socialservice.sg presents: "Before the Ballot"

One year ago, we documented community initiatives and discussed structural challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. One year later, we are inviting the same guests back to talk about their work, how they are feeling, and what they think we have learnt or have yet to learn from the pandemic. Today, we have Mock Yi Jun, who leads the youth-led non-profit Advisory, dedicated to help young Singaporeans make informed career and further education choices. Last year, he shared how the non-profit worked to transition online, and now we learn more about how the transition has evolved. We previously spoke to Yi Jun in April 2020. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

One year ago, we documented community initiatives and discussed structural challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. One year later, we are inviting the same guests back to talk about their work, how they are feeling, and what they think we have learnt or have yet to learn from the pandemic. Today, we have former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong. Our conversation centres on mental and psychological health in Singapore as well as moving from awareness to acceptance to action. Anthea also shares the initiatives in which she’s been involved and her new podcast series, “Shades of Love”, set to launch on August 7 this year. (Content and trigger warning: This episode contains references to suicide.) We previously spoke to Anthea in April 2020. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

In 2020, Daryl Yang was named by The Straits Times as one of 30 young Singaporeans under the age of 30. He’s been involved in human rights and political education, specifically LGBT rights and disability rights in the country. Today, we discuss his work with the Universal Periodic Review or the UPR, the joint UPR submission on Singapore's LGBTQ+ community, as well as his thoughts on faith-based change efforts and issues for the community beyond 377A. My conversation with Daryl is part of our joint 2021 focus on researchers as well as on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

One year ago, we documented community initiatives and discussed structural challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. One year later, we are inviting the same guests back to talk about their work, how they are feeling, and what they think we have learnt or have yet to learn from the pandemic. Today, we have Vincent Ng, general manager of the co-operative A Good Space. We talk about his personal and professional development, including the co-operative’s work and his vision for active citizenry in the country. Together with his partners, as you may have heard in our previous episode with Abhishek, Vincent is conducting a poll on the creation of structures to nourish changemakers and enable them to go the distance. We spoke to Vincent in April 2020 on our very first episode. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

After three episodes of the "Thinking about futures" mini-series - with Dr. Adrian Kuah, Cheryl Chung, and Aaron Maniam - we chat again with research associate Eddie Choo about what stood out to him. We end on a listener question about how organisations "do" futures or how organisations should be structured to optimise futures thinking. This is part of the "Thinking about futures" mini-series, on the application of futures thinking and futures studies in Singapore. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

One year ago, we documented community initiatives and discussed related structural challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. One year later, we are inviting the same guests back to talk about their work, how they are feeling, and what they think we have learnt or have yet to learn from the pandemic. Today, we have Abhishek Bajaj, who leads the volunteer-run initiative 6th Sense. He details the “muscle memory work” gained from the 2020 circuit-breaker, his work with the low-income and migrant-worker communities, and the endeavour to sustain an ecosystem of ground-ups and changemakers. Together with his partners, Abhishek is conducting a poll on the creation of structures to nourish changemakers and enable them to go the distance. We spoke to Abhishek in April 2020 on our very first episode. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

A year ago, with Singapore just coming out of its circuit breaker and the world still coming to grips with the COVID-19 virus, Aaron Maniam explained in a TED talk that the language we use to talk about the pandemic was shaping how we thought about it. Instead of using a "war" metaphor, for instance, he argued that characterising COVID-19 as an "ecology" would help us better understand the pandemic and our futures. Today, we chat about the influence of language and metaphors on futures thinking as well as the importance of citizen foresight work in Singapore. Aaron is a poet and civil servant. This is part of the "Thinking about futures" mini-series, on the application of futures thinking and futures studies in Singapore. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

As a strategic foresight practitioner, Cheryl Chung has led futures projects across different government ministries, within a public policy school, and in a number of community projects and initiatives. With her experience and expertise, we explore the application of futures and foresight in public policy, the public sector, and the community in Singapore. Cheryl is programme director of executive education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore. This is part of the "Thinking about futures" mini-series, on the application of futures thinking and futures studies in Singapore. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

For students in Singapore, the notion of a “future” feels very well-defined: Do well in school, acquire the necessary skills and knowledge, and prepare for your job and career. But how do we prepare for an uncertain future if the present is precarious? And what if we’re wrong about trajectories of education and higher education in Singapore? With Dr. Adrian Kuah, we learn more about going beyond "the usual technocratic and prosaic fashion of future-proofing [university] graduates" and the changes we might want to see in the broader education sector. Dr. Kuah is the founding director of the Futures Office in the National University of Singapore. This is part of the "Thinking about futures" mini-series, on the application of futures thinking and futures studies in Singapore. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

In an increasingly complex and uncertain world, how do we start thinking about the future? Or our futures? And how do we apply futures thinking and futures studies in Singapore? Co-designed with research associate Eddie Choo, "Thinking about futures" is a socialservice.sg mini-series featuring three guests, focused on education and higher education, the community, as well as public policy and the public sector. This is part of the "Thinking about futures" mini-series, on the application of futures thinking and futures studies in Singapore. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.