+ Theme

The theme for AUS 2022 is ‘Leadership in a Complex World: Creating Opportunities in Times of Uncertainty’. Along with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the world continues to grapple with uncertainties arising from globalisation and issues like climate change and digital security. Such issues are complex and constantly evolving, requiring comprehensive and adaptive solutions. Thus, now more than ever, governments, corporations, and individuals alike have to engage in strategic decision-making to leverage existing systems as well as new opportunities that emerge from unprecedented challenges. As potential leaders of the future, participants will be exposed to different perspectives and explore various ways to transform challenges into opportunities for growth.

+ Overseas Partner Universities

• Hanoi University of Science and Technology
• Incheon National University
• Lady Shri Ram College for Women (University of Delhi)
• Mahidol University
• National University of Malaysia
• Royal University of Law and Economics
• Seoul National University
• Tarlac Agricultural University
• University of Yangon
• Universitas Indonesia

+ Overseas Leg

The Overseas Leg of AUS focuses on maximising participants’ exposure to pertinent issues across Asia. Our partnership with 4 Overseas Host Universities (OHUs) this year will enable participants to gain an in-depth understanding of issues confronting different communities as well as existing and potential solutions.

Students will be placed into groups comprising an international mix of students, to promote interaction between students of different nationalities. We hope that the Overseas Leg will provide participants with new perspectives and experiences of how different countries and cultures create opportunities from existing challenges.

Overseas Host Universities:

• Universiti Brunei Darussalam - "Theme: Innovative Education for a Dynamic Community"
• Universitas Airlangga - "Social Entrepreneurship and Business Transformation to Create Opportunities"
• Chulalongkorn University - "Innovation for environmentally sustainable society"
• Zhejiang University - "New forms of employment"

+ Singapore Leg

Drawing from our main theme, AUS 2022’s Singapore Leg subtheme features ‘Sustainable Urban Planning’. Incorporating their learning from the overseas leg, participants will work together and identify the challenges of designing a liveable area. From balancing human convenience with environmental sustainability to fiscal considerations, participants will brainstorm novel solutions to target such multifaceted challenges. In doing so, they will make use of opportunities that can be harnessed amidst the uncertainty arising from both existing and future societal circumstances.

OPENING CEREMONY AND FUTURES THINKING WORKSHOPS

The Singapore Leg started with the Opening Ceremony. Hugh Lim, Executive Director of the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) and Keynote Speaker for AUS 2022 delivered an insightful speech on the AUS 2022 theme “Creating Opportunities in Times of Uncertainty”, with a focus on sustainability.

Participants also attended a Futures Thinking Workshop conducted by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Futures Thinking is an approach that provides individuals with the capabilities to develop strategies to explore multiple future scenarios and prepare for diverse options. Futures Thinking can help us to analyse and foresee past and future trends, and reveal hidden biases and assumptions, enabling us to think about the future more creatively.

URBAN PLANNING MASTERCLASS

Prof Khoo Teng Chye from the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, and former Executive Director for the Centre for Liveable Cities, conducted a mini-Urban Planning Masterclass for AUS 2022 Participants. Prof Khoo shared his knowledge about how Singapore has been able to achieve high liveability, sustainability and resilience despite our high density. He tapped upon the Liveability Framework and presented local examples such as Singapore’s approach to housing and transport.

SITE VISITS

During the site visits, participants visit significant sites and facilities in Singapore to better understand how these facilities create opportunities in times of uncertainty. Participants were then encouraged to draw inspiration from these insights when creating their deliverables.

For this year's Site Visits, participants listened to a talk gained insights about how technology is applied to create opportunities as well as improve environmental and food sustainability through attending a virtual tour conducted by Sky Greens, a vertical farm in Singapore. Additionally, participants virtually visited Funan Mall through an engaging and interactive video, learning about how technology and space design are used to promote environmental and social sustainability in a local shopping mall.

LEADERSHIP IN SERVICE PANEL

The Leadership in Service Panel seeks to encourage participants to reflect and build on what they have learnt from the other AUS 2022 programme segments, incorporate these learnings into their final deliverables, and develop tangible ways in which they can give back to the community. The three panellists, community leaders in their respective fields, shared about their personal experiences and stories with regard to community development, providing participants with significant insights on different forms of leadership and service, how they can contribute to community building, and how the field has adapted amidst uncertainty.

CULTURAL NIGHT

Last but not the least, Cultural Night, a highlight AUS programme segment, sought to promote intercultural exchange and understanding between participants. This year's cultural night was held on Gather.town, an interactive and engaging virtual platform. Based on their interest, participants could join a variety of virtual booths on Gather.town, hosted by participants from the various countries. Each country's booth featured unique and meaningful activities which showcased aspects of their culture. Cultural night concluded on a memorable note with a fun Kahoot quiz where participants worked in their teams to answer questions about each booth’s cultural content.

PITCHING

On the final day, participant groups demonstrated their learning and teamwork by presenting their impressive deliverables to a panel of judges and audience in breakout rooms, with the most highly voted team in each breakout room proceeding to the final segment.

+ Deliverables

In the Singapore Leg of AUS 2022, participants will work together to:

• Come up with a problem statement to identify the challenges of designing a liveable urban area,
• Ideate creative solutions to address these challenges in the context of a imaginary or existing town, and
• Present their ideas to judges and fellow participants. Presentations can be in any format, from PowerPoint slides to drawn out maps—it’s all up to the participants!

Click here to take a look at the deliverables the AUS 2022 Participants have come up with.

+ Media

Click here to take a look at the pictures taken during AUS 2022!