Community
Our Heartland Ambassador Programme is specially designed for the young and youth in becoming champions for gracious and responsible heartland living.
Discover how you can contribute to building active and caring communities and an eco-friendly living environment.
You can look forward to having lots of fun in the process too!
If you want more information, just drop us an email at youthoutreach@mailbox.hdb.gov.sg.
All primary, secondary, and post-secondary students are welcome to join our Heartland Ambassador Programme. The programme is recognised by schools and certificates and awards will be given for your contributions. You will also be invited to our annual Appreciation Ceremony. Come join us today!
Suggested level: Primary 4 to 5
Schools can send up to 30 Primary 4 to 5 students to each training workshop.
Target Group
Training Period
HAV.U Visit
Suggested level: Secondary 1 to 2
Schools can send up to 30 Secondary 1 to 2 students for each training workshop.
Suggested level: Post-Secondary
Facilitation of HAV.U Visit
Facilitation of HATP
Heartland Ambassador Outreach Project
The Heartland Ambassador Programme is guided by the Learn-Serve-Initiate cycle.
Find out more about the Heartland Ambassadors’ projects and events here!
Check out the highlights of some of our Heartland Ambassadors’ Events.
Heartland Ambassadors share these 10 tips for great heartland living. Even if you are not a Heartland Ambassador, you can apply and share these tips too!
#1 Be friendly to your neighbours.
#2 Resolve differences amicably.
#3 Keep your noise level low.
#4 Participate in community activities.
#5 Prevent killer litter.
#6 Keep common areas/ corridor free of clutter.
#7 Use greening to cool and beautify your home.
#8 Reduce, reuse, and recycle.
#9 Use energy-saving lamps and electrical appliances with 3 ticks or more.
#10 Install water thimbles in all the taps and showerheads.
Check out the list of participating schools which have joined us to make a difference in the heartlands through the Heartland Ambassador Programme.
Level
School
Primary
Secondary
Post-Secondary
Watch our Heartland Ambassadors in action and get a glimpse of their experiences and activities. This is a great way to find out more about the Heartland Ambassador Programme.
Other than sharing tips and useful information with residents, Heartland Ambassadors also get to make eco-friendly DIY craft projects where everyday items are recycled into something awesome. Would you like to learn how?
Make a fanciful clock out of recycled magazines. It not only brightens up the room but also reminds everyone that there’s always a time to be eco-friendly.
Step 1
Print a motif design and decorate it. The cardstock should be the same diameter as your CDs.
Step 2
Using your pencil as a rolling guide, roll up a loose magazine page to turn it into a tube.
Step 3
Use the sticky tape to tape up each end of the tube so that it stays rolled up.
Step 4
For your clock, you’ll need to make 24 tubes by following steps 3 and 4.
Step 5
Keep 12 of the tubes in their original lengths. For the remaining 12 tubes, cut them into different lengths.
Step 6
Take a CD and fit the clock mechanism (with the hands removed) into the hole in the middle of the CD.
Step 7
Use the sticky tape to tape and secure the clock mechanism to the CD.
Step 8
Use your magazine tubes to decorate your clock. Stick the 12 long rolls onto the CD using glue or tape. These will represent the numbers 1 to 12.
Step 9
Stick the 12 shorter tubes that you cut in between the long tubes to decorate the rest of your clock.
Step 10
Stick the other clear CD on the other side of your clock.
Step 11
Stick your cardstock onto the CD to create the clock face.
Step 12
Tightly screw on the nut (part of the clock’s mechanism) over the cardstock.
Step 13
Reattach the clock hands and set the time.
Step 14
Voila! You’ve just created a totally unique atomic starburst clock!
Use the old magazines lying around your house to make a cool pen holder for your stationery! It’s a great and green way to tidy up!
Cut each magazine page into 4 equal strips.
Fold the strip lengthwise into half, and fold it lengthwise into half again. It should now be a quarter of its original width.
Roll the folded strip around your finger until it becomes a coil.
Tape up or glue the coil so that it will not come loose.
Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the rest of the magazine strips. You will need about 65 to 70 coils for a small pen holder.
Arrange the coils around the plastic cover as shown.
Use glue to stick the coils around the plastic cover.
Continue to stack and stick more coils until you have above 5 to 6 rows.
Once the glue is dry, you’ve got yourself a fancy new pen holder!
Old jeans can be turned into a cool pouch for cards or coins in just 5 steps. You can even decorate the pouch for an added touch of individuality!
Print this paper mould and put it on the old jeans. Then, use the marker to trace out the outline of the mould on the jeans.
Cut along the outline you drew to get your pouch material.
Using the round headed paper fastener, poke the four ends and fold them to pin them together.
Poke the final end to button up the cover.
Now, just add buttons or other decorative materials to dress up your new pouch and you’re all done!
Pandan leaves aren’t just for flavouring food and drinks. They are also a natural insect repellent and are great for making decorative items. Here’s how you can make a pandan leaf rose or grasshopper to dress up your home and keep insects at bay. Big thanks to Heartland Ambassadors from Republic Polytechnic for sharing this with us!
Point the leaf forward as shown.
Estimate about 1 finger-length from the bottom and fold the leaf forward about 90°.
Fold the diagonal part into half as shown.
Make a roll and ensure that it is not covering the small triangular part on the top.
Fold the leaf backwards.
Add another roll before the end of the small triangle.
Repeat steps 4 to 6.
Repeat steps 4 to 6 one more time.
Create 1 more roll by once again repeating steps 4 to 6, and be sure to leave about 12cm at the end of the leaf.
Tighten up the folding by making 2 rounds as shown.
Leave about 5cm for the rose petal.
Put the leaf end through the last layer of your rose.
Pull as shown to tighten up the petal.
Bundle up all the roses!
By: Republic Polytechnic
Hold a pandan leaf as shown and leave about 1 finger spacing from the end.
Face the leaf down and split it lengthwise into 3 parts, with the middle part being the spine of the leaf.
Bend the spine inwards as shown, making a loop between the 2 sides.
Fold the right side of the leaf onto the spine as shown.
Fold the left side of the leaf onto the spine as shown.
Repeat step 4.
Repeat step 5.
Tighten both sides.
Continue the process: repeat steps 4 and 5 then tighten both ends.
Continue making the grasshopper’s body by repeating steps 4 and 5, and tightening.
Step 15
Put the 2 ends through the spine loop.
Step 16
Pull down as shown to tighten up the spine loop.
Step 17
Note where to cut the spine closer to the body (somewhere at the bottom).
Step 18
Cut the spine as close to the body as possible.
Step 19
Cut 2 equal length legs from the firm parts of the spine and bend them such that one bent portion is longer than the other.
Step 20
As shown, insert the shorter end into the front loop, and the longer end into the back loop.
Did you know that used dried tea leaves are excellent for absorbing odours? Just sun-dry your used tea leaves and with a little fixing, you’ll have a handy deodoriser for your closet or shoes!
Draw a 10cm by 10cm square on the side of the unwanted shirt such that there are only 3 openings after cutting.
Cut out the square.
You should now have a square piece of cloth with 3 openings, as shown.
Repeat step 4 for the left side of the cloth.
Check that the sides are stuck together as shown.
Allow the glue to set – leave the pouch and glue to dry for 1 minute.
Put your used dried tea leaves or lavender into the pouch.
The used dried tea leaves or dried lavender should fill up about 1/3 of the pouch.
Flip the pouch over and seal it by gluing up the top opening. Tip: to make the gluing easier, cut a strip of cloth from the opening so that one side is longer than the other, forming a flap as shown.
Fold the cloth downwards as shown and glue the rolled up layers together as shown.
Decorate the pouch to make it your own designer piece.
Use the scissors to cut a hole into the top of the pouch.
Thread a piece of string through the hole and tie or glue the ends together.
Your pouch is now complete!
Now, simply hang the pouch in your cupboard, at your desk, or anywhere else you like.
Bonus!
If you want a deodorising wrist pouch instead, simply stop after step 12.
By: Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Transform your old tee-shirt into a reusable bag. It’s easy, and it only takes a little creativity and some decorations for your new bag to really stand out.
Cut off both sleeves.
Turn the tee-shirt inside out.
Cut the bottom of the tee-shirt into even strips as shown.
The strips should be about 5cm long and 1cm wide.
Tie each pair of strips into a double knot with 2 tassels as shown. 1 strip should be from the front of the tee-shirt, and the other from the back. This will form the base of your bag.
Be sure to tie the tassels tightly so that you bag can hold more weight.
Turn the bag over as shown.
Mark dotted lines onto the bag as shown.
Cut along the dotted lines.
Your basic bag is all ready. Just add your decorations to make it stand out more!
With enough plastic drink bottles, you can create a unique chandelier to brighten up your day. Plus, here’s a fun fact: Recycling just 1 plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 whole hours!
As shown, mark an area to be cut about 5cm from the bottom of the bottle.
Cut along the dotted lines and discard the bottom into a recycling bin for plastics.
Cut a spiral from the main body of the bottle as shown. If it helps, you can first mark out the spiral before cutting.
Stretch out the spiral, lengthen it, and discard the bottle top into a recycling bin for plastics.
Tightly secure the spiral onto your lamp stand as shown.
Repeat steps 1 to 5 until the lamp stand is nicely decorated.
Plug in your lamp and enjoy your new chandelier!
Instead of dumping old soap remnants, why not collect them and use them to create a new bar of soap? Better yet, here’s how you can do so to create custom-scented handmade soap that’s also free of lye (sodium hydroxide). Credits to Heartland Ambassadors from Republic Polytechnic for sharing this!
Ingredients
Equipment
Step 1 Grate the leftover soap into flakes/ powder and put those into the small container.
Step 2 Boil about 500ml of water.
Step 3 Add 1/4 cup of hot water and oil essence into the small container holding the soap flakes/ powder.
Step 4 Stir the mixture gently, taking care to prevent bubbles from forming.
Step 5 If the mixture is too thick or sticky, gradually add in some more water while stirring slowly.
Step 6 Fill a larger container with hot water and place the small container in it.
Step 7 Leave the soap to melt for about 15 minutes.
Step 8 Very carefully, remove the container holding the hot liquefied soap and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes
Step 9 Wipe some moisturiser/ baby oil/ petroleum jelly on the inner surface of the mould. This makes it easier to remove the soap after it has solidified.
Step 10 Pour the soap into the mould and leave it to set/ solidify for about 40 to 50 minutes. Or, you can put the mould into the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Step 11 After it has solidified, remove the soap for the mould.
Step 12 Leave the soap on a smooth surface to let it dry. Depending on the size of the soap, this could take anywhere from 1 hour to 1 day.
Step 13 Cut your soap into your preferred size or shape.
