S1E41: Why volunteering is worth our time and effort: 2 young working adults

Apr 7, 2024

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Two youth volunteers - adults with full-time jobs - explain what motivates them to spark change in the community.

Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Youth Corps Singapore, which is under the National Youth Council, turns 10 in 2024. It is a division under the council that champions youth volunteerism to ignite positive change in society through community service.

In this episode, ST podcast assistant editor Lynda Hong speaks with two volunteer leaders Afzal Hadi and Valerie Kwa, to find out about their experience with Youth Corps Singapore.

Afzal is currently the Welfare Lead in the Engagement Taskforce Cluster and is a member of the Ambassadors Team cluster, while Valerie is Publicity Team Lead within the Mental Health Cluster. The two young working adults - Afzal is in business development while Valerie is in social service - also offer tips on how to pick a cluster to volunteer with.

Clusters can be thought of a “specialisation” - youth-led, youth-run interest groups within Youth Corps. They include: Children, Youth and Family, Eldercare, Special Needs, Beyond Singapore, Mental Health and Sustainability.

This podcast is brought to you by National Youth Council: https://str.sg/wFbf

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:30 Life-changing experiences from volunteering - Afzal's U-turn from business school to study social work instead, and Valerie advocating for mental health

5:50 How youths can pick their preferred cause from Youth Corps’ 12 clusters - specialisation areas

7:40 Discovering leadership style through volunteerism

11:04 Afzal and Valerie on Youth Corps allowing interested youths to try out in a small way, before deciding which cluster to volunteer in

12:30 How much time Afzal and Valerie spends on volunteering?

14:40 Despite working full-time jobs, hear why Afzal and Valerie are still volunteering

*Youth Corps will also organise a 10th Anniversary Carnival at *Scape Playspace in Somerset on July 6, 2024.

*Interested youths can also participate in the Do Good Fest, which will be held from May to July, providing over 3,000 opportunities to learn about volunteerism.