Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands 2024

The school holidays may be over, but young ones still have opportunities to learn and play thanks to Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands 2024. This free family-friendly festival is taking place between 15th-21st July at Jurong Point, and Kampung Admiralty on 27th-28th July.

The name of the event means “celebrating knowledge” in Malay, and you can expect lots of learning opportunities here through exciting hands-on activities. There are 4 pavilions, split into innovation, creativity, discovery, and even wellness themes.

From VR flight simulators and AI games to free health tests for your mind and body, here’s what we got up to at the event’s launch at Our Tampines Hub – and what you can look forward to at their activations in the West and North.

Innovation Pavilion

Learn about AI, robotics & futuristic tech through game stations

The Innovation Pavilion is all about preparing for the future, and getting familiar with advanced technology like AI, robotics, and digital simulations. Don’t worry, you won’t be reading off wordy banners or listening to lengthy lectures to get this info, but seeing how it works through hands-on applications instead.

First up, get into the hot seat of a pilot at the Aeroviation booth. Using VR goggles, you’ll learn to navigate the skies whilst applying flight mechanics, all while being guided by a legit pilot. Ngl, this is a level-up of any driving-based arcade game you’ve ever tried.

Football lovers looking for a more unique spin on FIFA can check out the interactive tech playground by the Academy of Design Arts and Media (ADAM). Control the ball-shaped drone and try to steer it into the circular goalpost to score. This is a test of those nimble fingers trained through endless rounds of console gaming.

Other techy activities you can get up to include an AI avatar station. We’ve all set up digital avatars online, but this station allows you to interact with your AI self, and even have a chat with it. It’s giving Black Mirror, without all the doom and gloom.

Creativity Pavilion

Try S.T.E.A.M-based activities like puzzles & coding

Give the kiddos a break from textbooks and tuition and let them try some hands-on learning at the Creativity Pavilion instead. There are activity stations set up according to the S.T.E.A.M disciplines – meaning Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics.

The games are designed to get your creative juices flowing. And in line with Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands’ overall theme, event goers of all ages and ethnicities will get to pick up some Malay literacy skills as well.

For instance, the Anak Pintar – AKA smart kids – station has art and maths-based puzzles for you to piece together. Through the process, you’ll pick up basic geometry terms in Malay – how neat is that?

Image credit: Yayasan Mendaki

For something more advanced, head to the Future Masters Academy station, where you’ll learn how to build, code, and programme movements for a functioning robot. Plus, you can bring the robot home and keep it as memorabilia.

Discovery Pavilion

Explore job openings & try your hand at career simulators

As kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” was a common question we heard. You may have daydreamed about exploring all sorts of careers, and Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands’ has a Discover Pavilion where you can experience a taste of it all.

Speak to the career facilitators onsite to discover where your own passions lie – whether it is in business, healthcare, or communications.
Image credit: Yayasan Mendaki

The dedicated career zone has rows of booths set up by the likes of Berita Mediacorp and GG Esports Solutions. It’s a place for young ones to discover the different disciplines they can pursue when older, jobseekers to get their foot in the door with potential employers, and everyone else in between to get a glimpse of other careers.

We live in a time where high-tech job prospects are popping off, including games, with many high-paying gaming jobs in demand. See if you have what it takes to be a pro gamer at the GG E-Sports Solutions booth. The staff will explain to you how the industry works, before letting you have a go at some family-friendly games. See if you can nab the top score!

It’s a dream job for many kids and even grownups to be on TV. For those who have ever aspired to be a news presenter, Berita Mediacorp’s makeshift autocue studio is a must-visit. You’ll be set against a greenscreen and fed lines from a teleprompter script. Get your family or friends to help video you as you channel your inner newscaster and deliver the headlines with gusto.

Wellness Pavilion

Free health checks for your mind & body

With Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands having a slew of activities to boost your brain power, your physical health and mental wellness will not be neglected either. Over at the Wellness Pavilion, you’ll get to enjoy complimentary health checks that usually cost money, and require a dedicated trip to various clinics.

For starters, the body composition analysis by SATA CommHealth checks to see if your body fat and muscle compositions are in the healthy zone. If not, the helpful facilitators will guide you through any health warning signs so you can nip them in the bud.

Image credit: Yayasan Mendaki

Other than physical health, you can also test your mental sharpness and wellness at the various IQ and mental health stations. Flex your recall skills through a memory test, and check in on your psychological state through a mental health quiz. Besides getting to see where you stand, you’ll also be able to chat with the facilitators about resources and methods to improve.

Head over to Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands this July

Whoever said learning can’t possibly be fun needs to head down to Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands’ various activations this month.

From 15th-21st July, they’ll be at Jurong Point, and from 27th-28th July, you can find them at Kampung Admiralty. With the Jurong activation being a week long, visitors can look forward to a focus on job fairs and career guidance from Monday to Friday, and rousing activities come the weekend. Booths and activities may differ slightly across the 2 locations, so make sure to check the Mendaki website linked below before you head over.

The event is free for all to enter and take part in the activities, and all ages are welcome. For those who are wondering, Raikan Ilmu is for everyone, not just the Malay community – so make your way down to celebrate knowledge together.

Find out more about Raikan Ilmu@Heartlands

This post was brought to you by Yayasan Mendaki.
Photography by Brad Lee.