I often start my summers looking for foundations in Singapore to volunteer in. I was raised in a household where I was taught that kindness pays off in tenfold and that I must help less-privileged people whenever I can.
When I saw that Singapore International Foundation offers a Youth Social Entrepreneurship program, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I have always wanted to be a part of a group that connects with local and international communities through different channels and cultural exchanges.
I clicked the Get Involved button as soon as I understood the general responsibilities and scope of work that a social entrepreneurship program gets involved in. Fast forward to acceptance, I couldn’t wait to start helping my local community building names and businesses for themselves. I couldn’t wait to bask in cultural differences with my diverse teammates.
The Good Business program is halved between two sub-programs, which are called Young Social Entrepreneurs Programme and Young Social Entrepreneurs Overseas Workshop. The main differences between these two are one is focused on helping local communities and the other is about connecting to people with different cultural backgrounds and upbringing.
The YSE Program is an eight-month programme that focuses on individuals who wants to
make countless opportunities for the people of their own local community.
The YSE Overseas Workshop, on the other hand, is a two-day intensive programme that happens in a n Asian city where every attendee is personally invited to go through the eight-month programme. The overseas program lets individuals see the world outside of their local community, it lets them connect with people from all over Asia and the world.
The common thing between the programs is that they pave the way to social enterprise grants for local and overseas youth volunteers. The Singapore International Foundation’s Good Business programme is about building a working network between local and international communities, we help other people find the right opportunities for them and we connect them to prospective networks to guide them into staying in the path of a brighter future.
These programs do more than just spark up volunteerism in young people like me, these experiences are embedded into my memory and the experiences that I had will shape who I am in the future. I’m beyond excited to do it again as it proves that humanity is still intact and that we have a bright future ahead of us. The network and the connection we built with other people is a genuine one, it was never about just making yourself known but it’s about impacting others in a positive way.
The Singapore International Foundation is more than just volunteering and building networks, if I learned anything by working alongside with them is that the virtue of found family is real. I’m glad that I was able to join their social enterprise grant and their social entrepreneurship program, and I’m eternally grateful that I got to work with bright, young people that embody hopefulness and positivity.
It certainly was a summer I will never forget.
