The “Dream and Achieve” programme is a community outreach initiative of Mensa Singapore. The programme seeks to engage, inspire and motivate the graduating class of NorthLight School (NLS), encouraging them to have the confidence to have dreams about their future as well as the resoluteness to see them through. The programme will be a four-part lecture series, which focuses on inspiring the students and motivating them to pursue their aspirations.

The first session was held on 28 April 2009, which consist of the first two lectures. The first lecture was conducted by Ms Vivian Claire Liu, Founding Director of PhilanthropyWorks on the topic “Finding your calling”. This lecture helps the students to be more aware of what they want to do in the future. Henry Kissinger once said “If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.” Having a clear vision of the future gives the students a sense of direction and a goal to move towards.

The second lecture was conducted by Mr Samuel Chia, Managing Director of NYDC Café and Restaurant on the topic “Entrepreneurship”. Mr Chia shared his life experience with the students, like the importance of education, how he overcome failure and setbacks by believing in himself. He also stressed importance of continual self improvement, as technical skills alone are not sufficient to make one successful - soft skills are equally important.

Overall it is a very inspiring and motivating session for the students and both lectures complimented each other. One is about knowing where to go and the other is about how to get there. The next session of the Dream & Achieve program will touch more on soft skills.