socialservice.sg

Centred on the Singapore government's plan to enact new legislation to prohibit workplace discrimination, the Association of Women for Action and Research, or AWARE, published a position paper with recommendations to address gaps in coverage and implementation related to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. Today, we speak with two people who were part of the team behind the position paper, Apoorva Shukla and Daryl Yang, asking them about AWARE’s advocacy for anti-discrimination in the workplace, thoughts about the Tripartite Committee’s proposals, and various forms of workplace discrimination.

Apoorva is an Executive at AWARE's Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory, or the WHDA, where she supports victim-survivors of workplace harassment and discrimination, and advocates for workers' rights in Singapore. A lawyer and activist, Daryl recently returned to Singapore after completing his Masters in Law on a Fulbright Scholarship at UC Berkeley, where he wrote his thesis on the evolution of Singapore’s approach to workplace discrimination. 

Relatedly, in our last episode, we spoke to Max Soh from the Disabled People’s Association on related topics for people with disabilities, which you should check out if you’ve not already done so.

Here’s a link to AWARE’s position paper. If you have faced discrimination or harassment at your workplace, contact WHDA at 6777 0318 from Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, or email them at whda@aware.org.sg. Follow AWARE on social media: @awaresingapore on Instagram, @awarenews on Twitter, and AWARE Singapore on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Here are some additional references: (a) A "Chicago Law Review" article; and (b) Consent as core to mediation.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in 2021 that the government would enshrine into law the current workplace anti-discrimination guidelines. Since then, the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness, comprising the Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress, and the Singapore National Employers Federation, has been reviewing the current guidelines. The Tripartite Committee then released a report with 20 recommendations of what the anti-discrimination law should contain. The main recommendation was that the law should prohibit workplace discrimination in respect of (i) age, (ii) nationality, (iii) sex, marital status, pregnancy status, caregiving responsibilities, (iv) race, religion, language, as well as (v) disability and mental health conditions.

After the report’s release, several organisations released their responses to the report with their own recommendations. Today, we speak to a representative from one of these organisations, Max Soh, who is the Research and Policy Manager for the Disabled People’s Association or DPA, Singapore’s only cross-disability non-profit organisation. Max joined DPA in 2021 and manages the organisation’s various research and policy related initiatives. In addition to being disabled himself (visually impaired since birth), he brings experience with disability and disability advocacy through his prior involvements with disability organisations especially internationally. In this episode, we talk about the work of DPA and what DPA feels should be included in the anti-discrimination law for people with disabilities.

You can read DPA’s response. A transcript of today’s episode is also available on our website.

Here's the link to the Labour Day event.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's sixth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Nicholas Chester-Adams on Unsplash.

This episode is part of "The Future of..." series of the podcast's sixth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Rayson Tan on Unsplash.

And here is the article Isaac wrote for "Jom" (subscription needed): "Pragmatic resistance: adaptation or co-option?"

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's sixth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Gregoire Jeanneau on Unsplash.

You can read the journal article (paywalled): Do ethnic integration policies also improve socio-economic integration? A study of residential segregation in Singapore.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's sixth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Shermin Ng on Unsplash.

This episode is part of “The Community” mini-series, co-produced with AMKFSC Community Services. Learn more about AMKFSC's community-driven initiatives and play a part in building thriving communities: https://bit.ly/amkfsc-tcf.

This episode is part of “The Community” mini-series, co-produced with AMKFSC Community Services. Learn more about AMKFSC's community-driven initiatives and play a part in building thriving communities: https://bit.ly/amkfsc-tcf.

This episode is part of “The Community” mini-series, co-produced with AMKFSC Community Services. Learn more about AMKFSC's community-driven initiatives and play a part in building thriving communities: https://bit.ly/amkfsc-tcf.

This episode is part of “The Community” mini-series, co-produced with AMKFSC Community Services. Learn more about AMKFSC's community-driven initiatives and play a part in building thriving communities: https://bit.ly/amkfsc-tcf.

This episode is part of “The Community” mini-series, co-produced with AMKFSC Community Services. Learn more about AMKFSC's community-driven initiatives and play a part in building thriving communities: https://bit.ly/amkfsc-tcf.

In the first part, I explore the first paper, titled: “Youth civic and community engagement under Singapore’s COVID-19 lockdown: Motivations, online mobilisation, action, and future directions”. This paper draws directly from socialservice.sg’s first season, “COVID-19 Community Chronicles”. After Singapore announced the first circuit-breaker, from April 9 to June 24, 2020, we had guests running community initiatives, some of whom talked about structural or systemic issues.

In the second part, I feature the second paper. It’s titled, “‘Democracy and active citizenship are not just about the elections’: Youth civic and political participation during and beyond Singapore’s nine-day pandemic election (GE2020)”. “The Nine Days”, was socialservice.sg’s second season, and the season was titled as such because that was the length of the general election campaign period. From June 30 to July 11, 2020, we solicited youth views on election issues and candidates and their thoughts on the election.

And in the third and final part of this episode, very briefly, I summarise the key findings and reflect on the potential of podcasts – in Singapore and beyond – to bridging research, practice, education, and policy. Parts of this episode were adapted largely from a June 2022 seminar I delivered, as part of the AcademiaSG Junior Scholar Seminar.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

"Jom" (Malay for "let's"; jom.media) is Singapore's new weekly digital magazine covering the arts, culture, politics, business, technology, and more in the country. With co-founders Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, Charmaine Poh, and Tsen-Waye Tay, we ask them about how they got started, their plans to cover civic issues that are somewhat controversial or contested in society, and navigating long-term journalistic integrity and financial sustainability.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

"Seeking Shelter: Homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore" is the country's second nationwide street count of its unhoused and homeless, conducted in 2021. With its authors Dr. Ng Kok Hoe and Jeyda Simren Sekhon Atac, we begin by reviewing the first street count and report in 2019. Thereafter, we dive deeper into their most recent report, to understand the state of homelessness during COVID-19, explore the role of social policy, and discuss volunteer engagement and ethical priorities.

Dr. Ng is Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Social Inclusion Project and Case Study Unit at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore. He previously shared about his other research projects and the Minimum Income Standard study on this podcast. Simren is a Research Assistant in the Social Inclusion Project at LKYSPP.

This episode is part of "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

With Edward Yee of Givfunds (https://www.givfunds.org/), a non-profit which lends low-cost funds at scale to South Asian social enterprises, and Masref (https://www.masref.ch/), a Swiss fintech which seeks to increase the accessibility of safe and secure saving accounts, we chat about his three big ideas on finance and leaving nobody behind. First, the removal of persistent biases; second, the reduction of servicing costs; and third, the incentives for impact in the financial sector.

This episode is part of "The Future of..." series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

With producers of the Singapore-based “Social Work Made Accessible” podcast, Dominic Soh, Rachel Koh, and Cheong Ming Fa​​ng (https://www.instagram.com/swmadeaccessible/), we chat about how they got started, the different social work episodes and conversations they’ve had, and how they are planning for the future.

This episode is part of the "The Work of Social Work" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

With Chen Weiwen, the founder of Eyeviser (https://eyeviser.com/), which offers 360-degree eye-care to companies and the public*, we chat about the three big ideas on the future of eye-care and eye-health. First, the shift from treatment to prevention. Second, the role of tech-powered prescription checks. And third, the personalisation of eye-care.

(*This is corrected from an earlier version of the preamble.)

This episode is part of "The Future of..." series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

As part of Save.Me (https://www.screeningstatistics.com/saveme/), Prof. Rosie Ching and her students interviewed almost 3,000 folks in Singapore for the country’s first national survey on sucide. We ask her about the suicide stigma index, the key findings, as well as relevant policy and practice directions.

This episode is part of "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

This episode is part of "The Future of..." series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

“What is something that brought you joy today?” That’s the question one is encouraged to contemplate as one explores the website of HappyUrns (https://happyurns.org/), an initiative to help different groups of Singaporeans engage meaningfully with death and end-of-life topics with their loved ones. With team members Amanda Swee and Adya Sadanand, we have a thoughtful conversation about their three projects - "Residents' Urns", the "Celebration Kit"; and the "Life in a Year Book" - and for each project you’ll hear powerful stories and reflections of their design experiences and interpersonal interactions. This episode is a great complement to an earlier episode with representatives of “Both Sides, Now”, who work to normalise end-of-life conversations through artistic projects and public engagement.

HappyUrns is currently running a competition titled, "Reinterpreting the Urn: A Symbol of Celebration" (https://happyurns.org/a-happy-urns-competition/). Singaporeans of all ages and backgrounds are welcomed to create a design to give "new and personal meaning to the urn and transform it into a symbol that represents celebration and appreciation of life.”

This episode is part of "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Last year, the Lien Centre for Social Innovation published Singapore’s first nationally representative food insecurity study, finding that about 10 per cent of Singaporean households experienced food insecurity at least once in the last 12 months. This year, the centre's updated, second part of "The Hunger Report" explored two related questions. First, what is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity in Singapore? And second, how can the unique needs of food-insecure families be met? We take a deeper dive into the report with members of the report team, Dr. Dalvin Sidhu, Dr. Tania Nagpaul, and Ms. Ng Weng Lin.

This episode is part of "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Using two child cohorts, Dr. Jonathan Huang and his team at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research sought to understand - in a journal article - the lifestyle changes experienced by Singaporean children after the country's circuit-breaker as well as the potential long-term outcomes. In our conversation, we learn more about the research findings and methodology, future directions, and the potential practice and policy implications.

This episode is part of "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Inspired by the short story “SIN” in Singaporean writer Ng Yi-Sheng's collection “Lion City” (https://epigrambookshop.sg/products/lion-city), “What’s the Matter, Mr. Monster” (https://www.ministryofmonsters.sg/) is a dialogue-driven game where one role-plays as a civil servant settling complaints of otherworldly creatures settling into Singapore. With director Roshan Singh Sambhi, we dive into its genesis at Sing Lit Station's Sing Lit Blk Party, features of the game, and its potential for community and civic engagement.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Social enterprise Wateroam (https://www.wateroam.com) has been working to build a world without prolonged thirst, and today with one of its co-founders Lim Chong Tee we want to push the conversation a little further, by challenging him to share his big ideas about the future of water and water scarcity. After that, we talk about Wateroam’s plans in the next five years, and then the next 50 years, before rounding up with his personal development and his thoughts on the socio-political situation in Myanmar in relation to the work of the growing social enterprise.

This episode is part of "The Future of..." series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Since 2013, "Both Sides, Now" (https://www.bothsidesnow.sg/) has sought to normalise end-of-life conversations, by creating artistic projects and engaging Singaporeans at public locations such as hospitals, town centres, senior homes, and HDB void decks. Last year, in 2021, the project researched and engaged the Malay-Muslim community, culminating in the "Kata-Kata Kita" variety show (https://www.bothsidesnow.sg/programme).

And behind this endeavour was a multi-disciplinary team of creatives and researchers, four of whom are with us today. With artistic director Kok Heng Leun, lead artist Adib Kosnan, creative producer Ngiam Su-Lin, and research team member Siti Hazirah Bte Mohamad, we chat about the genesis of "Both Sides, Now", the experience of staging the "Kata-Kata Kita" variety show, and the project's upcoming public engagement programme in Bedok this year.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

With Norvin Chan, founder of the AI therapist chatbot fire.place (https://fire.place/) where folks can vent their feelings, we learn about how users can interact with the chatbot, tech development process, and how his growing-up experience has informed his work. We conclude with a discussion of positioning fire.place in a broader constellation of mental health and wellness support, from professional help to community initiatives.

This episode is part of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Today, we have assistant professor Walid Jumblatt Bin Abdullah from the School of Social Sciences in Nanyang Technological University, whose research focuses on religion and politics with a special focus on Singapore and Malaysia. On his Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/walidj.abdullah), he hosts “Teh Tarik With Walid” (TTWW), a series of live chats with prominent socio-political figures about their work and current affairs. In this episode, we ask him about his motivations for starting this series as well as the prospects of such a format in furthering civic engagement on social media.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

"Beneath the Rug" (https://www.solvenplus.one/btr) is a Singaporean book compilation of 30 stories, written by 30 different individuals in the social service sector. Their honest sharing on the poor/marginalised/disadvantaged in Singapore was surprising, and in this episode with editor Lewin Low we discuss the project’s journey, the writers, and the plans of his social enterprise Solve n+1 (https://www.solvenplus.one/).

(Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of the book from the editors.)

This episode is part of the "The Work of Social Work" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

In November last year, the publication titled "Scaled, citizen-led, and public qualitative research: A framework for citizen social science" explored improvements to qualitative research and suggested methods for the conduct of citizen social science. Drawing from two cases - one involving state and civil society organisations and public policy students, and another centred on low-waged migrant workers and the system processing their salary and injury disputes - we dive into the open-access publication with its three author-researchers.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Co-operative A Good Space, a good friend to this podcast, ran two Listening Living Labs and produced two corresponding Listening Reports to document the experiences and insights of migrant worker communities and low-income communities in Singapore. With representative Nurulhuda Hassan today, we focus on low-income communities, focused on the three issues and recommendations revolving around lower-wage gig workers, customised digital guidance, as well as interim assistance.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Co-operative A Good Space, a good friend to this podcast, ran two Listening Living Labs and produced two corresponding Listening Reports to document the experiences and insights of migrant worker communities and low-income communities in Singapore. With representative Vandhana Jeyaram today, we focus on migrant worker communities, focused on the four issues and recommendations on high recruitment debt, barriers of access to healthcare, struggles with dormitory experience, as well as social exclusion of migrant voices.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Co-operative A Good Space, a good friend to this podcast, ran two Listening Living Labs and produced two corresponding Listening Reports to document the experiences and insights of migrant worker communities and low-income communities in Singapore. Even though the issues and insights are not necessarily new, representatives Nurulhuda Hassan and Vandhana Jeyaram provide a preview in this first episode. In the next two episodes, we take deeper dives into each report.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Member of parliament Louis Ng has been a leading legislative voice on the work and welfare of the Singaporean social worker. We touch on four themes in this episode - pay and compensation, burnout and retention, case management and caseload ratio, as well as community work - before sharing his ongoing public consultation for social workers.

This episode is part of the "The Work of Social Work" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

A transcript is also available.

This episode is part of the "The Work of Social Work" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

A transcript is also available.

This episode is part of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

How happy are Singaporeans? Or what makes a Singaporean happy? Local social enterprise the Happiness Initiative (happinessinitiative.sg) sought to answer these questions through its 2021 State of Happiness Study. Here's what they found. With psychological and social factors, Singaporeans who have purpose, grit, and social support are happier on average. And with socio-demographic factors, those with lower household income and those who identified as bisexual or homosexual report lower life evaluation. These findings may not be surprising to some, and so we put these questions to co-founder Simon Leow, who details the study methodology and the broader implications of the findings. We also discuss some limitations.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Since the publication of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) study (whatsenough.sg), which sought to establish what constituted basic needs in Singapore and the household budgets needed to meet those needs, public discussion has taken two related directions. First, focusing solely on the S$6,426 dollar figure needed per month for partnered parents with two children, and then extolling Singaporeans to “spend within their means”. And second, criticising the study’s methodology without, in my opinion, fully understanding it. Some said, for instance, that the MIS study was analogous to interviewing colleagues about daily budgets before asking bosses for a salary raise.

Every research study has its limitations. But a fair evaluation only follows if we know the research motivations and methodology. It is with that in mind that we host Drs. Ng Kok Hoe and Teo You Yenn, members of the MIS study, who explain a “basic standard of living”, detail the study methodology, and address five common responses and rebuttals to the study.

Dr. Ng was previously on the podcast: On homelessness and housing insecurity, income insecurity and minimum income standard, and bridging research, practice, and policy. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

This episode is part of the "Making Research Sense" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

SG Mental Health Matters is a community of mental health advocates and researchers, and in 2021 they ran the #AreWeOkay poll to better understand the issues of access, affordability, and quality of mental healthcare in Singapore. With two of its members today - former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Rayner Tan - we learn more about the community’s work, the poll’s findings, and their proposal for a Mental Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Office in Singapore.

Anthea (Mental health: Awareness, acceptance, and action and “Are we listening?”: Coalescing around downstream and upstream mental health action) and Rayner (On the researcher’s privileged position, community partnerships, data and research advocacy) were previously on the podcast. A previous feature on mental health at the workplace is also very relevant to our conversation.

(Content and trigger warning: This episode contains references to suicide.)

My conversation with Anthea and Rayner 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 Stefan Spassov on Unsplash.

It's been more than 16 months since I first launched and produced this socialservice.sg podcast, and more than 80 episodes later I've been thinking a lot more about updating the format and perhaps reaching an even wider community of listeners and readers. The traditional interview format where I invite guests to speak to their initiatives, projects, or organisations still has some appeal, and I think there is some value in occasionally documenting important research reports or highlighting community endeavours. Get in touch with me on any of those three favours in the episode!

Also, I am currently working on a research survey involving low-income single-parent households with an adolescent aged 13 to 17. We want to better understand their social capital and well-being. The study is funded by the Ministry of Social and Family Development under the Social and Family Research Fund. If you know of single-parents with at least one 13- to 17-year-old adolescent who may be interested or if you know of agencies or organisations, please also get in touch with me!

This episode is the second of a two-part series covering ground-ups and their contributions in Singapore. If you’ve not heard the first part about the emergence and impact of ground-ups, be sure to listen to that before coming back to this. With Jen Goh of The Majurity Trust and Dr. Adrian Chan of Acerpacer Consulting, we previously discussed the value of start-ups, the emergence of new activators, and the challenges of funding, time, and contacts.

Today, we finish up our conversation on funding before exploring recommendations and the building of synchronicity among ground-ups and communities of ground-up communities. As a reminder, Jen is part of the philanthropy and community building team at The Majurity Trust. Dr. Chan is an independent scientist-practitioner and the director of Acerpacer Consulting.

My conversation with Jen and Adrian 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 Rémi Walle on Unsplash.

Through this platform, in the past year, we’ve heard from ground-up initiatives, community movements, as well as aggregators and intermediaries. In this two-part series, with Jen Goh and Dr. Adrian Chan, we go further by taking a deeper dive into ground-ups and their contributions in Singapore, focusing in particular on a recent research report published by philanthropic organisation The Majurity Trust. Today, we discuss definitions and value of start-ups, the emergence of new activators in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally the challenges of funding, time, and contacts.

In the next episode, we will explore recommendations and the building of synchronicity among ground-ups and communities of ground-up communities.

Jen is part of the philanthropy and community building team at The Majurity Trust and is also co-founder of the ground-up Hopefull. Dr. Chan is an independent scientist-practitioner and the director of Acerpacer Consulting. He was part of the team for the research report.

My conversation with Jen and Adrian 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 Rayson Tan on Unsplash.

You can also join his Telegram channel of internship opportunities.

We previously spoke to Adriel in April 2020. The feature photo is by bady abbas on Unsplash.

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 Lim May-Ann, a volunteer with

Engineering Good’s Computers against COVID initiative. She shares how her work has evolved since the end of the circuit-breaker last year and evaluates Singapore’s progress in making sure that every student has a laptop.

Relatedly, in January this year, a group of researchers outlined the problem of digital exclusion and put forth recommendations on digital devices, expanded Internet access, and digital literacy.

We previously spoke to May-Ann in April 2020. The feature photo is by lucas law on Unsplash.

Informed by their interviews with individuals in Singapore who experienced online harassment, abuse, or harms, researchers Catherine Chang and Holly Apsley developed Solid Ground, at solidground.sg. Supported by the Association of Women for Action and Research and the National Youth Council, the Solid Ground project offers step-by-step guides and resources complemented by thoughtful aesthetics and illustrations. Today, they share more about technology-facilitated sexual violence or TFSV, their detailed and intricate process of building the website, and how they worked to bridge research and practice.

My conversation with Catherine and Holly 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.

We previously spoke to Yi Jun in April 2020. The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Feelings of burnout can be unsettling or even terrifying, and around the world social work burnout has been very well-documented. Over time, we hope to better understand the causes of burnout, including the structural causes, but for now, as a start, it feels important to normalise such discourse in Singapore. Therefore, in this episode, we speak to two young Singaporean social workers, “Jing” and John Lim (savethesocialworker.com) about their experiences of burnout and self-care.

My conversation with "Jing" and John is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

My conversation with Estella is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

In a commentary on climate governance for academia.sg, Belicia Teo made the case that the impact of climate change is not equal, and that, as a consequence, identifying and addressing these risks "should be up for debate and public scrutiny". This was important, she added, so as to address differences in norms and values in Singapore. Her research was based on 10 interviewees from six climate groups, and we invited her to elaborate how the Singaporean state and climate groups framed climate change, as well as the differences in these framings. In addition, what should we expect from the state and the climate groups in the future?

Belicia is a PhD student in sociology at New York University.

My conversation with Belicia is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

Ever since the paper was published in 2019, I was excited to speak with its authors about how they used quasi-experimentation to study the relationship between debt relief among low-income individuals and their psychological functioning and economic decision-making. In other words, what is the effect of debt reduction in low-income Singaporean households? With lead author Dr. Ong Qiyan, we also learn more about the concepts of scarcity and the bandwidth tax and their implications for the design of social policies and social services.

Dr. Ong is an adjunct senior research fellow at the Social Service Research Centre, in the National University of Singapore. She was previously on this podcast with Prof. Walter Theseira.

My conversation with Dr. Ong is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

If you are between 13 and 21 years old, complete the survey at bit.ly/sgcovidyouth.

If you know of youths, students, family members, or friends who may be interested, share or forward this episode with them!

In 2019, Dr. Ng Kok Hoe was part of two important studies in Singapore. First, he led the first nationwide street count of homelessness in the country (read the full report here), and second, he was part of the Minimum Income Standard or MIS study, which in a participatory manner determined the household budgets necessary to meet the basic needs of ordinary Singaporeans. Starting with a discussion of his research interests in housing and income insecurity, we hear more about these two studies and the bridging of research, practice, and policy with regard to social work and social service.

Dr. Ng is senior research fellow and head of the Case Study Unit at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, at the National University of Singapore.

My conversation with Dr. Ng is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

With the aim of improving the way the National University of Singapore handles sexual misconduct through community-led efforts, Students for a Safer NUS - or safeNUS - was formed by a group of concerned students in 2019. With one of its co-founders, Carissa Cheow, we learn more about the initiative and its work to cultivate a safer and more inclusive campus, as well as the challenges the team faces, including coping with burnout and working with the university.

My conversation with Carissa is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

If you're not on the Telegram channel OpenJio, you might be missing out on the latest events and causes in Singapore's social sector. But in addition to learning more about the initiative, how do we sustain the interest of youths and young adults in these social events and causes? In our conversation with core team member Amos Liu, we also talk about his personal volunteerism journey and some challenges OpenJio faces.

Resources referenced in this episode: The NVPC Individual Giving Study 2018.

My conversation with Amos is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

The last time we discussed mental health on this platform was in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. With former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong, we examined the levels of awareness, acceptance, and action. Today, with Chirag Agarwal, co-founder of Talk Your Heart Out, we focus on mental health at the workplace. In addition, we discuss the state of professional services and the structural, policy, and cultural changes for the future.

Talk Your Heart Out is an online counselling platform that aims to provide services that are private, convenient and of high quality.

My conversation with Chirag is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

While reports of food insecurity have previously featured in the media, Singapore's first nationally representative food insecurity study documented that about 10 per cent of Singaporean households experienced food insecurity at least once in the last 12 months, and that only 22 per cent of these food-insecure households were receiving food support from an organisation. Published by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation and supported by The Food Bank Singapore, "The hunger report: An in-depth look at food insecurity in Singapore" also reports causes and consequences of food insecurity and offers recommendations.

With members of the report team, Dr. Tania Nagpaul, Dr. Dalvin Sidhu, and Ms. Chen Jinwen, we further explore how they defined and operationalised food insecurity and understand the headline figures in greater detail.

Previously, the Lien Centre for Social Innovation published a related study in 2019, titled "Hunger in a food lover's paradise: Understanding food insecurity in Singapore". The study was based on interviews with food support organisations and a survey with 236 respondents.

My conversation with Dr. Nagpaul, Dr. Sidhu, and Ms. Chen is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.

This month, in the same week that the Department of Statistics revealed that households in the bottom 10 per cent were the group hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, with their monthly total earnings from work falling by 6.1 per cent, Beyond Social Services published its "Mind the Chasm" report (https://beyondresearch.sg/mind-the-chasm-covid-19-deepening-inequalities-in-singapore/). Beyond documented deep decreases to household incomes from work among low-income families. Among the applicants to Beyond's COVID-19 Family Assistance Fund, they found that as a result of the pandemic:

With the research team, we discuss how the report informs Singapore’s discourse on poverty and inequality, the plight of low-income families experiencing insecurities across multiple intersecting dimensions, as well as their three policy recommendations and proposed policy directions. Dr. Stephanie Chok is lead author and an independent researcher, and community worker Suraendher Kumarr provided research assistance to the report.

Resources referenced in the episode:

My conversation with Dr. Chok and Kumarr 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/).

My conversation with Nathan is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

What started as a published collection of stories to coincide with Singapore's National Day has now evolved into "The Birthday Collective" (https://thebirthdaycollective.org/), a not-for-profit that creates and holds space for conversations that matter to the country. With its editor Cherie Tseng, we discuss the collective’s initiatives beyond the “essay-writing crowd”, the value of giving conversational seats to children and centring their voices, and the importance of meeting communities and individuals where they are. We conclude on what she means by the “uncommon ground” and the collective’s plans for the future.

Cherie is chief operations officer at a local fintech company and a mother of three.

My conversation with Cherie is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

My conversation with Edgar is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

“Hard at Work: Life in Singapore” (https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/products/hard-at-work-life-in-singapore) is a collection of 60 stories, of people in contemporary Singapore talking about their work and life. With author Prof. Gerard Sasges, we discussed how he conceptualised the book and discussed the important elements of interviewing and ethnography. We also explored significant themes which emerged. "Hard at Work" was shortlisted for the 2020 Singapore Literature Prize and was a finalist for "Best Non-Fiction Title" at the 2020 Singapore Book Awards.

Prof. Sasges received a PhD from UC Berkeley in 2006. In 2012 he joined the National University of Singapore (NUS) where he is an associate professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies. The book was co-authored with Ng Shi Wen, a photographer, educator, and chronicler of everyday life. She is the founder of Photo Rikiki and has taught at NUS and the School of the Arts, Singapore.

My conversation with Prof. Sasges is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

I am a huge fan of the “Saga” (https://aware.org.sg/saga/) podcast, which documents the saga surrounding gender-equality group AWARE, the Association of Women for Action and Research. Themes from the 2009 saga, poignantly highlighted across the 12 episodes, are still relevant in 2021 Singapore. Because I am a podcast junkie, speaking with Kelly Leow and Jasmine Ng, writers and producers of “Saga”, was my chance to learn about how they conceptualised and produced the podcast as well as the many challenges they faced.

My conversation with Kelly and Jasmine is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

With so many aid and assistance schemes scattered across organisations, ministries, and institutions, how should social workers and volunteers identify the most relevant ones for the individuals and communities with whom they work? In response, Tan Weilie created SchemesSG (https://schemes.sg/), a searchable, indexable directory of schemes in Singapore. We hear more about how he got started with a minimum viable product and his own list, before we appeal to you, our listeners, to contribute to his crowdsourcing request.

Weilie explained in his publicity Facebook post that the long-term vision is to have schemes curated and delivered conversationally, such that any user could type in “My client is a 45-year-old man with a 76-year-old chronically ill parent”, and relevant results would be generated.

My conversation with Weilie is part of our 2021 focus on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

My conversation with Rayner is part of our 2021 focus on researchers in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/).

Gift for Good (giftforgood.io) is an online in-kind donations platform connecting non-profits to donors. Run by a team of students from the National University of Singapore Developer Student Club (previously featured on this podcast), it hopes to galvanise in-kind donations towards a more generous Singapore. Today, we speak to business head Yeo Qin-Liang and tech head Marcus Koh about Gift for Good and their plans for the future.

Today, we are joined by professors Cherian George and Donald Low, to talk about their bestselling book, "PAP v PAP: The Party's struggle to adapt to a changing Singapore" (purchase the book via Epigram bookstore or the audiobook via Storytel). We discussed the balance between elite governance and democratic deliberation, the phenomena of elite reproduction and overproduction, and how the book can be a starting point for political and policy conversations in Singapore.

Our episode with Prof. Kenneth Paul Tan, on neoliberal globalisation and political authoritarianism (as well as pragmatism and technocracy), was referenced in this episode.

Today, we are joined by journalist-turned-political commentator and professor Bertha Henson, to talk about her new book, "GE2020: Fair or Foul?" (purchase the book via Epigram Bookstore). We will first discuss her case for the People's Action Party (PAP) to level the electoral playing field and to increase the nine-day campaign period. She then evaluates the PAP backbenchers and the 4G leadership.

We previously interviewed her on this podcast, on election reporting and her assessment of the GE2020 campaign.

BeTheWire (https://www.facebook.com/BeTheWire/) is a ground-up initiative which produces accessible and guided bite-sized videos and posts so as to equip, educate, and empower persons of all abilities to bridge the digital divide. The topics include digital literacy, communication platforms, as well as e-shopping and e-payment. We speak with founder Bryan Neo, who wishes to spread the word to more social workers and friends, focused on equipping individuals with digital lifeskills for the long haul. In addition, he envisions partnerships with agencies to work with community members in the initial phases.

The National University of Singapore Developer Student Club, or the DSC (https://dsc.comp.nus.edu.sg/), is a community of university students focused on developing diverse solutions for non-profit organisations in Singapore. We ask Shawn Ten, a final year NUS undergraduate - who was co-founder and internal lead - about the beginnings of the club, its projects, and expectations for the future.

Today, we speak with two law students from the National University of Singapore, co-founders of the online resource platform, COV-AID (nus-covaid.com). Given the emergence of laws, regulations, and legal issues throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, COV-AID seeks to make the complex, simple, by offering information about government grants, legislation related to COVID-19, as well as frequently asked questions.

At COV-AID, co-founders Anders Seah and Mark Tang lead an executive committee and manage a larger team of volunteers. They share their motivations, the process of writing and editing to ensure both accuracy and comprehensibility, and the team's plans for the future.

Today, we speak to economist Professor Linda Lim of the University of Michigan, understanding and comparing the minimum wage and Singapore's PWM (both described as "second-best policies"), addressing common objections to the minimum wage, as well as concluding on the challenge of low-wage labour. Prof. Lim's research focuses on the political economy of multinational and local business in South East Asia. She is also one of the editors of Academia.SG, a website maintained by a group of Singaporean academics to promote Singapore studies and to encourage critical debate about the state of intellectual life in Singapore.

Three weeks ago, I asked veteran journalist Bertha Henson about her experience of reporting an election and the election issues to which she is paying attention. Today, on the eve of Cooling-Off Day, we ask her how GE2020 compares to past general elections, how she’s been following the election, as well as what she thought of the overall campaign.

A week before Nomination Day, we spoke to researchers Loke Hoe-Yeong and Dr. Elvin Ong on opposition “unity”, party credibility, and electoral strategies. More than halfway through the GE2020 campaign, we catch up with them to learn more about their assessments of the three main opposition parties, the divide between national and local or constituency hustings, as well as what we can expect in the final three days.

(And yes, some mention of predictions too.)

Hoe-Yeong is a political analyst, who authored the books “Let The People Have Him: Chiam See Tong, The Early Years” in 2014 and “The First Wave: JBJ, Chiam & the Opposition in Singapore” in 2019. Elvin is a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, in the University of British Columbia. His primary research interests are the politics and policies of authoritarian regimes, with a specific focus on the dynamic formation of opposition coalitions.

Today, we speak to 21-year-old Nigel Li, who has been coordinating “Singapore Votes” (singaporevotes.com), a student-run elections resource. We ask him about how he got started as well as his plans for the website after GE2020, and Nigel also shares why the voting age should be lowered in Singapore.

In this episode, we summarised three segments, featuring the work of the organisations, how research and advocacy feature in their work, as well as the future of social policies and social services in Singapore. The full two-hour discussion is available here (https://www.facebook.com/AGoodSpaceSG/).

This is a special series of episodes, created in collaboration with “Our Class Notes” (ourclassnotes.com), a website of both reporting and research on the electoral, parliamentary, and political scene in Singapore.

Today, we focus on how the public has assessed the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, Liang Lei and Sean Lim, both graduates of the National University of Singapore, share more about findings of public opinion polls or surveys published by firms such as Blackbox and Ipsos. What can we learn from these polls or surveys? How has the government responded to these different findings, if they have? And how has the government responded to critical commentaries published in the local and international media?

Relevant article: “First-time voters rate the Government’s response to Covid-19 outbreak” (https://www.ourclassnotes.com/post/first-time-voters-rate-the-governments-response-to-covid-19-outbreak).

This is a special series of episodes, created in collaboration with “Our Class Notes” (ourclassnotes.com), a website of both reporting and research on the electoral, parliamentary, and political scene in Singapore.

Today, we speak to veteran journalist Bertha Henson, currently an Associate Professor of Practice at the National University of Singapore and formerly with the Singapore Press Holdings stable of newspapers. She's covered seven general elections, four by-elections, and two contested presidential elections, and hence I asked her about her experience of reporting an election, the issues to which she is paying attention during the upcoming general election in Singapore, as well as how the ruling party would approach the election.

Relevant articles: "This GE: Let’s hear plans for a “new” Singapore" (https://berthahenson.wordpress.com/2020/05/28/this-ge-lets-hear-plans-for-a-new-singapore/) and "Give the PM a chance" (https://www.ourclassnotes.com/post/give-the-pm-a-chance).

This is a special series of episodes, created in collaboration with “Our Class Notes” (ourclassnotes.com), a website of both reporting and research on the electoral, parliamentary, and political scene in Singapore.

Today, we focus on the clarity of election and electoral regulations by speaking to Christalle Tay and Ethan Tay, both recent graduates of the National University of Singapore. They tell us more about the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee and the Parliamentary Elections (COVID-19 Special Arrangements) Bill, the discourse surrounding online and postal voting, as well as the election experience of Israel and South Korea. In terms of what else Singaporeans need to know about the elections, Christalle also makes the interesting observation that this will be the first time that parties will campaign in a Pofma environment.

Relevant articles: “No clarity on Covid-19 elections legislation” (https://www.ourclassnotes.com/post/no-clarity-on-covid-19-elections-legislation) and “Campaign rules need to be out way before writ of election” (https://www.ourclassnotes.com/post/campaign-rules-need-to-be-out-way-before-writ-of-election).

If “business-as-usual” was already problematic, what are the necessary policy and perception changes? How do we better the employment conditions of these workers? And more broadly, what is the complicity of Singaporeans, under these circumstances? Today, we speak to Nessa Swinn, who leads the youth advocacy group, MaidForMore (https://www.instagram.com/maidformoresg/), which aims to challenge dominant - and oftentimes problematic - cultural ideas and perceptions that Singaporeans hold about these workers.

We speak to Justina Teo, Senior Manager at Lions Befrienders (https://www.lionsbefrienders.org.sg/). Since 1995, Lions Befrienders has been matching trained befrienders to seniors through weekly home visits, and we chat about the work of her agency, the needs of the elders they serve, as well as the future of befriending services in Singapore.

We speak to Chua Ee Chien (Jekyll & Hyde cocktail bar https://www.facebook.com/JekyllAndHyde.SG/ and bars.sg) as well as Lim Yi Fan (FoodLeh?: https://foodleh.web.app/). We also highlight the online gift-card initiative Chope & Save (chopeandsave.com), started by a team of five in their 20s.

On Labour Day, we focus on chapter 6, “Moral panic and the migrant worker folk devil”, of this 2017 book, titled, “Governing global-city Singapore: Legacies and futures after Lee Kuan Yew” (https://www.routledge.com/Governing-Global-City-Singapore-Legacies-and-Futures-After-Lee-Kuan-Yew/Tan/p/book/9781138344150). In the chapter, he discusses the effect of Singapore’s deeper participation in neoliberal globalisation and the tensions resulting from higher levels of immigration.

We first invite him to explain theories such as neoliberal globalisation and political authoritarianism (as well as pragmatism and technocracy), to set the context of our conversation. Next, we trace our growing reliance on migrant labour in neo-authoritarian Singapore, leading to an evaluation of the present migrant worker situation. We also cover events in 2013 - the Population White Paper, the protests, and the Little India riot - and the extent of continuity we might be experiencing. Finally, we think about how ideological shifts in the country might look like.

We focus on the internship and employment challenges faced by Singaporean students. We speak to Adriel Yong, who started a spreadsheet to collate opportunities for students looking for summer internships (tinyurl.com/summeropps2020), and Mock Yi Jun (Advisory Singapore: advisory.sg), who leads a non-profit dedicated to empowering young Singaporeans to make informed career and further education choices.

We speak to Lim May-Ann (Engineering Good's Computers against COVID: https://engineeringgood.org/computers-against-covid/) as well as David Hoe (Project Stable Staples: projectstablestaples.sg).

We speak to Rachel Ooi (Mutual Aid Hub: aidhubsg.com) as well as Abhishek Bajaj and Vincent Ng (A Good Space: agoodspace.org) to learn more about their work and motivations, the challenges, and the way forward.