Yale-NUS Residential Curriculum enriches community living and imparts life skills

From exciting events to insightful workshops, the vibrant residential life at the College is a distinctive hallmark of any Yale-NUS student’s experience. The Yale-NUS Residential Curriculum, launched by the Dean of Students’ (DOS) office in August 2020, supports our students as they navigate community living while developing life skills. This prepares them not only for their university education, but also for life after college.

Since its launch, students have been participating in the various Residential Curriculum activities. The new academic year will also bring it with some exciting developments.

For instance, a six-week elective module called Resilience and Success in College (RSC) will be implemented this year to teach concepts such as positive psychology, stress management, and overcoming adversity. This aims to equip students with the knowledge to bounce back from challenges.

The RSC was first conceived as the Resilience in your College Experience (RICE) programme, a pilot programme launched in Academic Year (AY) 2019/2020 with nine students who went through weekly group activities and discussions about building resilience, communication and personal development. The new RSC module is a one modular credit course that can accommodate up to 90 students.

“Engagement in this course has the strong potential to improve mental health on campus and put students on a path to success for the rest of their tenure at the College. By offering credit, we believe participation rates will increase compared to a voluntary programme,” said Dean of Students Dr Dave Stanfield.

The first batch of students who participated in the Resilience in your College Experience programme. Image provided by Natalie Ang.

Wang Ziying (Class of 2023), who was a participant of the original RICE programme, highlighted that the programme covered self-care tips and communication skills, such as active listening and constructive responding, to cultivate a strong peer support system. Similarly, students who enrol in this year’s RSC can anticipate topics such as purposefulness, positive interpersonal relationships, and cultivating optimism, all taught by various Yale-NUS staff and faculty.

Besides changes to the RICE programme, the Intercultural Engagement pillar of the Residential Curriculum will also be re-introducing the Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) series, which was implemented in AY 2015/16 to AY 2017/18. Annette Wu, Senior Executive for Intercultural Engagement, shared that the eight-week IGD will be facilitated by various Yale-NUS staff members.

“The IGD aims to create courageous spaces for students to engage in open and honest conversations about identity in relation to their own lives and in their interactions,” Annette said. It will comprise small group and large group facilitated discussions on identities, such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion and spirituality.

In addition to the relatively new initiatives, students can look forward to familiar programmes in the Residential Curriculum, such as the Foundations in Social Justice (FSJ), which comprises a series of workshops that promote understanding of a wide range of perspectives and identities within and beyond the College.

Muhammad Naeem Shehryar (Class of 2023), who ideated and created the FSJ workshops together with Sahar Kazemini, former Senior Manager for Intercultural Engagement (IE) at the DOS Office, shared that during the inaugural workshops, foundational themes in social justice were introduced and students were encouraged to translate theory into practice in their own lives. Important and relevant topics such as identity, power and privilege, and implicit bias were among those discussed.

As the facilitator for the workshops in the last academic year, Shehryar felt proud of the participants. “From the feedback gathered across workshops, and my own observations of how participants grew in the time we spent together, I genuinely feel that the workshops made a difference.”

Having completed a year of FSJ workshops, the IE office is reviewing feedback from participants, and students can expect to take part in the next run of the workshops later this academic year.

The Intercultural Engagement Space at the Dean of Students’ Office. Students are welcomed to visit the space to engage with the team or borrow books from the Intercultural Engagement library. Image provided by Annette Wu.

Another well-received initiative is the Wellness Pod, a podcast series hosted by students Maleeka Hassan and Mpiwa Gwindi (both Class of 2024) that explores well-being strategies shared by members of the Yale-NUS community. The podcast started in November 2020 and will continue this year.

“The Wellness Committee (from the DOS office) wanted to raise morale in the community, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to create a way to enable students to process these thoughts and feelings without mandating attendance to a physical event, and we decided on a podcast,” said Josua Lutian, a Residential Life Officer (RLO) at Cendana Residential College.

While the podcast was initially intended to highlight what Yale-NUS community members did to upkeep their well-being during the pandemic, broader topics were eventually discussed as well. “By conversing with community members like Yale-NUS President Tan Tai Yong, we talked about the intersections of well-being with identity, drive, and so on,” Josua said.

A recording session for the Wellness Pod. Image provided by Natalie Ang.

As the host of the podcast, Maleeka shared that she had learnt a great deal about wellness herself. “We were asked to give an opening on the topic of sleep, and it shifted my perspective drastically. I realised that small things I take for granted, like eating healthy and drinking enough water, actually affects my well-being,” she said. “I hope my peers also realise that “wellness” doesn’t have to be a massive, time-consuming activity. Simple shifts in perspective and a commitment to sustaining yourself can improve your well-being tremendously. Wellness isn’t about giving yourself a treat, it is completely necessary.”

Despite the short time since its implementation, Yale-NUS students have benefited from the various learning opportunities offered through the Residential Curriculum. In the new academic year, our Kingfishers can look forward to more exciting activities which will enable them to build up their skills and abilities to face life’s challenges.