Book on women trailblazers to be used as teaching guide
A book on the life stories of honourees in the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame (SWHF) will be used as a teaching guide to inspire children and young people.
Copies of the children's book, Awesome Women Of Singapore, will be distributed to all primary and secondary schools, madrasahs, and homes for children and youth next month by the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO).
They will also receive a range of teaching aids and interactive tools to help the young think about their goals in life and how to overcome obstacles they might face.
The initiative, Project Awesome: Dare to Dream, was announced by the SCWO yesterday. It is supported by Deloitte Singapore and the School of the Arts.
The book, launched on International Women's Day on Monday, features 160 women from the SWHF, including Dr Oon Chiew Seng, the first gynaecologist here to go into private practice, and women's rights activist Shirin Fozdar, who started the now-defunct Singapore Council of Women to lobby for better laws to protect women and children.
"Many of the women were trailblazers who, driven by their vision of a better life, broke through structural and cultural barriers and carved out new paths for themselves and for others," said the SCWO.
Besides distributing the book to target groups, the SCWO plans to conduct a pilot scheme between next month and next March to gather feedback from teachers and students to refine the programme.
By 2026, the project aims to have 50 per cent of students here participate in at least one of its activities.
Ms Margaret Thomas, who chairs the SWHF working committee and is a member of the SCWO board, said: "We are keen to work with many more community partners - corporations, educational institutions, civil society organisations, individuals - and to build an awesome community."
Ms Thomas said the Government has embarked on a national review of women's development and will present the findings in a White Paper this year. She said the new book will help "show boys women are as capable as men in all areas, and it will give girls strong role models".
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