Diversity and Inclusion

On the topic of Diversity and Inclusion, the stage is broad and encompassing. But when we break down the issues close to us in our social environment and everyday lives, it becomes clear that all we need is a little bit of attention, awareness and empathy to create an inclusive society that has so much to go around. There is no need to compete and compare. Our judgmental nature is just a reflection of our own insecurities. And most times our lack of understanding, naiveté, fear of not knowing how to behave with the vulnerable often keep us from interacting with or including them into our circle of influence, our environments and our peer group. Be it elderly, underprivileged, vulnerable, different socioeconomic status, racial differences, gender differences, preference or people with special needs. Try your best to research, interact with and engage with these groups and communities, and you’ll see that they are just like you and me, with dreams and desires, fears and frustrations and so much more to give than we give them credit for. It is our responsibility to find a new perspective and way into their worlds, so that we may find ourselves living in a more diverse and inclusive society where we grow in empathy and love, growing into “Oneness”. Opposed to focusing on differences and comparisons, which in doing so involuntarily keeps us more separated and apart.

Look at the examples of elderly inclusion with the 360 immersive challenge (Please see the 360 challenge in our 360 Immersive section and Eugene’s section for more details.), Case-study of Singapore Fashion Runway from Eileen Yap, “Food for Love” challenge with Russ Neu, on the issues of care for our foreign workers living with us in our communities and so much more. You can choose to use them as themes or topics to showcase, promote or just as inspirational stories to find your own topic of focus which you feel strongly for in your own communities.

Eileen Yap

Founder of Singapore Fashion Runway

Singapore Fashion Runway (SFR) is a social enterprise that nurtures people with special needs/ disadvantaged groups through its Fashion for a Social Cause movement. Through our enterprise, the disadvantaged communities learn about Creative arts (design, art, crafts-making and photography), Performing arts (modelling, dance, singing and public speaking) and/ or Entrepreneurship (retail management, events management and online business), so that their talents are presented in our Singapore Fashion Runway shows.

SFR operates an inclusive space at MARINA SOUTH PIER MRT STATION, where the children/ youths with special needs/ families visit the space weekly. It also runs 2 retail stores (Esplanade Mall #02-05/07) and The Artground (Goodman Arts Centre Blk J), 1 crafts store (People's Park 32 New Market Road #02-1128), 1 inclusive food space (Eat Talk @ Mediacorp, 1 Stars Avenue #04-01) and 1 latest food/ workshop space (Marina One, West Tower #B2-04).
Do visit www.singaporefashionrunway.com to shop/ dine for a cause too or connect to us at WA 97662490.

Russ

Founder and CEO, Social Colliders

Food For love project: Food for our migrant brothers:

Current condition:
When the migrant brothers come to Singapore to work, they have to pay agents to help them look for jobs. The amount ranges from SGD5,000 to SGD20,000. These fees will then be paid by the migrant brothers to the agents over many months of instalments. It may take up to 3 years to clear these fees.

In the interim, the migrant brothers scrimp and save, after paying off the agent fees. They want to send more money home. Daily food is what they mainly save on, resulting in a simple dish of curry and rice for three dishes, every day.

The migrant brothers help us with the infrastructure projects. From the MRT tracks to housing developments, and they deserve better. Just as we help the low income families in Singapore, the migrant workers deserve our assistance too.

Help us to give them better food and improve their qualities of life.

Aldrin

Founder, Think.Shift.Design

Founded in 2016 after a decade of small-scale problem solving, Think.Shift.Design. or TSD, is
uniquely positioned as a disruptive Eco-system Builder and Solutions Provider.
TSD is an agile and constantly improving enterprise that actively develops, measures, redefines
and benchmarks our research, processes and outcomes to metrics, indices, KPIs and policy
outcomes.
We empathise with the desire to make positive transformations in businesses, organisations
and society. As such, we strive to create efficacious and measurable, positive, sustainable and
scalable solutions. At the same time, we build and provide ecosystems and value-chains that
involve and impact multiple stakeholders such as industries, government institutions,
educational stakeholders, social agencies, commercial enterprises, communities and
individuals.

Think.Shift.Design. consists of:
● The TSD STCP Network - A consortium of subject-matter based Multidisciplinary Think-Tank, Community of Practice Memberships and Strategic Partnerships
● TSD Strategic Insights - Capability and Capacity Development, Outreach via Publications and Events
● TSD Consulting - Provider of Professional and Corporate Advisory, Training and Solutions
● TSD Innovation and Impact Design Studio - Turning ideas into reality via Research & Development, Design and Testing of Proof-of-Concepts and development of new products & services
● TSD Ventures - Venture Building and Startup Accelerator (TSD Ventures)
● SCII Ecosystem - A portfolio of non-profit Industry Transformation Platforms, Hubs,
Centres-of-Excellence, and Projects focusing on building social capital, creating
innovation and driving impact

Initiatives:
Social Capital, Innovation and Imapct Hubs - www.scii-hub.thinkshiftdesign.com
Learn Good Do Good - www.lgdg.pafoi.org
Promoting Quality education - www.qualed.pafoi.org
Urban Agriculture, Microfarms and Gardens - www.urban-agriculture.pafoi.org
Building & Construction, Infrastructure and Urban Solutions - www.bcius.pafoi.org
People Needing Assistance - www.assistance.pafoi.org

You can reach Aldrin at the following contact aldrin@thinkshiftdesign.com or hello@thinkshiftdesign.com

Adrian Tan

Co-founder of SG Assist

Adrian has over 11 years of experience in procurement as well as logistics operations, and held key roles in continuous improvement and organization-wide change management before co-founding SG Assist, with a mission to build a sustainable ecosystem of care centred around the community and promulgate the "kampong spirit" through technology. SG Assist has been featured in various news and radio channels such as Channel 8 News and CNA on how the platform have supported vulnerable communities, caregivers and social organizations during COVID, keeping the spirit of volunteering among Singaporeans.

A strong supporter and believer of second chances, he is also the Event Director for Help-Portrait Singapore – a social movement that provides free photography services for VWOs/Social Organisations such as senior activity centres, hospice care and women shelters to help them capture cherished memories.

Feel free to contact me at Adrian.tan@sgassist.com.

Cindy Chng

Co-founder of A4HPV

I Am Campaign - Eliminate Cervical Cancer by 2030

Cindy Chng, a National Youth Entrepreneur Award winner, believes that business can also be the force of good to contribute to a better world for all. Cindy started her first social enterprise in sustainable tourism in 2009 at the age of 19, using eco-tourism as a means to bring sustainable livelihoods to the rural communities in Southeast Asia while preserving their rich heritage and culture. In 2019, Cindy co-founded social enterprise Hide & Seek and the TomoWork initiative to empower persons with disabilities to be equipped with skills for the future of work.

Cindy believes in building youths as active champions of change. She has been involved in the youth movement locally to mentor youths and leading numerous ground up initiatives. This year, Cindy has gathered a group of like-minded youths and passionate individuals to kick start the “I AM” movement which seeks to give youths that identity to build solidarity in driving towards a common good for their future. The "I AM" movement empowers youths and women to be able to take charge and build a legacy for future generations by eliminating cervical cancer in Singapore.

Cindy is also a recipient of the Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat), ASEAN Youth Award and Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society in recognition for her contributions to Singapore, ASEAN and the Commonwealth.

Eugene Soh

Founder of Social Enterprise, Mind Palace

Technology artist and designer Eugene Soh, aka Dude, uses technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality in creative and innovative ways to help the elderly in nursing homes stay engaged and active.

Prize sponsor for the 360 Immersive Video Challenge, Eugene hopes to create a library of 360 immersive videos to improve the quality of life for the elderly. “I hope to encourage their social interaction and foster a sense of agency for them to make their own decisions. Hopefully it will be helpful to them, and they will get healthier and stronger.”

In the recent Tatler article: Meet the 2021 Gen.T Honourees Who Are Advocating Change in Singapore, explains that he Creates VR activities for nursing home residents to allow them to continue to experience the world. “These experiences can help to relieve their sense of social isolation and keep them engaged from the comfort and safety of their chairs,” says Soh. Other activities include a walking tour of Chinatown and a collaboration with charity Cycling Without Age to bring VR rides to the elderly during the pandemic.
Last year, he debuted an immersive VR room where images and videos can be projected directly onto the walls so the elderly can “travel” to different places or revisit nostalgic memories with ease. He also worked with occupational therapists to create a guided exercise programme for residents.
“The installation also solves the hygiene issues of using VR goggles and proved very useful during the pandemic. Whether they want to exercise or ‘visit’ the Great Wall of China with friends, they can do it,” says Soh.

Also the founder of Dude Studios, a creative tech studio focusing on creating VR, augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence content, is a self-taught computer programmer. He first garnered attention after his photograph, The Last Kopitiam, a tongue-in-cheek riff on Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting, went viral in 2012. The interest led to galleries and companies getting in touch for collaborations, sparking the launch of Dude Studios.
This year alone, Soh, aka Dude, has created tech‑led content for various companies, including a Chinese New Year Instagram filter game for Lego, a newspaper tracking filter for Netflix Indonesia and an AR installation for The Seletar Mall. A partner of Spark AR, a global network of content creators chosen by Facebook, Soh is particularly noted for his elaborate filters such as a series of Facebook filters for Kindness Sg that will teach users the sign language gestures of phrases such as “thank you” and “you’re welcome”.