DDD#2 Recap!

Written by: Shalin (26-O1), Raymond (26-E2), Vivienne (26-E6) Designed by: Belden (26-E1)

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“Stand up if you believe in…” 

This simple prompt marked the commencement of the second Deep Dive Day of the year. For the J1 cohort, this event served as a timely reminder to reflect upon the aspirations and values that would guide their future pursuits, not just with one’s mind, but also with their hearts. 

The programme began with a tea session featuring several changemakers dedicated to improving the lives of those around them. The speakers included Mr Huh Dam Adam (founder of Stick’Em), Mr Martin Tan (Chief Executive Officer of The Majurity Trust), and Ms Lin Shiyun (creative director of 3Pumpkins). These individuals had made tangible contributions to society, giving their all to society, and possessing the commendable quality of empathy, acting upon it.

As they shared their journeys, motivation, and experiences, this casted a silence fraught with admiration and anxiety of living up to the standard, but that was why we were here, right? To learn and grow from their examples, to think and act upon our hearts. Their stories were inspiring, all talking about their origins and their reasons for helping others less fortunate than themselves. More importantly, the speakers demonstrated that empathy is most powerful when translated into action. This message laid the foundation for the workshops that followed. 

Afterward, everyone had a myriad of activities to choose from so as to broaden their horizons, working towards becoming a “thinker with heart”. From card games to movie screening, there were a diverse range of interactive workshops for students to explore how we can meaningfully contribute to the community around us. Allow us to highlight 3 of these workshops, and the profound impact they made on our career guidance journey.

Organised by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), the “Discovering your giving DNA” workshop provided participants further insight into the community service landscape in Singapore through the introduction of ground-up initiatives: movements voluntarily organised by the local people to address societal needs of the community. The importance of which was demonstrated through 2 means.

To begin, they introduced a youth mental health ground-up organisation, “Campus Psy”, who focused on protecting and improving the mental well-being of the youth in Singapore. They shared eye-opening, yet concerning facts about the mental health situation in the little red dot, making it apparent to the entire room the importance of what they do, spurring thoughts as to other overlooked issues to be addressed, emphasising the necessity of such ground-ups. To follow up, an interactive card game was played. The premise was simple: to collect enough hearts and stars to progress to the next level. Reach the final level, and victory was achieved. Throughout the game, players had to navigate real-world problems faced by both those with mental health struggles, and dilemmas encountered in the world of volunteerism and philanthropy. Through the different player cards representing different change-makers in the community, the game transformed complex social concepts into an interactive and educational opportunity. It empowered players to look inward, providing more clarity as to how players could contribute to society as a change-maker of today and tomorrow.

With #YouthForGood — Engineering Change with Heart,  Lee Xin Chun’s roundtable discussion brought about insights as to her current job as a Consultant at the World Bank, where she helps developing countries explore more sustainable forms of living in this increasingly uncertain climate. By helping not only the climate but the lives of citizens within these countries, Xin Chun shows how impactful and meaningful her career really is, and clarified any questions that participants had due to the unconventional nature of her job. She explained to participants that this job wasn’t her first choice, but rather she switched because she felt a passion for engaging with different communities and bettering their lives. She showed that it is okay to pursue one’s true passions, and that it is never too late to do so. With the current state of the world, she showed that while it may be scary to pivot at first, the best thing one could do was to follow one’s heart and to be fulfilled with the work one does. As the famous quote by Mark Twain goes, “Find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”. She seemed to embody that quote, by jumping from electrical engineering to green finance, she now lives more fulfillingly in life. 

Last but certainly not least, the “Inclusive Technology with 3D Printing” workshop, led by Mr Sa’ad from Salvage Garden, demonstrated how technology can be harnessed to improve the lives of individuals with motor disabilities. Through the use of 3D Printing, Salvage Garden develops very affordable assistive devices such as adaptive tools and prosthetic-like devices, often sourcing open-sourced designs and adapting them to suit the unique needs of each individual. During the workshop, Mr Sa’ad shared how these seemingly simple innovations can go a long way in helping these people with disabilities carry out daily tasks independently, as well as some notable impacts they have made to people’s lives. These were indubitably inspiring, raising awareness on the difficulty of everyday tasks for the people with disabilities. Participants were also treated to a live 3D printing demonstration, where Mr Sa’ad 3D printed a pen holder designed to assist individuals with who face difficulties gripping objects. As the object took shape, it also served as a timer for his presentation, a neat icing on the cake.

As a whole, the students gained firsthand appreciation of how engineering, creativity and empathy can come together in tackling real world challenges. The workshop concluded with a showcase of various assistive devices developed by Salvage Garden, reinforcing the idea that meaningful innovation is not merely about technological advancement, but about designing with the needs of others at heart.