire drill consisted to bond blockers and get them used to eating as a block, before they form other routines. More publicity could have been carried out.

Fire Drill

Moderate

Fire drills might not be the best method to learn what to do in the event of a fire as about half of the blockers will not attend this, even with the monetary reward. This is especially so as most blockers would have undergone many fire drills in their lives so far and they are usually commonsensical. Another method could be implemented, distributing a laminated copy of the assembly point and route to take in case of a fire to each room, along with the set of rules that comes with each room. This will be seen by all blockers when they move in.

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Annual General Meeting Report mainly of block committee members. The block shirts were ordered early, allowing the blockers to wear their own block shirt towards the later part of IBG. The shirts were not worn much by blockers as the design was not to some of their tastes. While the material was good, the sizes were slightly big.

Block Shirt

N/A

A few designs could have been put to a vote, allowing the blockers to have their say and choose their own block shirts. Specimens for the shirts should have been shown to the blockers to allow them to choose the appropriate size.

Other New Initiatives Implemented Besides the new initiatives mentioned above, such as Block Outing, Block Dinner, Buaya Week and Mini Suppers, GH Block Committee also changed its structure. Previously, GH Block Comm discussed about events during the meeting and two members will then take over to organize the rest of the activity themselves, making sure to consider all aspects. This led to inefficiency during meetings and little supervision of the freshmen by the seniors. As the freshmen were also unsure on what to do, this led to many avoidable mistakes and less successful activities. The AY12/13 GH Block Committee was made up of the Block Head, vice-Block Head, Secretary/Treasurer and three departments, which are Food and Programs, Logistics and Welfare and Publicity. There was a standing committee and a working committee for every event. For each event, the working committee was made up of one or two members from each department, supervised by a senior, while the rest of the block committee formed the standing committee for this event. The members of the working committee were responsible for the aspects of the event under their various departments, discussing with their own departments, if necessary, before coming to a conclusion with the rest of the working committee. The proposal was vetted by the Block Head before the standing committee was briefed, the standing committee being mobilized only on the day of the event. Each block committee member would only be involved in a maximum of 2 working committees so as not to over-tax the member. This structure was very efficient, resulting in less wastage of time during meetings and members not losing interest in the block committee. Block committee members could also put in devote more time and energy into the event when they were in the working committee as they could choose to work on events during periods that they were less busy. There was also supervision and passing-on of skills and experience from the supervising senior to the freshmen. Another initiative was block committee outings. It was the thinking of the senior members from experience and observations that a block spirit could only be inculcated if the block committee was bonded. This led to regular outings of the block committee, sometimes joined by our friendly Resident Fellow, Jenson Goh.

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Annual General Meeting Report Major Problems Encountered (New/Existing) Problems Faced Recommendations for the Future It was found that suggestion boxes are not as useful as talking face-to-face with blockers. Level In-Charges can make more of an effort to reach out to every single of their level people, initiating whatsapp groups, suppers and so on.

The Jon Wong incident affected me and a few of my block committee members. We were shaken that someone could have such strong negative feelings towards hall. This shows that despite our hard work, people still slipped through the cracks. More effort can be made to reach out to all blockers. Residents who move into hall in Semester 2 and exchange students usually find it hard to integrate into the hall and block. It was sometimes felt by blockers that the block committee was very close, leading them to feel left out. While this is useful in creating a strong block culture and inculcating block pride, the blockers should not feel left out

Block committee members can each be assigned to a new resident to help them integrate into hall and possibly bring exchange students around Singapore. More effort could be made by the block committee members to reach out to blockers through block committee members mixing more with their level people. Birthday celebrations is a great way of bonding blockers. More birthdays could be celebrated and everyone invited to each celebration.

Prepared by: Miss Yasmin Yeow GH Block Head 2012/13

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Annual Report from Dinner & Dance 2012/2013

General comments:

DnD event was well received and the tickets are fully sold out (250 pax)

Major events for the year:

Formal Hall dinner 1 Formal Hall dinner 2 Dinner and Dance on 30th March 2013

Factors that lead to success:

Pricing of the ticket is reasonable ($25 for residents) Location for the DnD venue is near to our hall thus encouraging high participation rate Participation of in-house talents such as KE Band, Music Ensemble and the in-house hosts

Areas for improvement:

The period for sales of DnD tickets can be longer to confirm the seating arrangements For fund raising activities, the committee should focus on dedicate a large part of time doing sales of roses on valentines day as those made the most profits Collaboration with OCIP team is a good form of publicity and it reaches out to other groups of consumers Encourage residents to come earlier or on time by providing incentives or gifts Pageant contestants need to start pageant work earlier, in order to help with pageant and Dinner and Dance publicity Committee should be dedicated to testing the games for all events, together, in order to simulate the actual reactions from participants. A meet-and-greet of the pageant contestants helped with Dinner and Dance publicity, however, it should not be done over FHD2

Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the SCRC, the 56th JCRC, and all participants for your support to make our Dinner & Dance a success to end the new academic year in the right tone. Prepared By: Miss Avery Linn & Miss Cheyenne Phillips Dinner and Dance Co-Heads 2012/13

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Annual Report from OCIP Cambodia 2012/2013

General Comments
The NUS King Edward VII (KEVII) Hall Overseas Community Involvement Programme (OCIP) first took seed in the hope of developing the compassionate side of the residents in King Edward VII Hall, National University of Singapore, by providing the opportunity for hall residents to make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged. Our project this year is different from the previous years as we have decided to work with a new non-governmental organization, Love Cambodia, in addition to the previous partner that we have worked with last year. This year, the Cambodian team comprises of 22 students. With the support of Uncle Jacob and Love Cambodia, this year we served both the orphanage community in Phnom Penh as well as the village community in Kampung Sleng in Prey Veng province. Furthermore, our Rest and Recreation was carried out in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. The trip itself commenced on 23rd May to 6th June 2013.

Main Projects Project 1: Kumpung Sleang, Prey Veng Province Needs assessment: Lack of proper sanitation facilities and the lack of water during the dry season. Hence, the NGO (Love Cambodia), has suggested that we can help address some of these needs by donating toilets and wells. Sustainability of the project: What our project aim to achieve would be to target the direct needs of the villagers to help them improve in the long run. Through the donation of wells, we can ensure that the villagers receiving them would at least have a source which they can turn to for water during the dry seasons. Also, structures such as the toilet would not be deemed as a disposable item and it can aid in improving the sanitation standards of the village. Villagers (adults and children) would also undergo health education lessons, to emphasize the importance and benefits of better hygiene and sanitation levels. This would be a crucial step in helping to change the mindsets of the villagers to achieve greater compliance and care of the donated items. Upon completion of the project, the NGO would help to follow up on the state of the village while the team is back in Singapore. Also, in the following year, the team would head back to this village to ensure that the wells and toilets have been used and well taken care of. Another aspect of our project in the village would be to expose the village kids to interesting classroom activities like sports day, balloon sculpting, paper mask making etc. to spur their interest in learning. As we all know, the main way out of poverty would be education.

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Project 2: Rainbow Bridge Orphanage Needs assessment: The paint on the walls of the boys room is peeling off and in pretty bad shape. Hence, the organization requests that we help to provide a new coat of paint for 3 rooms. A lack of toilet doors has also been noted, and the organization has requested for us to donate 3 doors. HIV children are generally still ostracized in their society; hence it would be good for us to go down and to interact with them. Sustainability of the project: This is a follow up project from our project Love Beyond Boundaries last year. Furthermore, we will continue our work with this organization for following projects as we feel that the experience gained from the interaction with the children here is very meaningful. In addition, there are still many parts of the orphanage that is rundown and would need refurnishing works to be done. General Overview of Activities in AY2012/13 Date Aug 2012 3-5 Sept 2012 Mid Sept 2012 Oct 2012 Nov 2012 Dec 2012 Activity CCA fair - recruitment Interviews 1st Combined Meeting (followed by fortnightly meetings) Fundraising event 1: Bazzar Chocolate Sales Recce Trip FR 2: Carwash x2 CPR AED session for members FR3: Preparation and executing the CNY fundraising project FR4: Newspaper collection (Fundraising) Local CIP at THK FR5: RunKE FR6: Tshirt sales Actual trip Post trip project at THK

Jan-Feb 2013 26,27 Jan 2013 Feb 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013-June 2013 Aug 2013 Conclusion

OCIP, already in its sixth year, has reached a new benchmark this year, by working with another organization to serve a new group of beneficiaries in the villages in the province of Cambodia.

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Annual General Meeting Report Through this, we can not only reach out to more people who may need our help, but also, to further encourage all hall residents to step up and embark on this self-learning journey. We would also like to thank the SCRC, JCRC, as well as all hall residents for their kind help and support.

Prepared By: Miss Huang Huiling OCIP (Cambodia) Head 2012/13

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Annual Report from OCIP Laos 2012/2013

General comments A successful run that fulfilled most objectives set for the group and delivered the intended deliverables for both the local and overseas beneficiaries Managed to procure YEP funding again, which amounts to about $7000. Members financial contributions could thus be lowered. Served as a successful learning platform for its members, especially the key appointment holders, by providing an opportunities involving overseas planning, liaising and execution Served as an adequate platform for KEVIIans of different backgrounds to bond

Factors contributing to success Experience accumulated from previous trips in handling administration work, especially applying for YEP funding. Overseas host was experienced in hosting Singaporean groups. She was an important point of contact and liaison between us and the beneficiary, and was quite heavily involved in ground work before our arrival. Team consisted of awesome members and had good dynamics.

Changes from previous year R&R took place in Luang Prabang instead of Vang Vieng. Luang Prabang is a quieter town.

Areas of improvement YEP funding is difficult to procure and dictates a stifling project framework; future teams may wish to explore other sources of funding. Among the many fundraising activities conducted, rag-and-bone collection is the most profiting and time-efficient. Future teams can focus on this method of fundraising. Can consider direct flight instead of stopping at KL. Future leaders, if unbound by YEP obligations, can explore the option of travelling during the December break. Efforts to bond team should begin early to create a good working dynamic for the team. If possible, reliance on a overseas contact person should be minimized.

Prepared by: Mr. Wu Yang OCIP (Laos) Head 2012/13