Resources For Primary School
Total Defence Song
The Total Defence song "There's a Part for Everyone" was written in 1984 by Gerald Png, along with the introduction of Total Defence in Singapore. In 2016, MINDEF refreshed the song by updating the lyrics and music arrangement, while retaining that familiar, nostalgic tune. The song was rearranged and performed by home grown band QuickPick. You can download the song here.
A music video featuring the Total Defence song was released online by Minister for Defence on 10 February 2016.
There is also a 360° version of the music video, which shows viewers what happens in every direction - not just where the camera appears to be pointing. This symbolises the all-round nature of Total Defence.
The lyrics were updated by Gareth Fernandez and Judith d'Silva.
There’s A Part For Everyone (2016 version)
There's a part for everyone, in this land where we belong
There's a part for one and all, to keep our nation strong
Many things that we can do, to help defend our land
Let us all do what we can, together hand in hand
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
If we all unite as one, we can defend our Singapore
With our heart, our mind, our will forever more
What we have is worth defending
With a love that's never failing
Always ready, strong and steady
Let's heed the call, come one and all
There's a part for everyone, in this land where we belong
We can do it, you and I, we'll keep our nation strong
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
If we all unite as one, we can defend our Singapore
With our heart, our mind, our will forever more
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
If we all unite as one, we can defend our Singapore
With our heart, our mind, our will forever more
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
Put your heart, your mind, your will to our defence
If we all unite as one, we can defend our Singapore
With our heart, our mind, our will forever more
With our heart, our mind, our will forever more
For any queries, please contact us at nexus@defence.gov.sg.
Total Defence Interactive Video 2023
What are the consequences of your choices? In this three-part Total Defence Interactive Video, you will get to
make decisions that will determine the outcome of the characters' day.
Experience the videos and understand what you can do to play your part for Total Defence!
Part 1 – Energy conservation
Part 2 – Staying vigilant against fake news
Part 3 – Strengthening our food security
Total Defence Activity Sheets
The Total Defence Activity Sheets are designed to help students learn about Total Defence through a fun and engaging manner. Students will explore the six pillars of Total Defence through quizzes and activities, and understand how they can play a part for Singapore and put Total Defence in action in their daily lives.
The Activity Sheets and accompanying Educator’s Guide can be downloaded here.
For any queries, please contact us at nexus@defence.gov.sg.
Total Defence Resource Kit
The Total Defence Resource Kit, a ground-up initiative featuring activities designed by parents, aims to engage children and students below the age of 12 by introducing different ways to understand Total Defence and put it into action. With interactive activities that focus on “bringing Total Defence outdoors”, this resource kit is suitable for parents to embark on with their children, as well as for schools to adapt and conduct as school-wide events.
Download the Total Defence Resource Kit here.
Total Defence Programme for Uniformed Groups
The Total Defence (TD) Programme for Uniformed Groups (UGs) aims to promote awareness of and participation in Total Defence among secondary school students in UGs. Refreshed in 2018, it creates more opportunities for secondary school UG cadets to participate in and lead Total Defence-related activities within their UG, school, and/or communities.
The Total Defence Programme for Uniformed Groups (UGs) aims to create opportunities for Secondary school UG cadets to participate in and lead Total Defence-related activities within their UGs, schools, and/or communities.
The programme uses the Appreciation, Application, and Advocacy model, with lessons designed to help cadets gain a deeper appreciation of Total Defence, put Total Defence into action, and be advocates for Total Defence as they earn the Bronze, Silver, and Gold badges.
The refreshed 2022 edition of the programme puts greater emphasis on Emergency Preparedness skills. It also has a more flexible curriculum and incorporates new activities such as an introduction to CPR-AED (as part of MOE PE curriculum), Total Defence lesson via Student Learning Space (SLS), N.E.mation! Story-boarding and CPR-AED certification to create a more meaningful and immersive experience for UG cadets.
The Total Defence Programme for UGs comprises three levels: (1) Bronze; (2) Silver; and (3) Gold. After the satisfactory completion of the activities in each level, cadets will be awarded the corresponding badges. Upon completion of the requirement, UG cadets can receive the corresponding badges from their school’s UG teacher in charge.
In 2020, the Total Defence Achiever Badge for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members was launched to increase emergency preparedness and mould advocates for Total Defence in the community. To encourage meaningful contributions for cadets in the community, beyond secondary school, the People’s Association Community Emergency and Engagement Committees (PA C2Es) will recognise the Total Defence Badge for Uniformed Groups (UG). Cadets who enrol as CERT members and have completed the various tiers in the TD Badge Programme for UGs, will be eligible to receive the TD Achiever Badge equivalent in the CERT programme.
The Total Defence (Bronze) Programme will also be offered to students beyond UGs. Schools may conduct this badge programme as a cohort experience for Secondary 2 students in general, as part of their Total Defence Day commemoration programme. Students (including non-UG) who complete this programme based on the requisites, will receive the Total Defence Bronze Badge from MINDEF/Nexus. Schools may write in directly to nexus@defence.gov.sg to request for the badges for non-UG students.
For more details and to download the Facilitation Guide, please click here
Guardians of the City II - The Total Defence Strategy Card Game
"Guardians of the City II" (GOTC) is a Total Defence strategy card game designed to help youths develop a deeper understanding of Singapore’s security threats and the part we play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. The card game presents different security threats as crises and illustrates how the six pillars of Total Defence can be applied to respond to and recover from the crises.
GOTC II
In 2020, GOTC II was revamped to include cyber-punk illustrations and maritime defence-related themes. Since 2017, GOTC II continues to be an effective tool to enhance learning and facilitate discussions on National Education and Total Defence among its players.
Every year, each Secondary 2 student will be provided with a personal set of GOTC II. Schools are encouraged to organise a GOTC cohort experience for their students during the Total Defence month, or enlist Uniformed Group students to lead game sessions for their peers. Blank Defence cards can also be downloaded here for players to customise their own cards and showcase how they can put Total Defence in action.
GOTC II can also be used by Uniformed Group students to attain the Bronze and Silver badges under the Total Defence Programme for Uniformed Groups. Schools have also been provided additional sets of GOTC II, as a UG unit resource.
In a pack, there are a total of 108 cards, consisting of 2 decks of 54 cards. In each deck, there are 2 Rule Cards, 6 Crisis Cards, 30 Defence Cards, 12 Events Cards and 4 Community Support Cards. The game can be played by two players (1 versus 1) or by four players (2 versus 2).
The GOTC experience comprises a 10-min introduction, 20-min game play and 30-min reflection (total: 60 min). Supporting resources for the game are as follows:
- How to Play GOTC II: Click here to watch a short video to learn how to play GOTC II.
- Post-game Reflection Slides: Download a set of PowerPoint slides that can be used for post-game reflection sessions.
- Facilitator’s Guide: The Facilitators’s Guide link to download the guide here provides a detailed plan on introducing GOTC II to players, with case studies to discuss and examine real life threats that might possibly impact Singapore.
- Gameplay Infographic: The gameplay infographic will instruct players on the mechanisms behind the game. Players can refer to the infographic for a step-by-step guide to play the game.
To find out more about GOTC, you may contact us at nexus@defence.gov.sg.
Total Defence Puzzle (Extended Version!)
The Total Defence Puzzle showcases the many things that the public can do to put Total Defence into action.
Apart from everyday actions like getting to know people of different ethnicities and religions better, the Total Defence Puzzle also includes several Total Defence -related initiatives driven under existing national programmes and movements (e.g., SG Cares and SGSecure), and mascots (e.g., Water Wally, Singa the Lion) that the public would find familiar. With 52 Total Defence actions to be found within the new and extended puzzle (the original puzzle featured 35 actions while the extended portion features 17 actions), it is a fun and interactive way to encourage conversations on Total Defence and promote greater awareness of Total Defence actions.
The Total Defence Puzzle is optimised for A2 size, but can be further adapted for varying engagement purposes. If you are interested to use the puzzle for your lessons, events or engagements, please contact us at nexus@defence.gov.sg
You can download the full-colour TD Puzzle and a photo-list of TD actions here.
N.E.mation Short Clips
N.E.mation! is an annual inter-school digital animation competition organised by Nexus for students from secondary schools, junior colleges, and centralised institutes to express their thoughts on Total Defence. The competition has reached more than 16,000 student participants over the last decade since its inception in 2007.
Looking for a guide to facilitate discussions based on the N.E.mation! clips? Download it here. You may also view the N.E.mation! videos from all seasons here.
