The COVID-19 pandemic has brought massive disruption to our lives, but I am glad that the community is stepping forward to help support our children and youth during this difficult period. There has been a range of meaningful partnerships and initiatives on the ground, and one of them is the #Engage programme by The RICE Company Ltd.
I understand that #Engage was started to help keep vulnerable children and youth engaged during the full Home-Based Learning period. Some vulnerable students had been coming back to school as they might not have the necessary digital resources at home, or they might benefit from more face-to-face support. Under #Engage, students learnt various visual and performing arts activities via video tutorials and video conferencing sessions with the instructors. For #Engage 2.0 which took place in the May holidays, students were guided in groups to create works based on the festival themes of Resilience, Hope and Gratitude, making use of what they have learnt in the lessons. The themes aimed to remind students of the importance of Resilience during this difficult time, to carry Hope that we as a nation will emerge stronger from this pandemic, and to show Gratitude to everyone who have helped them, be it their friends, families, teachers as well as those working tirelessly to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pieces from more than 300 students from 33 primary and secondary schools have been curated and are being showcased as part of this online arts festival. As you browse through the works of our students, you will find their creative expressions, and be able to see how they make sense of the world around us during this unique period in history. Our students, teachers, trainers and The RICE Company Ltd have put in a lot of hard work and effort in preparing for this festival. I hope that you enjoy your time here. Thank you.