Community | A Variety of Interaction Platforms to suit different needs
How will members of the BWL interact?
The BWL community will be supported by learning activities, collaborative activities, and social activities. These can be briefly exemplified by Talks and Workshops, Writing Development and Support, and Networking Events.
What kind of Activities are you planning?
BWL members don’t just sit at home and write (though they will be doing a lot of that if they take their writing seriously). We want BWL members to have a life and get out there and do stuff with other people. As such, we have planned a series of events and activities for the remainder of 2011, taking place approximately every month.
You can refer to our calendar of activities for more details.
That looks like quite a bit of activity…
Wait, there’s more! We are in the process of preparing a web forum to provide an additional platform for BWL members to interact. This platform will facilitate mutual support in professional as well as emotional/psychological aspects.
Will there be online platform?
An online forum confers the benefits of asynchronicity and accessibility, which means that writers can access this platform at their own time and pace, and from wherever they choose. We anticipate the growth and evolution of the web forum to become a web portal that will contain such items as an online magazine, featured authors, online challenges, and an e-commerce platform that will allow BWL members to get paid for their writing online.
Co-Curricular Activity | School programme and administrative matters
BWL as a CCA? How does that work?
Schools in Singapore are given the flexibility to decide on the nature and type of CCAs they offer, within the Ministry of Education’s guidelines. The BWL offers a sustained school programme that develops an area of skill and interest in students beyond the academic curriculum. As such, it is possible to organise BWL activities in a school as a CCA, and students can get CCA points for participating in the BWL CCA. Our consultants will guide you through the process if you choose to take this path.
Won’t the school have to devote a lot of resources to run a new CCA?
If you choose to run BWL activities in your school as a CCA, we can help with a large part of the administrative functions. We will arrange for trainers, and if authorised, we can liaise directly with the administrative personnel in your school to make arrangements for venues and other logistics. Of course, a teacher will still need to be in charge, but we can handle the rest of the paperwork and other details if need be. Do talk to our consultants if you wish to know more.
What about the actual programme of the BWL if we run it as a CCA in school? Will you be able to provide year-round services while taking into account the disruptions to CCAs due to examinations, public holidays, etc.?
We have a flexible programme that covers 25 to 30 sessions of activity, which is the approximate number of days a typical CCA might meet officially during the schoolyear. Our trainers will adjust their schedules according to the needs of the school, and we can even build in CCA-based Community Service if required by the school. Our consultants will be able to work out the details with you on the specific activities that your students undertake, customised to the specific needs
of your school.
Focus on Singapore Writers and Singapore Literature
Why should I support the BWL?
The most important part of the BWL is the development of Singapore writers and Singapore Literature. We believe there is great potential in writing among people living in Singapore, whether they are citizens, PRs, or just here for a few years to work or study. Together, all these people contribute to the fabric of Singapore society, and their writing will help to capture and define the essence of the Singapore identity. If you support the BWL, you are supporting the growth of a body of literature that can be recognised as authentically Singaporean, because it is either written by Singaporean writers, or based on and influenced by the writer’s experiences of life in Singapore, or both.