The 5th Toolbox series successfully concluded on 23 April 2023
The SUSS Public Safety and Security Interest Group (PSS IG) organised the fifth instalment of the Toolbox Series in a hybrid session, welcoming a total of 106 participants.
Participants had the opportunity to hear from Mr Ix Shen, a Singaporean who experienced life in war-torn Ukraine amid Russia's invasion of the country last year. During the session, insightful ideas and viewpoints were exchanged between the attendees and Mr Shen.
In his presentation, Mr Shen also touched on several sobering and important topics beyond the war that attendees could relate to and offered insights on how relentless misinformation from Russian authorities made it challenging for the Russians to see the wrongs in their actions and perpetuated senseless violence. Similarities of the “Kampong Spirit'' in Singaporeans were compared to the Ukrainians’ sense of camaraderie which motivated them to fight for their homeland. The importance for Singapore to maintain positive relations with other nations was also stressed, to ensure that allies can aid us in our defence should we find ourselves in a similar situation.
The hybrid session welcomed 96 online participants, in addition to 16 offline participants.
The evening concluded with a question and answer session, where Mr Shen further delved into his takeaways. He shared about maintaining one’s state of being “safe and sound” during the invasion, and how soundness of mind was a factor heavily linked to the phrase. Even in times of frequent air raids and uncertainty, the Ukrainians chose to remain civilised in their everyday lives.
Jeevesh Mahbubani, a Year 1 student from SUSS' Bachelor of Public Safety and Security (PSS) degree programme, reflected, “The talk provided me with a new perspective on the situation in Ukraine as well as shed light on our society. The dying of the "Kampong Spirit" was something that struck a chord with me and it has made me reflect on the authenticity of our interactions in this new digital era.”
The PSS Interest Group would like to convey their wholehearted thanks to Mr Ix Shen for his insightful sharing of his first-hand experiences with everyone. PSS IG would also like to thank participants from SUSS as well as the Ministry of Home Affairs for joining the session and hope that all managed to benefit from this insightful sharing.
To participate in future Toolbox sessions, keep a lookout for upcoming email invitations. To find out more about PSS IG and our events, visit our Instagram @suss__pss or LinkedIn at Public Safety and Security Interest Group (PSS IG).