ENGAGING THE PUBLIC WITH N.E.MATION! AND INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS

When Jurong Junior College (JJC) students Sunny Chua and Ong Zheng Bao got wind of an inter-school animation competition, they decided to take matters into their own hands, literally.

They slogged for three weeks, endlessly kneading a few kilogrammes of plasticine, until their minute-long clay animation video Nation Moulders was finally finished.

All that hard work paid off when their effort propelled their team, JJ AVAC, into the finals of the N.E.mation! competition.

N.E.mation!, jointly organised by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and animation company Animagine, is a highlight of this year's Total Defence campaign.

This year's competition attracted some 220 entries, which is an increase of 50 per cent compared to the previous year.

A total of 10 finalists have been selected. The winning team will get to visit Pixar Animation Studios in the United States. The winning clip will also be broadcast on television as part of the Total Defence 2008 campaign.

Another highlight of this year's campaign is the Total Defence Exhibition, which opens on 12 Feb.

Unlike previous exhibitions, this year's promises to be interactive, rather than merely informative, said Colonel (COL) Tan Wee Ngee, Director of Nexus, MINDEF.

"We aim to encourage people to play their individual part through activities they can engage in, and to provide a more personal experience," he said.

During the exhibition, the public can look forward to viewing Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) assets such as the Bionix II Infantry Fighting Vehicle and Spartan Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

Other must-sees include a 'Musical CPR' performance, which teaches CPR steps in a fun setting.

Choreographed by a medical team from the Civil Defence Academy, the performance is an alternative way of educating the public on the importance of CPR, said Lieutenant-Colonel N Subhas of the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

"You can even dance to it if you want, but of course you aren't supposed to be dancing in a real emergency!" he quipped.

The exhibition will be held at the Singapore Discovery Centre from 12 to 19 Feb, after which it will travel to Tampines (22 to 24 Feb), and Toa Payoh (29 Feb to 2 Mar).

The crux of the Total Defence campaign is that every citizen contributes to the nation's security.

As Matthew Lim, an N.E.mation! finalist said: "Total Defence is not just about firemen, ambulances and soldiers."

"It is about everyone knowing how to play his or her part."