Emotional Intelligence (EI) at Cedar Girls Sec is the way of the Future

With Singapore wanting more and more to be a global player in business and commerce, some Singaporean Secondary Schools are taking the lead in developing their students for the world stage.
A critical factor is going to be the engagement of other cultures of which Emotional Intelligence (EI) is to be paramount. The ability to perceive, have empathy and develop social relationships are skills of the future to engage effectively.
One school leading the way through their Head of Pupil Development, Bee Sun, is Cedar Girls’ Secondary. Using the Sports Challenge ‘world first’ objective measures of (EI) and the experiential (hands on) mentoring program, the selected girls of Cedar made huge steps towards effective (EI) skills.
Under the guidance of mentors Jacqui Finnegan, Kate Lynch, Margaret Thompson and Richard Heptinstall, these at first quiet girls began their journey of (EI) discovery as they laughed and squeezed as many girls as possible onto a mat during the ‘Swamp Crossing’ activity to launch effective team work.
The (EI) program showed the Cedar Girls are fond of discussing and planning, rather than trial and error, when it comes to successful problem solving- proving that groups don’t necessarily need to be loud and energetic to get the most out of our experiential activities. During these discussions, it was clear the girls were working on the four components of the (EI) framework that Sports Challenge uses; Self Awareness, Social Awareness, Self Management & Relationship Management.
The ‘Pipeline’ activity, which involves meticulous planning, budgeting and using a team approach, saw the girls continually assess their own emotions during group discussions, while assessing and understanding their team mates’ emotions. Putting together a successful pipeline can sometimes be frustrating! In the end, some ingenious and creative designs were presented by the groups.
With post objective (EI) measures, individual mentor evaluations, student feedback and the smiling faces as each girl received their Certificate of Success all goes well for the future of Singapore in the new world order. Here, emphasis will be on the global family and care of our fragile environment. The Sports Challenge mentors were unanimous… Cedar Girls (EI) program is the way of the future.