Asian Geographic-April 2018

PHOTO © JEREMY MEEK

PHOTO © SINGAPORE BOOK COUNCIL AND BEN CHIA

The writing and publishing industry in

Singapore received a boost this March with the

10th All In! Young Writers Festival, an annual

event that seeks to groom aspiring writers

aged 13 to 25 aiming for careers in publishing,

broadcasting, creative writing, and journalism.

Almost 800 youth from various schools

were taught and mentored by a wide array

of writing mentors and industry players –

including filmmaker Saleem Hadi, novelist

Samantha De Silva, and playwright T. Neshma –

through seminars, training sessions and

workshops to better understand the writing

industry in Asia.

Besides facilitating contact between

young writers and industry professionals,

the festival also provides a platform for

young writers to showcase their work locally

and regionally through a series of writing

competition, with categories including fiction,

short stories, essays, and film.

The ASIAN Geographic Hot Soup School

Challenge 2019 will be held in conjunction with

All In! 2019 to encourage young people to read

Young people in the Cambodian capital

Phnom Penh now have a place to test out

their wheels with the city’s new Skate School,

comprising a 500-square-metre skate park, a

classroom, a library, and a large green space.

Launched earlier this year by non-profit

Skateistan – an organisation that works to

empower youth through skateboarding and

educational opportunities – the new facility

will benefit children in the area, with a

particular focus on girls and youth living with

disabilities. The new Skate School was opened

with performances by international and local

female skaters including Sky Brown, Mimi

Knoop, and Kouv “Tin” Chansangva.

Skateistan is working with multiple partner

organisations in the city to integrate into the

community and provide a safe space for local

children to learn and play for years to come.

Phnom Penh Welcomes New

Skateboarding School for Youth

SINGAPORE

CAMBODIA

above Speakers at

the All In! Festival

right Souq Waqif in

Doha, Qatar

above The opening

ceremony of Phnom

Penh’s Skate School

800 Young Writers Groomed

at All In! Festival 2018

The organisation has been operating in the

country since 2011, and currently has 240

beneficiaries in Phnom Penh, just over half

of which are girls.

highlights

As a media partner of the All In! Young Writer’s

Festival 2018, ASIAN Geographic will be publishing

the winning entry of the festival’s short fiction

competition in a subsequent issue. Stay tuned!

geographic publications and improve their

general knowledge on the region.