Student-led initiatives at YCIS are a regular occurrence , with a robust curriculum that promotes and encourages student leadership and an environment where students feel empowered to put their efforts and resources behind their own projects for the sheer joy of expressing, creating, and experiencing.

Recently, three Year 12 students at YCIS, each with different interests, came together to write, produce, and act in an entirely student-created video production.

Siew Png (known as SP) spearheaded the project after being inspired by a student film festival at YCIS Beijing. He managed the script writing, videography, and post-editing for the film, while his classmate, Cohen, supplied the voice acting, and another classmate, Andrew, supplied and licensed the music for the film and assisted in the post-production work. The students were then supported by YCIS Technical Coordinator, Mr Danny Davis, in the use of the school's recording studio to edit the voice over content.

The students then submitted their film, titled “The Game”, to the South China Student Film Festival, and they recently learned that they won the award for the “Best in Editing” category. The students will also submit their film to several other upcoming film festivals, including the Flux Film Festival in Beijing, and the Hamilton Youth Festival.

Out of 34 student submitted films submitted to the South China Student Film Festival, “The Game” also received accolades on the Dongguan Hubhao website, which noted that “The Game is a moving, impressionistic piece about city living that really touches the viewer.”

Currently, the students are using their video talents for an additional altruistic project. SP has been volunteering at a local adoption organization called ARC in order to produce introductory videos of children in need of homes as a means of showcasing the children to prospective parents.

The curriculum at YCIS is cutting-edge and thought-leading in its unique approach to the edification and education of students. Part of the core philosophy of the YCIS curriculum is to promote multiple-intelligence development to allow students to develop their own individual talents and to provide a holistic education that nurtures the whole person. A student project such as this, which considers the question of introspection in a busy city, as well as the ambition to develop, produce, and submit their own work to film festivals, is an excellent example of the initiative YCIS seeks to encourage and foster in its students. For more information about the unique educational Philosophy and Objectives at YCIS, please click here.