Decline of Forest School Singapore

I would like to share a situational update with our fellow villagers and the community of the Forest School movement. 

In recent months, we have seen a drop in the attendance of many of our children attending the weekly forest school session. It is also coupled with a sharp drop in the overall population of our weekly children. It went from 86 (on the 1st Jan 2023) to 61 (now, on 2oth Mar 2023). Many of the graduation/withdrawal cited reasons for packed-schedules and children-not-interested because they find it not challenging. 

Our Holiday Camps and One-day Camps have also seen a sharp drop in population. Enough for us to close one of our upcoming March Holiday camps, because there were only 2 children in the camp. 

The Summer Holiday Camps (June) have also been experiencing a slow progress in take-up rate, with more than 90% still open. 

All these are a far cry from the COVID-19 SMM season, where all our programs were fully occupied. I guess we could credit it to the fact that during the SMM season, we were one of the few communities willing to brave the storm of that season, to provide a space for our children, families and other adults.

But in this year and season of natural decline, I would say that there are two main reasons for such a phenomenon. 

The first one would be the rise of Forest Schools and Nature-based Programs all around Singapore, as more of us recognise the opportunity for children and adults to connect with Nature through the experience and journey. And yes, it can create livable income for many of the leaders of such initiatives. It is sustainable when done right. 

Secondly, many schools and organizations have opened up as well. So all the CCAs and programs are back in full swing. This takes up space in the schedule of many children and people in Singapore. 

Hence, it is only natural that Forest School Singapore, as a business and program, experiences a decline in her population. There are many many more programs out there for all to experience then coming to our little campus in the Rifle Range – Clementi Forest region. 

Both elements also provide a wide range of exciting curriculum, activities and structure, which we would not have, as we stay true to what Forest School Singapore is.

I must say that experiencing such a decline, though natural, incites many emotions, feelings, fears and self-reflections. 

I doubted my initial intention of setting up Forest School. 

When I first started, I knew I would not try to franchise, copyright or make an Intellectual Property of the practice and programs of Forest School. I wanted to create an open source of practice and knowledge that would spread like a virus. I knew that by sharing openly about Forest School and teaching others how to set up their own, I will be able to inspire more Forest School or Nature-based experiences for more children and families to connect with. I knew that this would bring about a wave and movement of Forest School and Nature Pedagogy, that will be able to affect more people, rather than trying to possess and restrict it. 

However, when dealing with such a drop in attendance and accompanying struggles, I do doubt my actions. I wonder often whether I am doing it too openly. In a very selfish sense, I asked myself what I had gained. If I had franchised or IP-ed Forest School earlier on, I would be earning millions just from the rights of the 60 over Forest Schools in Singapore.

But as usual, I reflected upon the wisdom of the Forest, and held back on going all corporate and crazy. Nature does not withhold any possession of her wealth. She gives it all to us, without asking for anything in return, because she knows we all live in cycles and seasons. In a bio-mimicry sense, I followed in her footsteps for that.

As a modern-day earthly-city living being, I would not be able to escape from the usual buzz and grind of Singapore-hood. The many probing on BTOs to concerns of livelihood to inflation and politics of life – all affect me just the same.

Putting that together while observing the phenomenon of the decline in FSS population, it gave me plenty of frustration, anxiety and uncertainty. I question whether I have done enough. I question whether I have not been doing it right in connecting with the coaches and parents. Have I forgotten myself and the children amidst all my community engagement and Nparks legal engagement work?

I tried my very best, defending the rights of children and forest schools against difficult public opinions and authority challenges. And that takes a lot out of me already, not to mention going down to the sessions with the kids, coaches and families. So if you do see me, well it’s really me making time out for it. 

So seeing such a decline brings a lot of sadness to me, at the moment of realisation. I ask myself if it is time I step away from it all and join the crowd.

But once again, the Forest and Nature speak to me.

My journey to Jeju and my time spent with the Forest School Singapore community brought me hope and greater clarity.

In the positive sense of the universe, many things are in the purposeful direction of work at Forest School. And they too should be celebrated while I sulk on the current decline phenomenom. 

Firstly, there are still 67 children and their families, plus the many holiday camp children who still grace the FSS space and programs. Many of them love the freedom and wilderness of FSS. They love us for who we are as a community, not just for what we provide. 

Our coaches and managers are a precious bunch of heroes and heroines who constantly evolve and grow. We manage to spend a good full 9 months building the capacity of our team, to upgrade their awareness of the environment, trauma-management, conflict-management, self-reflection, safety, curiosity, children development, family-awareness and much more. As one OBS-attached instructor once said, “We attend close to 50-hours of field training and capacity building at FSS.” And all these without the funds and grants of SkillsFuture. It all came from our own efforts, time and belief in the potential of people’s development.

The exponential growth of the movement may spell an eventual decline. But it also means that many more children and families are now able to experience the Forest School ways and Nature-based Education in many parts of Singapore. More children are able to find themselves amidst the pressure of living in a “Smart” and developed city like Singapore. Hopefully, through this pocket of Nature connection, they find ingredients of support and wellness to brave the depressions and mental anxieties of life in a city.

“Conflict & Challenges are the journey to Harmony”

Facing this adversity may be scary, as our General Manager (Zoe) aptly says, “I’m afraid. Because my earnings are so closely tied to the rise and fall of the population, it is scary to experience it first-hand in such close proximity.”

Well, she is not wrong, she also understands the liberty of being who we are. We may not get the material riches of life, but we get to be ourselves. And in this modern economic world, that experience requires us to endure some of the greatest fears and challenges. 

We know that our bravery and passion through these challenges will give us the wisdom to face it all. And we continue on our work, making the necessary adjustments to be in sync with the seasons of the community and land.

As this is the season of homeostasis (growth of fs movement + decline of fss weekly), we will bravely face it, understanding the importance of the season for our evolution. We will follow Nature’s lead, while continuing our practices with faith, awaiting the seasons of rise that will come.

At the more detailed level of Forest School Singapore, we will aim to take the following action over the next few months. 

For Weekly Sessions

1. We will introduce the Parent Volunteer Initiative, where parents join in with the session as co-coaches to build their parenting capacity.

2. We will involve parents more through reflections about Forest School, their children and gradually their inner self.

3. We will combine classes and move back to our original format of mixed-age class (4 – 9 years old), to bring back that precious space of realising the different abilities of kids of different ages, while having big kor kor and kaka to look up to.

4. Administratively, we will open registration for weekly sessions throughout the whole year, and welcome changing dynamics (that resembles our current context of the world). Instead of being exclusive (we only open enrollment twice a year now) and excessively holding on to the group dynamics of the same kids and families. This will allow the presence of seasons to flow organically through the session, while also allowing us as a business to be able to meet decline with new enrolment.

For Other Endeavors

1. We will develop and launch more programs / attachments / courses for Teachers, Parents and other interested adults to realise and build Nature Pedagogical practices in their life. 

2. We will embark on more in-depth Research and Documentation, to build a foundation for stories to be shared for the future generations of Forest School and Nature Pedagogy in Singapore. 

NOTE: We are doing all these now, without any funds and grants from the government or corporate organisations, and solely relying on the business earnings we have. We do not call ourselves non-profit or social-enterprise, because we believe a business should already be social and thinking for their community. But of course if anyone wants to support these (Training & Research) initiatives financially, we would be happy to receive them (but we do not wish to be dictated upon how we should do it). 

And with that, I will end my situational update. I hope you find this piece insightful and honest. I try my best to live, work and run the business & movement openly and honestly. 

I hope in your own ways, you will continue supporting the Forest School and Nature Pedagogy movement.

Written by: Darren Quek
Editted by: Wei Shimin