For Phrase 2 of this competition, I summarised the long blog post into a video through my narrations (Below). Appreciate if you could read the post as well! (:
*SCAPE’s vision is to envisage itself to be the celebrated talent and resource hub for aspiring youth, offering diverse, cutting edge, and trend-setting possibilities for all young Singaporeans.
*SCAPE’s mission is to be a platform for youth expression, an enabler of youth initiatives, and an engine for identifying, developing, and promoting youth talents.
Those 2 lines basically sum up what *SCAPE is.
Standing in front of a newly built building, what do I see in front of me? Definitely on the initial thought, it’s more than what meets my eye. It’s a reflection of the blooming talents of youths.
Being a youth myself, I for see the great potential in *SCAPE. There is so much more we can do, yes, a building will merely remain a building, but it is there to assist us in not merely being just another youth.
On an international level, it should be marketed as a tourist attraction, a spot where tourists would have heard about and would want to come check it out.
On a local level, it should be marketed as a public place for youths to have special activities and feel comfortable in it, best to be like their second home in town.
It will be the latest youth haven for youths to showcase and share their aspiring yet hidden talents.
If you think of it, there are so many like minded youths out there that have talents. No one is the only one who can sing, act, host, dance, cheer and the list goes on. Even if you are a great dancer for example, there will always be others who are better than you. Wanting to be the best, you try to work harder by practicing. However, who would ever know the hard work and effort you have put in? I mean, you may look at the pop stars on television and go ‘Hey, I could do as good as or even better than that artiste!’ You see, that is why I feel that after all, it boils down to who are the lucky ones who get the chances and opportunities to showcase their talents. I believe *SCAPE will be THE platform for them.
Personally, I love acting. Despite being in many productions, be it for school, church ministry, television or advertisements, I know that I am not the best and will never be the best. However, I am glad to know there is such a place like *SCAPE which supports me in my passion for performing. I may not be as famous as top celebrities but at least there is a place which open doors for my passion for acting. I will never know where these opportunities may lead me to but I have tried and will take every opportunity that comes along. It’s all about embracing the now.
What do I want to see in *SCAPE?
I don’t want it to be just like any other youth hubs like Orchard Cineleisure or Heeren. It must be a place that has its own unique points which would motivate youths to choose to come to *SCAPE, instead of the other buildings.
Currently, there will be retail/F&B which caters and attracts youth.
A unique thing would be to have a beauty salon catered for youths. There are many salons in town and they may be trying to break into the youth market to attract them but have no opportunities to do so. By placing a few beauty salons in *SCAPE, youths can go there for treatments such as massage, facial, manicure and pedicure.
On top of that, 1.2 hectare site will encompass the conceptual spaces of STREET + MARKET, the GRID, the WAREHOUSE, the PLAYSPACE, the STUDIO, the CACHE, making it a happening place for youths in town.
STREET + MARKET
A street for urban culture where fashion, street art & performances take place. Also a space for youth to test the market with their concepts and creations through entrepreneurship programmes.
Currently, there are flea markets at *SCAPE on the weekend. Being there for quite a few times, the problem I have is that it gets too cramp and stuffy which dampens the mood for shopping. Yes, that may be characteristics of a flea market, however, we could come up with a even more modern concept of upgrading the flea indoor, either the ground floor or highest level, so there will be more space and also, air con, which makes shopping even more a joy.
Besides leisure and work, *SCAPE can be a place for retail social enterprise or even for youths to serve their Community Involvement Projects. Perhaps making use of the huge car park space, *SCAPE could set aside every Saturday or Sunday as a ‘Youth’s Social Enterprise Day’ for youths or retail shop owners to earn money for charitable organizations through their activities like flea, car wash service, pet grooming or services offered in their shops, respectively. Also, I noticed that there are quite a bit of empty space around the building, so it would be good if there are going to be pushcarts on rental, for budding entrepreneurs, who do not want to do business on a long-term. Youths could also share their business experiences with other youths to encourage them to start a business.
GRID
An interactive digital engagement space for cyber culture to take root. A websurfer's paradise!
This will include IT & gaming labs for digital imaging, game design and training.
*SCAPE could conduct monthly gaming competitions for youths to gather together and have fun. It would create awareness for the building because nowadays more youths are interested in gaming and it would be fun if they could play games with their friends instead of solo at home.
WAREHOUSE
A versatile indoor space suitable for dance, theatre, performance art and exhibitions. This will fit a seated capacity of 500 pax.
As I am in my church’s drama ministry (Hope Church Singapore, located at Cuppage Plaza), I understand how tough it can get to book a place for rehearsals, so it is good if we could book studios near church area for our drama practices at *SCAPE. I know of other drama enterprises which required a space to rehearse and to stage their play, so it would be good news to them if they know of *SCAPE.
PLAYSPACE
An outdoor space for street sports, movie screenings and other activities. *SCAPE will be hosting the 3-on-3 basketball segment of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games here!
Besides performing arts, sports play an integral part in youth’s life. Many of them are interested in sports so I hope to see facilities such as tennis court, basketball courts and so on. This would be quite fun as there isn’t any sports place in town amidst the retail stalls.
It is a good start to see *SCAPE contributing greatly to the Games experience, being one of the venues for the Education and Culture Programme. Not only does it encourage cross cultural interaction between youths and celebrates the diversity of cultures, it is the first step in marketing *SCAPE on an international platform.
STUDIO
Studios for creative incubation that include music & vocal studios, recording studios, a broadcast station and 3 dance studios.
DJ radio stations for polytechnic or university students to have their Internship there. It should allow them to learn more in a fun and vibrant environment right smack in town area, which is different from the norm.
CACHE
A resource centre for leadership training and mentoring programmes.
Forums could be held in the ballrooms at *SCAPE. For example, ASEAN meets or SCHOLARSHIP meets. Youths could also conduct a mini forum sharing session at the atrium, for them to air their views revolving around different topics weekly.
Besides that, the place can hold competitions with a good cause such as Singapore Can Speak 2010, a public-speaking competition, which encourages youth to speak up on topics such as ‘Poverty’.
What ‘WILD/WOW’ ideas I can imagine *SCAPE to be in the future?
How about conducting something really out of the blue for youths and young adults or adults that are still young at heart?
We could have a wedding/super sweet 16 in *SCAPE. For publicity, *SCAPE could sponsor the event partially or fully the wedding/party for famous people such as Xia Xue or any other media artiste. I believe we are able to do so because the space and other required resources are available.
FUTURESCAPE will be a Centralised, One-Stop Youth Hub, where youths gather, share knowledge and broaden their social network. The different facilities which cater to the interest of youths in Singapore would make them more motivated to pursue their dreams. Youths will be leaders of tomorrow and you never know who the next big thing will be. However, we know that with *SCAPE, it will undoubtedly prove to be an exciting journey that all of us will embark on together.
Toast to 360withoutborders, all-rounded youths who are able to live their dreams right here, right now!
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