SPEED alone did not help them win the race.

Delegates of the Asean+3 Youth Festival (AYF) not only had to race against the clock to claim their finisher medals, but also had to overcome cultural and language boundaries to unite as a team.

Each team had to visit a few checkpoints - like Fort Canning Hill and Lau Pa Sat - to find clues and complete tasks there in order to move on.

As English is not the first language for many of the participating members in each team, participants had to learn to communicate effectively and patiently.

And this skill is one of many that organisers hope to impart to the youths through their participation in the forum, which will end on Saturday.

The 150 participants - aged between 18 and 35 - hail from the 10 Asean countries as well as from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Through events like the race, the six-day AYF, which is also organised by youths, hopes to ultimately foster a tighter relationship between the international delegates.

The AYF, which is organised by the AYF Youth Organising Committee, is the first of its kind and is supported by the National Youth Council, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore Tourism Board.

Other events that provide the opportunity for delegates to bond include youth forums, the Asean+3 Film Festival and institutional visits as well as a cultural fiesta at the end.

A particular activity that proved to be a hit with Korean delegate Lee Hye Won, 18, and Japanese delegate Anna Kobayashi, 20, was the five-minute skit they performed in the Esplanade yesterday.

It was a challenge for the delegates as they had to perform in their respective national languages. A whole skit therefore comprised lines spoken in about 12 different languages.

While the language barrier proved a tad frustrating, the delegates had fun and learnt each other's mother tongues.

As Mr Prasetyo Boogie, 30, of Indonesia observed: "This event serves as an important platform to connect with people of other Asean countries. Through this, we can maximise the potential of the region's future leaders."

For more my paper stories click here.