Character and Citizenship Education

A Nurturing School Experience through Character & Citizenship Education

Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), including National Education (NE), and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), are integral to the holistic development of our students, leading to positive life outcomes. CCE 2021 provides an integrated approach to addressing our students’ development of values, character, social-emotional well-being, and citizenship dispositions in a coherent and holistic way. Important aspects of CCE, such as National Education (NE), Sexuality Education (SEd), Mental Health (MH), Education and Career Guidance (ECG), Cyber Wellness (CW), and Family Education (FE), are integrated within a school-wide approach. This is essential for students to internalize the necessary values, attitudes, and competencies to become self-directed learners, confident people, active contributors, and concerned citizens, which are the desired outcomes of education.

The school provides rich learning platforms and opportunities for students to be equipped with the knowledge, moral and civic values, skills and dispositions to understand who they are and who they can become. Through a variety of learning activities within and beyond the classroom, students experience being part of something larger than themselves and become cognizant of their roles and responsibilities in their families, communities, the nation, and beyond.

3 overarching big ideas of Identity, Relationships and Choices are the core concepts in these lessons to enable students to develop key understanding of the issues.

3 Big Ideas: Conceptual Core of CCE	Key Questions	CCE Curriculum Content Areas	Student Development Experiences (SDEs)
Identity	Who am I? Who do I want to be? What does my best self look like?	National Education (NE) Sexuality Education (SEd) Mental Health (MH) Education and Career Guidance (ECG) Cyber Wellness (CW) Family Education (FE)	Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) Cohort Learning Journeys (LJs) Education and Career Guidance (ECG) Experiences National Education (NE) Commemorative Days NRIC Presentation Ceremony Outdoor Adventure Learning (OAL) Cohort Camps Student Leadership Development (SLD) Programmes Values in Action (VIA)
Relationships	How do I relate to myself, others and the world around me?
Choices	How do I choose to be? How do I choose to act? What kind of future do I want?

National Education Events @ Damai

National Education inculcates values in students and a sense of appreciation and belonging to the nation. Damai Secondary School seeks to create an experiential learning for students to cultivate emotional rootedness and active citizenry in Singapore through the four NE commemorative events – Total Defence Day, International Friendship Day, Racial Harmony Day and National Day. These events are important reminders aim is to entrench these events and the images they evoke in the consciousness of each successive generation.

Sexuality Education @ Damai

Sexuality Education in schools is about enabling students to understand the physiological, social and emotional changes they experience as they mature, develop healthy and rewarding relationships including those with members of the opposite sex, and make wise, informed and responsible decisions on sexuality matters.

Link To MOE Sexuality Education Website:
https://www.moe.gov.sg/education-in-sg/our-programmes/sexuality-education

Mental Health Awareness @ Damai

With the increasing importance of mental health awareness and education, Damai Secondary School has engaged TOUCH to extend their mental health workshop to the students. In addition to the mental health lessons taught in school, they will reinforce what they have learnt through the engaging activities in the workshop.

Education and Career Guidance @ Damai

The approach to ECG at Damai is guided by a developmental framework which highlights ECG as a process that takes over one’s life span. Damai’s ECG programme reflects the school motto: Aspire, Explore, Achieve.

The table below summarizes ECG @Damai:

Level	Key Emphasis & Questions	Key Programme	School Outcome
Sec 1	Being Aware: Who Am I? Explore: Where Am I Going?	ECG Lessons to raise awareness on interests, abilities, skills, values, post-secondary options & career aspirations Sharing on Careers in the World by parents/alumni/other stakeholders	A Purposeful and Meaningful Life
Sec 2	Explore: Where Am I Going? Aspire and Plan: How Do I Get There?	ECG Lessons to explore subject combination, post-secondary options and planning pathways Sharing on subject combination & post-secondary options and career choices by institutes of higher learning Exposure at ITE (for Normal Technical) Elective Modules (for Normal Technical)
Sec 3		ECG Lessons to explore career skills & values and plan post-secondary options Talk on PFP/DPP by institutes of higher learning Polytechnic course attachments & Job Attachment Programme Elective Modules (Normal Academic & Technical)
Sec 4/5	Aspire and Take Action: How Do I Get There?	ECG Lessons to reinforce educational & career pathways & make informed decisions Talk on JAE/JIE by higher institutes of learning Course advising and experience by institutes of higher learning Career Fair / Open House Visit Workshop on EAE Writing Elective Module (Normal Academic & Technical)

Link To Education & Career Guidance Website:
www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/secondary

Cyber Wellness Education @ Damai

Cyber Wellness refers to the positive well-being of internet users. It involves an understanding of the norms of appropriate, responsible behaviour with regard to technology use as well as knowledge, skills, values and attitudes on how to protect oneself and other internet users in the cyber world. It looks into the positive physical and psychosocial well-being of students in their use of mobile and internet technologies. Cyber Wellness is hence, important as it looks into the positive well-being of students as they navigate the cyberspace.

Family Education @ Damai

The family provides the first experience of love, care, and emotional support. The family is also the key influencer in helping our children make sense of their experiences in life. Family education will explicitly inculcate four family values – love, commitment, respect and care and concern.