EXPRESS HOW YOU CARE THROUGH N.E.MATION!

Ask Isaac Tan from Saint Andrew's Secondary School on how he can make Singapore a better place and he will tell you matter-of-factly, "A picture speaks a thousand words, an action brings four million smiles!"

Philosophical as it may seem, this 13-year-old student is just trying to drive home the message that simple acts of kindness can go a long way in making Singapore a happier place to live in.

That is exactly what this year's N.E.mation! is all about. Based on the theme of "Why I Care About Singapore", N.E.mation! 4 is a fun and creative platform for youths to express their thoughts and ideas on Total Defence by creating their own animation clips.

Through their participation in the digital animation competition, the budding animation creators show how they care about their country and are willing to undertake the responsibility to safeguard the Singaporean way of life.

"I have learned that every Singaporean has a part to play. Even little things in our daily lives such as watching out for your neighbours or looking out for suspicious articles on the trains, are actually important in Total Defence," Lee Yi Lin from Dunman High School told cyberpioneer.

"We must not overlook our importance in the grand scheme of Total Defence!" exclaimed the seventeen-year-old who is taking part in the competition for the second year running.

Likewise, Eleanor Koh from Methodist Girls' School felt that her participation in the animation competition has been an enriching experience which has taught her about the value of Total Defence.

Speaking on behalf of her team, she said: "The competition required us to think in-depth about all the aspects of Total Defence, in order to come up with an impactful story. Through the whole process, we learnt more about our country's defence, and at the same time, felt a greater sense of pride for our country."

"We can only defend our country if we have a fierce pride for Singapore and unite to protect her," she added.

Besides engaging the young in Total Defence through an exciting channel, N.E.mation! was conceived to unleash their potential in creating original animation works. It can also help them reflect on the roles they play in contributing to the security of the country and highlight the need for a coordinated effort by all Singaporeans in maintaining the nation's sovereignty.

"Although the message about Total Defence is a very serious thing, we recognise the potential of using creative animation to tell the story... we want to produce something that can resonate with the people out there," explained Lieutenant-Colonel Ong Kheng Hoe, Deputy Director of Programmes and Development at Nexus - the central coordinating agency for National Education in Singapore.

Now in its fourth year, the annual digital animation competition has attracted over 3,100 students since its inception in 2007. This year alone saw some 440 teams from 79 schools vying for the top honour.

Yi Lin, whose team is among the top ten to have made it through the rigourous selection process, believes that the N.E.mation! experience has been a most rewarding one.

"We learned about teamwork - that's very important because all of us are doing different things to make our animation a success but we have to consult each other to make sure that everything flows nicely together," she said.

The shortlisted teams received training from industry experts at the animation school, Animagine, to transform their story ideas into exciting one-minute clips.

"If there is one thing we hope that the teams will take away with them, it will be the appreciation for animation as an art form and a very powerful communication tool to express their own notions about Total Defence", said Mr Joshua Ngiam, founder of Animagine.

The winning team will walk away with a fully-sponsored trip to visit DreamWorks Animation in the USA. The public can log on to www.nemation.sg between from now till 1 Feb to view and vote for their favourite clips.