(Scroll down to the bottom for the contact email on how to join)
I have gained so many views and positive comments from my political videos, much faster than even I expected. So I think it’s time to use my outreach and influence and transition to more concrete training and political action. Anyone who wants to contribute to significant political change in Singapore, join us. Both Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans can help. Consider this the alpha stage of the program, more details of the curriculum and program will be shared as it develops.
Goals
In Singapore, the current opposition politicians and activists are incompetent. They have competed against the PAP for 60 years, and has created little to no meaningful political change. So the Opposition has to be completely reformed, with radical changes in marketing, strategies and the people who compete for the elections. We hope to train people to be effective writers and speakers, so you can effectively communicate your political ideas either in social media or in person. We absolutely need people to protest on the streets and be willing to get themselves arrested (read about political protest here) because political protest has historically been the action that creates meaningful political change (Though to be clear, not everyone should protest and get arrested.)
We’ll discuss and decide whether it’s best for you to protest or stay out of prison). And of course, we need at least 97 people to compete for all 97 seats in Singapore Parliament. So we hope to produce 100s of thousands of effective activists, 10s of thousands of people willing to protest on the streets nonviolently, and 100 effective politicians to run for the general elections and beat the PAP, so that Singaporeans will finally get freedom of expression, free healthcare, free food, national service will be removed, to end discrimination against Malays and Indians, and for better school and work conditions
What is the Program?
It’s basically a program that consists of Singapore Politics, Self-Help and Religious Philosophy. All 3 topics are important in developing the knowledge, mental strength and actions needed to create an effective political movement, as displayed by the greatest political activist in history, Gandhi.
The program is both a school to develop these traits, as well as a workforce for political action. Political action such as creating political content, teaching the curriculum in this program, conducting walkabouts, running for elections, organising public protests etc.
Activities
Role Assessment
After you send an email that you want to join and have given a brief introduction of yourself (see below), we will have an interview where we get a better sense of your skills, your personality and your goals. And then we will discuss the best way you can contribute and the best role you can fill in the program. For most, it’d probably be best to attend our school to gain skills. For some, they might be equipped to work right away and depending on their skillset, we’ll decide what work is best for them. Or it might be best to do a mix of both school and work.
Weekly Meet Up Group
This I would say is the only essential activity that I think all members should attend at least once a week. It's basically a meet-up with all the members where we share about what has happened in our lives, discuss current political events and political strategies, and any other important topics and concerns related to this program. Everyone has an allocated time to speak to the group. A facilitator will bring up questions to stir conversations as well as ensure people don't talk for too long or to try to get the quiet ones to speak (if they want to). The meet-up is essential for improving communication and listening skills, improving bonding among members, and to ensure every member is involved and heard. (P.S. if people are overseas or Singaporeans want to be private, there is an option for voice call instead of meeting up in person)
School
Communication skills, quality of character, politics and strategies for political activism, all these are essential in being an effective political activist. The fact that opposition parties in Singapore have little to no training on any of this when recruiting volunteers, is absolutely insane. We will fix that. If you are not competent, we will make you competent.
How the School is Run
I (and in the future hopefully other qualified ‘teachers’) will teach. If we think it’s best you join the school, a personalised curriculum will be created based on your interests and what knowledge is most important for you.
We are structured like a democratic school. Say we have a batch of students, we discuss which topics most of the students need to learn, set a time and place that most of them can attend, and we conduct the class. Different groups of students will learn different topics in different time slots depending on their needs and preferences. You can participate in learning as little or as much as you want. You can devote 5 hours a week, or 30 minutes a week, your choice.
The ‘class’ will be more discursive. It’s not going to be me telling you what to know and giving you a bad grade if you don’t follow. I’ll share a teaching, we’ll let each student have an equal time to discuss and debate it, repeat. No homework, no exams. Though there might be some tests and feedback (For certain things like writing and speaking skills).
For all the students (whether as a group or one on one), I am open to text any time you have a question on anything about what you’re learning. We’ll also have a monthly evaluation, a short meet-up to discuss your progress and see if you’re on the right track or any changes that need to be made.
At any point if we think you have the skills and quality of character to be considered an effective political activist, you can graduate. So you may just need to know about 50-60% of the curriculum, be a well-liked sociable person who’s able to effectively communicate your political position, and you’re good. You might finish the school in 3 months, 2 years or never, depending on how much time and effort you put in and your ability and willingness to accept the teachings.
When we decide you can graduate, there might be a little ceremony and we’ll give you like a badge and a certificate (signed by me if you want), so you can show it to all your friends and family. This certificate is definitely more valuable than a college degree (I’m not kidding).
Recommended Curriculum of the School
See the recommended reading list for the curriculum here
General Skills:
Skills that probably every effective political activist should have to learn, to adapt and communicate effectively
Reading skills - Most of the best knowledge in the world, probably comes from books. I’ll teach you how to read quickly, read what’s important, take notes and extract the information that’s most beneficial to your life.
Writing/Speaking Skills - Learn how to write, and speak effectively. Learn how to pick a topic, how to outline and organise an essay or speak, eliminate excessive words and sentences, and communicate your ideas effectively.
Learning skills - Do you know that there are simple tactics you can use that anyone can incorporate, that can increase the rate of your learning by 2 or 3 or even 5 times? Learn about effective notetaking, how often to review, memorisation techniques etc.
Self-Help
Your quality of character and your quality of life is tied to your effectiveness as a political activist. You can’t say you’re a socialist revolutionary then cheat on your wife. If you’re a bad person, you turn people away, if you’re a good person, you attract. If you take care of yourself, you become a good person.
RAIN Meditation - The most important habit you can ever learn. Trying to be mentally healthy without meditation is like trying to be physically healthy without exercise. Learn this, and nothing will faze you.
Building Good Habits - Learn how to conquer a lack of motivation and the secret to build and stick with healthy habits for a long time (I already wrote about the tricks to stick with good habits here
Productivity - Learn how to plan and organise your tasks, stay focused while not being overwhelmed, and use the classic 80/20 rule to prioritise the most important steps to reach the goals in your life.
Religious Philosophy
The teachings of religion provides practical value to your life, making you more moral and loving. But also, tying your political message with religious philosophy a lot of the time makes your message more effective. Because most of the world is religious, treating your political journey as an expression of God helps you resonate with a crucial portion of the population.
We advocate for religious pluralism, which is a fancy way of saying that we support all religions that reduce suffering. To quote Gandhi ‘I am a Muslim, and a Hindu, and a Christian, and a Jew, and so are all of you’ There is no one best religion, and once people get the chance to learn about each of them, they’ll realise why.
Religion has always provided the best philosophies in the world. At minimum, we will explore the 6 World Religions, that’s Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the West, and Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism in the East. From Christianity we’ll learn how to love your enemies, from Buddhism how mindfulness of your feelings and actions frees you from cravings and suffering, from Islam, the immense justice God grants by blessing people who have done good, and cursing the ones who have sinned.
This is not simply philosophy for intellectual masturbation, but practical teachings that you can directly apply to your life, and to share to other people.
Singapore Politics
Obviously if you want to be in politics, you should have some understanding of politics so you know what to say and do lol.
Political Science: What different political ideologies entail. The difference between a liberal and a conservative, a socialist and a capitalist. The important social and economic issues of our time, and the arguments that opposing sides have. Unlike in University, we will focus on actual important issues and actual important people that are relevant right now
Political Activism: Discussing the importance of public protests, and what mindset and actions we should take to create an effective political movement (We’ll probably mostly just be studying Gandhi)
Singapore Politics: With our understanding of political ideology and political activism, we’ll tie it specifically to the political issues and strategies that are most important to Singapore. I’ve identified the 6 political issues that affect the most amount of people and will very likely sway elections, they are: Freedom of Expression, Cheaper Cost of Living Through Taxing the Rich, Removing National Service, Less Painful Education, Less Painful Work, and finally: Equal Rights for Malays and Indians
What Qualification does Amos Yee Have To Teach Any Of This?
I have no useless college degrees, I have actual results and real-life experience. I have written and spoken about the above topics mentioned, and despite years of prison, I’ve come out mentally strong, and have continued to produce influential political videos at a productive rate.
If you disagree and think my videos and writing are shit, or that my views on politics is ridiculous and won’t amount to anything, fine, your loss. This school is for the ones who recognise my knowledge and ability, in other words, the people who aren’t stupid.
Work
As we expand, the school will need teachers, facilitators for the meet-up groups, people to organise the events and locations etc. And for political action, obviously we’ll need people to network and organise public protests, we need people to actually take part in a political protest and voluntarily get arrested, and we need to conduct walkabouts and run campaigns for elections. We also have needs for specific roles like video editors, cameramen and researchers (you can take a look at specific needs here). If we think you are immediately qualified and best for certain job positions and need little to no school, we’ll get you to work right away.
We have a democratic workforce. Even if you can just put in an hour of work a week, if you have the desire to help, we’ll find something for you. . You can obviously work on projects at any time that suit you, just don’t miss scheduled meetings too much or take too long to finish something that you promised. It is an anti-authoritarian atmosphere, so feel free to share any ideas or opinions you think is important. If I say something stupid, feel free to criticise. If I act like an asshole, complain about it. If any of your points are valid, we will make changes (Especially if majority of the workforce agrees with you). Your work and opinions are valued.
Also of course, at this point the work is purely voluntary because we haven’t made any money yet and can’t pay anybody upfront. But but, we are already asking for donations (Anyone who is interested in donating click here) and might make tons of money in the future, so you might get a solid spot in the workforce as well as a great salary if you stick with us (no guarantees and promises of course). But of course, you shouldn’t do the job for the money, you should do it because you believe in our goals and your role in helping to accomplish it. All great grassroots political organisations have tens of thousands of volunteers who work for free. Your help is crucial.
How to Join
Send an email to amosyeeishere@gmail.com saying that you want to join and give an introduction of yourself. The more detail the better. This is information I’d recommend you share: the school or work you’re doing, any skills you have, your interests, your race, your religion, your political identity (socialist, conservative), if you’re Singaporean or non-Singaporean, whether you’d like to be private, why you want to join this program, any other noteworthy information about you etc.
Conclusion
I have raised awareness on the important political issues of Singapore, now it’s time to translate that into concrete political action: training, organising protests and running for elections. If you want to contribute to significant political change in Singapore, join us. Be part of something truly revolutionary, be part of something great.
See What I think are my Best Posts here