See how Singapore’s Gen Zs are driving positive change through these inspiring and impactful initiatives.
Generation Z in Singapore is proving they’re about more than just TikTok trends, doomscrolling and incomprehensible slang.
According to research by the National Youth Council (NYC), 77% of Singaporean youth support a social or community cause, and 47% want to engage in civic discourse. In response, NYC has launched the Youth Panels, a pioneering initiative to allow young Singaporeans to co-create policies on topics like environmental sustainability, digital well-being, financial security and careers. The Youth Panels’ findings and recommendations were shared with the public at the Youth Policy Forum on Aug 24.
While sign-ups for the Youth Panels have ended, here are some ongoing initiatives led by inspiring young Singaporeans that you can still support.
Started by Mr Veerappan Swaminathan and Ms Farah Sanwari in 2014 when they were in their late 20s, Repair Kopitiam is a community initiative that unites volunteers to breathe new life into items such as electronics, furniture and clothing to promote sustainability.
Operating on the last Sunday of every month in various neighbourhoods, it offers activities and courses that equip participants with valuable repair skills. By encouraging people to repair and maintain their belongings, Repair Kopitiam aims to foster a circular economy and reduce waste. In addition to its environmental impact, the initiative strengthens community bonds by facilitating the sharing of knowledge and skills among participants.
As a teen volunteer befriending elderly people in Queenstown, Mr Kwek Li Yong realised that many of them had stories to share about the neighborhood’s rich past.
After returning from Sydney with a Master’s in Heritage Studies, he founded My Community, a non-profit dedicated to documenting and championing local history through heritage tours and storytelling preservation activities. The non-profit’s guided tours now include neighbourhoods like Holland Village, Alexandra, Mount Faber and Tiong Bahru, as well as industrial spaces like the SingPost Mail Processing Centre and PacificLight Power Station.
Started by Mr Ben Chua during his National Service in 2019, Cyber Youth Singapore empowers youth to explore the digital domain safely and responsibly.
The non-profit’s digital literacy and cyber wellness efforts include workshops, boot camps and campus outreach programmes on data privacy, cyberbullying, internet addiction and combating misinformation.
Hatch Academy was founded in 2018 by Mr Victor Zhu, who was a 24-year-old undergraduate at the National University of Singapore at the time. The academy aims to help at-risk youths realise their potential by providing them with the tech skills needed for careers in areas like user interface design and digital marketing.
Working with social workers and counsellors to create a supportive environment, its programmes enable underserved individuals — such as school dropouts and those not currently engaged in education, employment or training — to thrive in their professional journeys.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a lonely time for many, especially for low-income seniors living alone. Enter Hey, You Got Mail! (HYGM), a teen-led movement that mails handmade cards to elderly recipients living in one-room flats to brighten up their days.
Today, the HYGM community writes, designs and decorates cards in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil to be delivered via their monthly distribution drives at places like the Geylang East Home For The Aged and SASCO @ West Coast. They’ve sent a total of 15,000 cards and counting, in addition to distributing drinks, snacks and festive goodies.
The next time you buy bubble tea, bring a reusable Seastainable straw with you to cut down on your plastic consumption. Founded by Ms Samantha Thian in 2017, the social enterprise began as regular beach clean-ups before developing into an organisation that now directs 50% of its profits to funding marine conservation projects in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
For her efforts, Ms Thian — who was in her early 20s when she founded Seastainable — was named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 in the Social Impact, Asia category last year
Founded by Mr Mock Yi Jun, Mr Brendan Loon and Mr Ng Yau Xuan, Advisory Singapore connects young people with resources and mentorship to make informed career decisions.
Advisory Singapore organises career and industry talks and a one-on-one mentorship pairing programme for youth, supported by the National Youth Fund, National Youth Council. Its website also hosts a repository of interviews, articles and narratives that offer career insights from working professionals.
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