From International community
I liked what I read and that led me to write to them and, after some exchanges, to invite Darren Quek from Forest School Singapore to our national conference on Forest Pedagogy that we organized on the 14th October 2023 in Milano.
Darren was brave enough to accept our invite to talk at the conference and spend some time visiting Forest Pedagogy initiatives in Italy with me. Thanks to him I travelled without moving from home, rather going through the places and relationships that have characterized my (now almost) 10 years of experience in the world of Forest Pedagogy. We took a journey together through places and times, from which I “took home” some confirmations and many new insights that made me readjust in some ways the meaning of Forest Pedagogy for me.
– Selima Negro (https://pedagogiadelbosco.it/same/) [ITALY]
Forest School Singapore’s Practitioner Leaders Apprenticeship 2024 was a gently transformative experience. I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to have confronted my insecurities as an early childhood educator, striving to deeply connect my practice to nature, in the embrace of the forest, a supportive mentor and a thoughtful group of cohort mates. The programme helped me give form to thoughts I had been navigating and to give spiritual and pedagogical depth to the meaning of being nature-led. It gave me clarity, comfort and courage to continue on this path. Coach Darren is a mentor who encouraged me to confront challenging thoughts and emotions but who never made me feel judged, holding space for us to be curious and to grow in our own ways. Thank you Coach Darren and cohort mates for this amazing experience.
– Jessica Lam (https://www.instagram.com/forest-of-stars/post-on-fss-visit) [MALAYSIA]
From Local community
Drawn to this ecocentric pedagogy, one of us (Al) visited the Forest School Singapore to learn more. In our field observations at the Forest School, we noticed a particularly significant shift from individualism to systems-thinking. Students’ questions about where the food on their dinner table came from led them to a better understanding of their position in relation to nature and the world around them. Rather than dismiss their curiosity because it distracts from all-important test preparation, coaches offered students explanations that connected what they saw on their plates to broader food systems. Topics ranged from the role of supermarkets and supply chains in the global food system to the conditions of animals in contemporary factory farming. The students were even able to apply these categories to other contexts, as the conversation shifted to how animals in zoos and plants in pots were not “natural” in that someone had placed them in cages and pots, domesticating what had been wild flora and fauna. Humans may do this for ethical reasons, like conserving endangered species, or problematic and profiteering tourist ones, such as sedating tigers, and those reasons were discussed by the students
– Al Lim & Faroz Khan (https://newnaratif.com/educating-for-a-climate-crisis-world/) [SINGAPORE]
We are grateful to Darren and FSS for paving the way for Forest Schools to come to fruition, for normalising nature-centric classrooms in Singapore, for your gallantry in challenging the status quo, for advocating for children’s rights and giving voice to the voiceless. Your efforts will not be in vain and may the fire continue to burn bright. ☀️
– Hundred Paths (https://www.instagram.com/hundred-paths/encouragement-to-fss) [SINGAPORE]
The FSPLA is a journey where one can discover about oneself through interaction with nature, child(ren) and one’s own inner world. Mentor Darren and fellow FSPLA are the catalyst in the process. The exploration of personal boundaries, the conversations, the range of emotions that flow through during the different sessions are authentic and important to build emotional capacity. Everyone contributes in providing a safe space that allows for learning to be deeper and personally, for me to remain grounded, remembering the roots and purpose of the programme and what it means to me.
If I can put a natural analogy to the programme, I feel it is similar to the opening of a flower.
The sessions – the stages of the opening of flowers from a flower bud.The exchange with Darren, wealth of the FSS library/readings and fellow participants – the nutrients required.
The time spent for introspection, allowing your heart and mind to wonder and wander – the process in which flower cells expand.
And the final product is a beauty in the eye of the beholder (mainly yourself) and allows for pollinators (others) to tap on and to spread the vibe that you define
– Zoeraine Lim (FSPLA 2024 batch) [SINGAPORE]