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Lynn Ho- Tan’s ‘Peacekeeping’ Initiative

Singapore company in Batam goes the extra mile to instil peaceful values.

The practice and appreciation of peace values – that is what a Peace Ambassador is trained to instil in others – peaceful values in building a diversified community that is harmonious, loving and respectful towards one another. Ms Lynn Tan, a Founder and Director of Bodynits International Pte Ltd, an international apparel company founded in Singapore and she helped initiate a peace training programme at its factory Bodynits’ Bintan Bersatu Apparel (BBA) factory in Batam last September which has a staff of 1,300 people.

She said her hope is not only to create a community of peace in the factory but also to facilitate continuous learning of the local staff and grooming their leadership skills. She also has a vision to bring this peace training to other Bodynits companies in China and Vietnam. What’s more, the peace programme has proven to be rather virulent. The local Batam BBA staff who participated in the training have also expressed interest in bringing the Peace Ambassadors Workshop to other companies in Batam.

The two-day Peace Ambassador workshop was co-organised by The Blue Ribbon and Bodynits. The training was conducted by The Blue Ribbon founder, Ms Norani Abu Bakar and she was assisted by Peace Ambassador trainers from Peace Generation Indonesia. They trained the BBA staff to become in-house Peace Ambassadors’ trainers. Led by its own BBA in-house trainers, the company hopes that its 1,300 staff will join in the upcoming peace workshop and community services.

The event has been very well-received by many staff and many had to wait for their turn to attend. The maximum number of participants for each workshop is 30 people. The two day workshop was full with engaging activities, discussion and reflection. At night, the staff enjoyed BBQ session and watched movie together.

Bodynits, together with The Blue Ribbon has also sponsored two scholarships for trainers to attend the Young Interfaith Peacemakers Community National Conference in Jogjakarta last August. This was their first time attending a peace cmap outside BBA where they met other young leaders, mainly university students from all over Indonesia who are championing spreading of peace in their local communities and neighbouring countries.

Lynn founded Bodynits over 30 years ago with her sister and they have successfully established it as the region’s leading fitness wear for aerobic workout. Today, the company has manufacturing facilities in Singapore, China (Shantou), Indonesia (Bintan and Batam) and Vietnam.

Peace note: The Blue Ribbon was founded in Singapore in 2014 and its peace training programmes emphasize peace as a character value. More info: www.blueribbonglobal.com

Source: As published in www.indoconnectsingapore.com