- OVER 500 YOUTHS EMBARK ON A 5-HOUR JOURNEY
- KICKSTARTS A SERIES OF COMMUNITY EVENTS TO COMMEMORATE 50 YEARS
It was an eco-adventure competition which saw an overwhelming 88 teams, comprising over 500 youth participants, take part. Hosted by City Developments Limited (CDL) on 13 April 2013, the CDL E-Generation Challenge returned for its fourth year, marking also its largest turnout to date.
This annual national eco-themed green race provides a fun platform to foster eco-consciousness amongst youths. Styled after the “Amazing Race” and complete with fun challenges along the way, the intent is to get youths to understand environmental issues in an interactive and engaging manner. The flag-off and finish point for the CDL E-Generation Challenge 2013 was at City Square Mall, Singapore’s first Eco-mall.
This year’s theme, “The Green Future I Want”, sought to put the responsibility on youth participants – aged 17 to 25 years old – to envision how their environment and the planet will transform in time to come. To aid in their reflection, the tasks that participants partook in the CDL E-Generation Challenge were thoughtful, evocative and immersive, forcing them to think about the current, pressing eco-related problems facing the earth, in the hope that these youths will one day become change agents and proactive green advocates themselves.
The five-hour long race saw participants comb all corners of Singapore – via public transport or on foot – as they competed in tasks that were both physically and mentally stimulating. Youths took part in exciting games at four pit stops with the following thematic zones: Adventure, Nature, Technology and Eco-Awareness. In these zones, participants engaged in gameplay that revolved around eight key topics: Energy, Water, Shelter (Buildings), Biodiversity, Waste, Food, Population and Pollution – all of which are pertinent issues contributing to the sustainability of our planet today.
The gameplay was a hit with the youths, who relished the excitement and fun as they tried their hands at zovbing (an activity which involves rolling downslope in a plastic orb), dragon-boating and Kangoo Jumps (a boot-like exercise device which allows users to bounce as they move when worn). In addition, teams also travelled across Singapore to check in at pit stops such as the Henderson Waves, Fort Canning Park, Marina Bay City Gallery and MacRitchie Reservoir where they had to answer eco-related quiz questions and take part in team games.
At the end of the race, team “Reds Xtreme 1” clinched top spot, while team “10 Years Bro Remake 2” and team “10 Years Bro Remake 1” were second and third place winners respectively. The top three winning teams took home cash prizes of S$2,000, S$1,500 and S$1,000 respectively, while the top institution in the Institution Challenge, Singapore Institute of Technology, won S$1,000 to be donated to their school. In addition, teams from the National University of Singapore, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Dunman High School also won for their schools S$1,000 each for being the top three institutions with the largest team representation numbers at the CDL E-Generation Challenge 2013.
The CDL E-Generation Challenge 2013 is supported by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and is also held in commemoration of 50 Years of Greening Singapore and Youth for the Environment Day. Event partners include City Square Mall, ECO Singapore, Marina Bay Gallery, Singapore City Gallery and Star Horizon Learning.
CDL’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Ms Esther An said, “We are delighted to achieve the largest turnout for the E-Generation Challenge this year, coinciding with CDL’s 50th anniversary celebrations. We hope that more youths will come away from the race with stronger environmental awareness and that they will spread the green message to their peers, so that together, we can cultivate more eco change-agents in our younger generation.”
CDL organises the annual race as part of its CSR outreach and engagement efforts. As CDL celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the Company has planned a series of impactful and exciting community outreach programmes which will take place throughout the year – starting with the E-Generation Challenge 2013 – that are synergistic with CDL’s four CSR focus areas of the Environment, Youth Development, Charity and the Arts.
Ms An added, “With CDL celebrating our half centennial this year, we also plan to roll out a series of impactful outreach initiatives which are in line with our key CSR focus areas, and we are looking forward to commemorating this important milestone together with the community that we operate in.”
The CDL E-Generation Challenge was initiated in 2010, to be held annually, in conjunction with Earth Day (a global environmental initiative marked yearly on 22 April). The inaugural competition saw over 260 youths participating. The number of participants today has grown by over 50%.
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