Happy Youth Day to all our young ‘uns, and the young-at-heart! To celebrate this energetic and creative group of people, we speak to 10 youth who are making a difference.
1. Cheryl Chong, 32, and Rebekah Lin, 31, co-founders of The Social Co
A contribution of $10 from one person may not seem much, but if 1,000 people give $10 each, it would make a huge difference.
Cheryl and Rebekah are strong believers in collective impact. The duo started The Social Co – a group of Gen-Y’ers whose goal is to craft creative solutions for social issues in Singapore – in 2014. Their movement, 50 For 50, which sought to creatively raise funds and awareness for lesser-known charities, created 38 sustainable projects and raised a whopping $4.5 million for 58 local charities.
Their latest campaign, Pledge It Forward, is started with Nadim van der Ros, founder of strategic marketing consultancy Be An Idea. It encourages Singaporeans to donate their tax rebates to 51 charities across various sectors, and aims to raise 10,000 pledges of any amount.
2. Danielle Hong, 30, community hairdresser for #backalleybarbers
Dani decided to answer Geylang Adventure’s open call to form a larger #BackyardalleyBarbers team, because “it’s not every day you get to murder the locks off a mannequin’s head in the name of volunteering”. Five weeks of training later, with four different hairstyles under her belt, she now confidently gives haircuts to the elderly living in nursing homes and even her colleagues (yours truly)! This month, she’ll be trying her hand at giving migrant workers fresh cuts too.
It’s not as easy as it looks. Most times, there are only 4-5 community barbers serving 40-50 elderly. But there is much to learn each time she volunteers. Technical skills aside, she’s been surprised by how much she’s learnt about empathy through communicating with her clients.
When she’s not busy cutting hair for the community, she cuts her own hair. She now rocks micro-bangs, despite her “short forehead”!
3. Ernest Wong, 19, Youth Corps Singapore leader-in-training
When we think of Singapore back in the olden days, we think “kampong spirit”. You might expect this at Stirling Road, where some of Singapore’s oldest blocks are.
But as Ernest, who is part of the 7th cohort of the Youth Corps* Leaders Programme, shares, residents there are living among strangers, and there is a lack of community of support. For the last 6 months, he and his team (Team Stirling Smiles) have been getting to know the community there, and more importantly, getting residents to know each other better. Slowly but surely, Team Stirling Smiles have helped rebuild the ‘gotong royong’ spirit.
If there’s one thing Ernest has learnt from this experience, it’s not to be too bogged down with numbers. “It’s really about the relationship you form with the community, and the relationships you see being built. It’s priceless!”
*Youth Corps Singapore is a division under the National Youth Council
4. James Tong, 23, counsellor at Caregivers Alliance Limited
James started off as a participant in Caregivers Alliance Limited’s (CAL) Caregiver-to-Caregiver Training programme in 2015. He enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to become a volunteer trainer. A year and a half later, he now works full-time there as a counsellor to other caregivers.
As a secondary caregiver to his girlfriend who suffers from depression, James believes that no amount of support is too small. After all, “never underestimate the impact you can have on others”. Supporting someone with a mental illness can be as simple as asking “how are you”, or lending a listening year. For all the youth out there who want to support someone they know, but are afraid to do so; don’t be.
5. Japhia Yeo, 25, community champion at Jaga-Me
Japhia graduated from university with a nursing degree, and worked as a nurse for nearly 2 years. But she believed she could do more as a nurse, so she decided to take the path less travelled. Drawn to their vision of making healthcare accessible to everyone, she took a huge plunge; she quit her nursing job, and joined up-and-coming startup, Jaga-Me.
Now, she no longer deals with ventilators or intravenous lines. Instead, she writes content and designs collaterals to raise awareness about home medical care and Jaga Me’s services. But Jaga-Me has allowed her to create a greater and better impact on patients than she could have as a single nurse in the hospital. Gradually, she’s helping to improve home care experience for everyone in Singapore.
Japhia has recently started Drawn by a Nurse, an initiative to celebrate Nurse’s Day and engage nurses to give back to Singapore.
6. Jing Jie Lim, 28, volunteer with Deaf Sports Association and Caption Cube
JJ’s involvement with the deaf community began when he started learning sign language years ago. What surprised him the most was how multi-faceted it is, and how volunteering with this community is centred mainly on helping to facilitate communications and accessibility. Volunteers at Caption Cube, for example, help to caption videos so that they can be accessed and enjoyed by the deaf community.
But JJ believes that we’re still in the early stages of building an inclusive society, “its food for thought for how much more we can do”.
7. Kevin See, 27, social worker at Kreta Ayer Family Service Centre
Kevin is quick to clarify that he is no superhero. The social worker at Kreta Ayer FSC focuses on empowering his clients and offering them support. He takes them through their issues, teaches them new skills and provides resources so that they can fight their own battles.
There is never a typical day at work for him. Each day brings about its own adventure.
“It’s not an easy job, and at the end of each day, you go home tired. But with a heart that is full.”
Kevin’s Pro Tip: for those working in the Kreta Ayer/CBD area, head to the Buddha Relic Tooth Temple if you need a peaceful hideout. Located in the basement is a little goodwill café that serves vegetarian food. It’s only $3, and you decide the portion!
8. Muslihah Albakri, 25, founding member of The Codette Project
Women are vastly underrepresented in the technology industry, especially those from minority backgrounds. To Muslihah, it’s unacceptable that in 2017, some women are still made to feel like they don’t belong in the industry. She wants to step up to change this, and that’s why she volunteers for The Codette Project, to provide minority women with access to the tech industry through workshops, discussion panels and school outreach programmes. Specifically, Muslihah oversees their programme evaluation and manages the grant applications.
Her proudest moment? When slots for their first ever workshop were snapped up in just four hours!
9. Noor Mastura, 27, co-founder of Interfaith Youth Circle
Religion has always been a source of peace and beauty for Noor. But the negative publicity brought about by terrorism made her feel that something needed to be done. Along with two other friends, she set up Interfaith Youth Circle, in a bid to build a stronger understanding between the various religious groups.
Last week, her family opened up their house to more than just their family and friends. They invited strangers, from a range of different religions, to join in their Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities. What surprised Noor the most was that they came dressed in traditional Malay outfits. To her, this was one of the most beautiful ways they could show appreciation, respect and tolerance for her faith.
10. Peter Draw, 33, artist
When he was six, Peter found himself kicked out of a free art lesson because he “couldn’t hold a pencil properly”. His grandfather urged him to never give up. But it was only after he passed away from a heart disease that Peter began pursuing his dream to be a great artist. An artist with purpose.
He has created an art philosophy – First, Love. To him, “it’s not about our first girlfriend or boyfriend, but to always begin whatever we do, with love. Only love can truly change the world of someone around us”. Just be sure to take care of your heart and soul!
When not creating his own works of art, he’s teaching kids (his “Little Draws”) to draw, in the hope that they realise that they have the power to turn a sad face into a happy one, that they have the power to change the world of someone around them.
