Anahita Bahadur, 15

School: Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)

Topic: An email to the Head of CCA on an organ donation awareness project

Award: Special Mention, Senior Category, 2023

Dear Mrs. Emily Tan,

I am Lorelai Graham, the student leader representing the Debate Society in the organising committee to plan the project to raise awareness of organ donation and transplantation amongst the student population. Through this email, I would like to share my proposal regarding my idea for the project and how I plan to execute it. I aim to organise fun and interactive booths during the recess period for all the levels in our school. I would like to make the first few booths about organ transplantation informative booths. In these booths, I wish for educational materials, brochures, and visual aids to explain the process and benefits of organ donation to be displayed, to more effectively educate the students about organ transplantation. I strongly believe that organ transplantation is an important topic that should be brought up in school more often and I believe colourful pictures and interactive materials will attract students to the booths.

I would like to propose the next few booths to consist of games that involve organ transplantation in real-world contexts to allow the students to apply the knowledge they have learned from the first booth enjoyably. The games could include questions regarding the benefits and limitations brought about by organ transplantation, asking the students when or whether someone needs an organ transplant based on a certain scenario, etc. I believe being able to apply the knowledge to real-life contexts in these game booths will be an enjoyable experience for the students. As an incentive for the students to partake in the activities in the booth and win the games, prizes could be rewarded to them if they win the game against their friends. When the games involve many players, the students are bound to bring their friends to play along with them, hence spreading awareness of organ transplantation amongst more people. The booth could also involve the online “Kahoot” quiz, which helps inculcate the spirit of competitiveness in the students to apply the knowledge they have learned to win. Additionally, if highly trained specialists are brought to share awareness about the booths, there might be a larger audience as students may be attracted to the prospect of interacting with someone well-trained in organ transplantation. I believe that these booths are extremely beneficial for the students as they gain valuable knowledge about human anatomy, medical procedures, and healthcare advancements and are able to apply it in an enjoyable manner. The students will experience personal growth and resilience by running the booths and learning about the resilience of those who require organ transplants. They are also able to develop a sense of social responsibility amongst themselves and may become future advocates. I am more than willing to elaborately plan the games once my proposal has been approved by you. I believe through the information booths, games, quizzes, and distinguished guests the students will have an enjoyable time learning about organ transplantation. Organ transplantation is becoming an increasingly relevant topic with healthcare advancements which is not brought up enough in schools.

Organ transplantation is a life-saving medical procedure, and I aim for the booths I have proposed to raise awareness about the organ shortage in modern society, dispel myths and misconceptions regarding organ transplantation, foster greater sympathy and compassion amongst students towards the struggles of those requiring an organ transplant, and ultimately aid students in their future decision-making and convince students to become organ donors in the future. I can relate to this topic especially because my elder brother required a kidney transplant a few years ago, and was fortunately able to receive one from my mother due to being a good match. However, this may not be the case for everyone. I avidly remember my brother’s deteriorating health before his kidney transplant and it was a very difficult time for my family. I hope that through these booths, the students can empathise with the struggles of those requiring organ transplants and their family members.

Being part of the student organising committee has been an enlightening and enriching experience for me. I have personally never gotten an opportunity to plan a school event, and being part of the organising committee gave me valuable insight into how much work and planning is required to plan a school event. I am an organised person who personally enjoys planning events, so I was thrilled with the opportunity to be able to plan one. I have even learned how to better collaborate with people and come to a compromise when it comes to planning events. I have even learned how to delegate tasks, encourage people to participate, and manage conflicts when there are differing opinions. I was able to manage time effectively, learned how to prioritise tasks, set deadlines, and brainstorm ideas for the different booths.

I have always been very passionate about organ transplantation and spreading awareness about it due to my personal life experience. I hope that you are able to consider my proposal for the booths and are willing to implement it. If you have any suggestions or feedback for improving my booths, I am open to constructive criticism and will try my best to improve my booths to ensure it is efficient in serving their purpose and students can take away something from them.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Yours sincerely,
Lorelai Graham
3G
Head of Debate Society

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2023 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health). To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg