Heartland Ambassador Programme

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 HDB_Friends_of_Our_Heartlands@hdb.gov.sg.

Heartland Ambassador Journey

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!

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What you can look forward to:

Beginner Heartland Ambassadors

Suggested level: Primary 4 to 5

Schools can send up to 30 Primary 4 to 5 students to each training workshop.

Target Group	Upper primary students who want to contribute to the community
Training Period	Available during March and September school holidays
HAV.U Visit	Block visits and visits to community events occur throughout the year

Intermediate Heartland Ambassadors

Suggested level: Secondary 1 to 2

Schools can send up to 30 Secondary 1 to 2 students for each training workshop.

Target Group	Secondary students who are keen to be positive change agents in the heartlands
Training Period	Available during March and September school holidays
HAV.U Visit	Block visits and visits to community events occur throughout the year

Advanced Heartland Ambassadors

Suggested level: Post-Secondary

Target Group	Post-Secondary students with the passion to build community bonds
Training Period	Weekend during the official school vacation
Facilitation of HAV.U Visit	Block visits and visits to community events occur throughout the year
Facilitation of HATP	March and September primary and secondary school holidays
Heartland Ambassador Outreach Project	Throughout the year, whenever the proposals are ready

 

Learn-Serve-Initiate Cycle

The Heartland Ambassador Programme is guided by the Learn-Serve-Initiate cycle.

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	Learn – Heartland Ambassador Training You will learn about the factors that contribute to a harmonious and responsible heartland community, and get practical how-to tips in engaging residents.   Expect an experiential workshop filled with skit performances, interactive games, hands-on activities and role play sessions.   Advanced Heartland Ambassadors will be trained to guide the younger students.
	Serve – HAV.U Visits It is time to practise what you learnt! Go on HAV.U Visits to share your knowledge with fellow residents.   Advanced Heartland Ambassadors will be tasked to be the leaders of these visits.   There are 2 types of HAV.U Visits: Block visits - You will visit a precinct and engage the residents door-to-door. Visits to community events – You will share the relevant tips with the community event participants.
	Initiate – Heartland Ambassadors’ Project Go on and start your own projects with the community!   Beginner and Intermediate Ambassadors can:  Initiate additional HAV.U Visits. Join workshops to learn how to lead others on HAV.U Visits (Intermediate Ambassadors only). Create an exciting Heartland Ambassador Corner in your school and share your experiences with your schoolmates. Put together a Heartland Ambassadors’ Project and have the opportunity to showcase it at our annual Community Week!   Advanced Ambassadors can form a group of 6 or more and submit a project proposal to us on activities you think will strengthen community ties in the heartlands. You may then get the chance to realise your idea through our community platforms!

 

Heartland Ambassadors’ Events

Find out more about the Heartland Ambassadors’ projects and events here!

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Check out the highlights of some of our Heartland Ambassadors’ Events.

10 Tips on Gracious and Responsible Heartland Living

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!

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Smile and greet each other

Keep shared spaces safe and tidy

Lower your volume between 10:30pm and 7:00am

Keep calm and resolve differences

Introduce greenery to cool and beautify your home

 

Use energy-efficient appliances and switch them off when not in use

Turn off shower when soaping

 

Reduce, reuse and recycle

Lend a hand to make a friend

Join in the fun at community activities

Participating Schools

Check out the list of participating schools which have joined us to make a difference in the heartlands through the Heartland Ambassador Programme.

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Level	School
Primary	Admiralty Primary School Bedok Green Primary School Bukit Panjang Primary School Bukit View Primary School Cantonment Primary School CHIJ (Katong) Primary CHIJ Our Lady Queen Of Peace Chongfu Primary School Chongzheng Primary School Da qiao Primary school Edgefield Primary school Greendale Primary School Huamin Primary School Kheng Cheng School Lakeside Primary School Marymount Convent School Mee Toh School Montfort Junior School Nan Hua Primary School North Vista Primary School Pasir Ris Primary School Poi Ching School Punggol View Primary School Radin Mas Primary School River Valley Primary School St. Stephen’s School White Sands Primary School Woodlands Ring Primary School Xinmin Primary School Xishan Primary School Yangzheng Primary School Zhonghua Primary School
Secondary	Anglican High School Bartley Secondary School Bedok Green Secondary School Bedok South Secondary School Bedok Town Secondary School Boon Lay Secondary School Clementi Town Secondary School Clementi Woods Secondary School Compassvale Secondary School Coral Secondary School Deyi Secondary School Dunman High School East Spring Secondary School Edgefield Secondary School Evergreen Secondary Fuchun Secondary School Greendale Secondary School Northland Secondary School Pei Hwa Secondary School Ping Yi Secondary School Punggol Secondary School Shuqun Secondary School Springfield Secondary School Swiss Cottage Secondary School Westwood Secondary School Woodlands Ring Secondary School
Post-Secondary	Anderson Junior College Catholic Junior College Dunman High School (Senior) Innova Junior College ITE College Central ITE College East ITE College West Jurong Junior College Nanyang Polytechnic National Junior College Ngee Ann Polytechnic Republic Polytechnic Singapore Management University Singapore Polytechnic Tampines Junior College Temasek Polytechnic Victoria Junior College Yishun Junior College

Video Gallery

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.

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In March 2016, 105 Heartland Ambassadors came together to design and hand make 1,000 badges. Each badge represents their wishes for the gracious communities they have lived and played in. The badges were subsequently given out as souvenirs to Bedok residents through the HAV.U! visits conducted by another 100 new Ambassadors. Watch how the Heartland Ambassadors worked together to fulfil their aspirations of creating gracious and responsible heartland living!

 

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Our Heartland Ambassadors are the champions of gracious and responsible heartland living, who help us in sharing messages on being gracious neighbours with fellow residents. Here’s a big “Thank You” to all our ambassadors for their contributions and efforts in the past year!

 

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Catch our Heartland Ambassadors in action as they play their part in building active and caring communities.

 

Eco craft DIY

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?

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Starburst Clock

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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.

What you need

• 24 old magazine pages (loose)
• Pencil (as a guide for rolling)
• Scissors
• Transparent sticky tape
• White glue
• 2 unwanted clear CDs or other discs
• Decorated cardstock circle with a hole punched in the middle
• Battery-operated clock mechanism with removable hands

What to do

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!

 

Pen Holder

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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!

What you need

• 12 old magazine pages (loose)
• Scissors
• Sticky tape
• Glue
• Plastic cover

What to do

Step 1 Cut each magazine page into 4 equal strips.	Step 2 Fold the strip lengthwise into half, and fold it lengthwise into half again. It should now be a quarter of its original width.	Step 3 Roll the folded strip around your finger until it becomes a coil.
Step 4 Tape up or glue the coil so that it will not come loose.	Step 5 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.	Step 6 Arrange the coils around the plastic cover as shown.
Step 7 Use glue to stick the coils around the plastic cover.	Step 8 Continue to stack and stick more coils until you have above 5 to 6 rows.	Step 9 Once the glue is dry, you’ve got yourself a fancy new pen holder!

 

Cardholder/ Coin Pouch

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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!

What you need

• Scissors
• 1 pair of unwanted jeans
• This paper mould
• Marker
• 1 round headed paper fastener
• Glue
• Glue glitter
• Decorative materials (e.g. buttons)

What to do

Step 1 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.	Step 2 Cut along the outline you drew to get your pouch material.	Step 3 Using the round headed paper fastener, poke the four ends and fold them to pin them together.
Step 4 Poke the final end to button up the cover.	Step 5 Now, just add buttons or other decorative materials to dress up your new pouch and you’re all done!

 

Pandan leaf rose/ Grasshopper

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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!

What to do

Step 1 Point the leaf forward as shown.	Step 2 Estimate about 1 finger-length from the bottom and fold the leaf forward about 90°.	Step 3 Fold the diagonal part into half as shown.
Step 4 Make a roll and ensure that it is not covering the small triangular part on the top.	Step 5 Fold the leaf backwards.	Step 6 Add another roll before the end of the small triangle.
Step 7 Repeat steps 4 to 6.	Step 8 Repeat steps 4 to 6 one more time.	Step 9 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.
Step 10 Tighten up the folding by making 2 rounds as shown.	Step 11 Leave about 5cm for the rose petal.	Step 12 Put the leaf end through the last layer of your rose.
Step 13 Pull as shown to tighten up the petal.	Step 14 Bundle up all the roses!

By: Republic Polytechnic

  What to do

Step 1 Hold a pandan leaf as shown and leave about 1 finger spacing from the end.	Step 2 Face the leaf down and split it lengthwise into 3 parts, with the middle part being the spine of the leaf.	Step 3 Bend the spine inwards as shown, making a loop between the 2 sides.
Step 4 Fold the right side of the leaf onto the spine as shown.	Step 5 Fold the left side of the leaf onto the spine as shown.	Step 6 Repeat step 4.
Step 7 Repeat step 5.	Step 8 Tighten both sides.	Step 9 Repeat step 4.
Step 10 Tighten both sides.	Step 11 Repeat step 5.	Step 12 Tighten both sides.
Step 13 Continue the process: repeat steps 4 and 5 then tighten both ends.	Step 14 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.

By: Republic Polytechnic

Deodoriser

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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!

What you need

• An unwanted shirt
• 1 pencil or pen for marking
• Dried used tea leaves (or, dry lavender)
• Decorative items like buttons, ribbons, string, glitter, etc
• Scissors
• Superglue

What to do

Step 1 Draw a 10cm by 10cm square on the side of the unwanted shirt such that there are only 3 openings after cutting.	Step 2 Cut out the square.	Step 3 You should now have a square piece of cloth with 3 openings, as shown.
Step 4 Create one edge of the deodoriser – fold in the right side of the cloth, apply glue to the facing side, and stick them firmly together.	Step 5 Repeat step 4 for the left side of the cloth.	Step 6 Check that the sides are stuck together as shown.
Step 7 Allow the glue to set – leave the pouch and glue to dry for 1 minute.	Step 8 Put your used dried tea leaves or lavender into the pouch.	Step 9 The used dried tea leaves or dried lavender should fill up about 1/3 of the pouch.
Step 10 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.	Step 11 Fold the cloth downwards as shown and glue the rolled up layers together as shown.	Step 12 Decorate the pouch to make it your own designer piece.
Step 13 Use the scissors to cut a hole into the top of the pouch.	Step 14 Thread a piece of string through the hole and tie or glue the ends together.	Step 15 Your pouch is now complete!
Step 16 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

Tee-shirt Bag

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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.

What you need

• Scissors
• An old tee-shirt
• 1 pencil or pen for marking
• Ribbons and other decorative items

What to do

Step 1 Cut off both sleeves.	Step 2 Turn the tee-shirt inside out.	Step 3 Cut the bottom of the tee-shirt into even strips as shown.
Step 4 The strips should be about 5cm long and 1cm wide.	Step 5 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.	Step 6 Be sure to tie the tassels tightly so that you bag can hold more weight.
Step 7 Turn the bag over as shown.	Step 8 Mark dotted lines onto the bag as shown.	Step 9 Cut along the dotted lines.
Step 10    Your basic bag is all ready. Just add your decorations to make it stand out more!

 

Chandelier

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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!

What you need

• Scissors
• Empty plastic bottles
• Lamp stand with light bulb
• Marker

What to do

Step 1 As shown, mark an area to be cut about 5cm from the bottom of the bottle.	Step 2 Cut along the dotted lines and discard the bottom into a recycling bin for plastics.	Step 3 Cut a spiral from the main body of the bottle as shown. If it helps, you can first mark out the spiral before cutting.
Step 4 Stretch out the spiral, lengthen it, and discard the bottle top into a recycling bin for plastics.	Step 5 Tightly secure the spiral onto your lamp stand as shown.	Step 6 Repeat steps 1 to 5 until the lamp stand is nicely decorated.
Step 7 Plug in your lamp and enjoy your new chandelier!

 

Soap

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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!

What you need

Ingredients

• 1/4 of leftover soap
• Water
• 2 teaspoons of your favourite essence oil(s)
• 1 teaspoon of baby oil/ moisturiser/ petroleum jelly (Vaseline)

Equipment

• 1 small heat-resistant container or bowl
• 1 larger heat-resistant container or bowl
• 1 spoon or chopstick (for mixing)
• Measuring cup
• Grater (to grate the leftover soap)
• Mould (to shape the soap; you can use any container, or a jelly/ agar-agar mould)
• Knife (to cut your preferred soap shape)
• Chopping board

Things to note

• The amount of water needs to be adjusted according to the viscosity of the soap during melting – the melting soap should not be too thick
• The essence oil(s) that you choose should match/ complement the original scent of the soap you are using
• Before putting the melted soap into the mould, lubricate the mould with some baby oil/ moisturiser/ petroleum jelly. This will help the solidified soap to slide out more easily
• Only use leftover soap from a new cake of soap. After making this cake of recycled soap, it cannot be recycled again.

What to do

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.