Club Rainbow launched Talent Development in 2009. It is aimed at identifying Rainbow children aged between seven and 20 with talents in non-academic areas such as in sports, music, drama and the arts.
Talent Development hopes to give the Rainbow children an opportunity to develop their talents further with a financial grant. This is to nurture every Rainbow child’s sense of self-esteem and individual strengths while appreciating the uniqueness of each young life.
The children were chosen after an impartial assessment of their identifiable, budding talents. They were interviewed (in some cases with their parents) by a panel of judges from the charity’s management that gauged the keenness of each child to purse his or her unique gifts, their dreams and aspirations and how they intend to utilise this grant to further develop their talents and potential.
Past Winners of the Talent Development
Benedict, 16: A second-time recipient, Ben’s talent does not deviate too far from technology (he was previously selected based on his talent in robotics) and is selected for his potential in photography and video-filming this year. A member of his school IT club, he represented his school in competitions and also helped to shoot school events. He will be using the grant to invest in a good camera. His dream is to be a well-known photographer and help budding photographers to hone their skills. Ben hopes one day he is able to contribute back to Club Rainbow for believing in him.
Jasmine, 12: A jazz fan, Jasmine loves to escape into the world of music. With her parents’ encouragement, she started learning the piano at the age of six and has attained grade five for piano. Playing the piano is not only therapeutic for her mood; it also helps to improve her medical condition (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis). She will be using the grant to pay for her piano lessons.
June, 13: June discovered her affinity with music since young when her mother would often bring her to concerts. She was so enchanted by the performance that she pestered her mom to allow her to learn the piano. Her favourite composer is Chopin as she likes his carefree style. She prefers upbeat and fast pieces to the slower ones. June will be using the grant to further pursue her passion in music.
Nurul Amalia, 14: Nurul Amalia fell in love with hocky the instant she tried out the sport in school. Her coach commented she has a natural flair for the sport and encouraged her to join the school team. She hopes the sport will instill discipline in her and trains her to be more focused. Hockey helps her to de-stress and she looks forward to playing it every time. She will be using the grant to buy hockey gear.
Jann Yee, 16: Music runs in Jann Yee’s blood. Her mom, who also plays the piano, introduced her to music at a very young age. Jann Yee has already passed grade seven piano as well as grade five viola and is taking higher music as an “O” level subject. She likes the romantic 20th century music as it stresses more on tone colour. If she were a musician, she would be one that breaks all the rules.
Priscilla, 17: Priscilla’s medical condition (SLE, Lupus Nephritis) prevents her from participating in sports under the sun but that did not deter her from all sports as she found her passion in fencing. Despite Priscilla’s gentle demeanour, she feels in control the moment she puts on her gear with a strong desire to ‘wack’ her opponent. Fencing has helped to build her strength and perseverance and she has since felt healthier. She hopes she will be able to fence with the national fencers and reach their standards one day. Priscilla will be using the grant to buy her own fencing gear.
Samuel, 10: Samuel is a second-time recipient whose passion and talent are in music. He plays the Chinese instrument guzhen and piano. When he plays, he becomes so totally immersed in the music that he just wants to keep on playing. If he were a musician, he would be composing gentle and soft music to bring comfort to his listeners. Samuel will be using the grant to pay for his music course.
