Building a more caring and inclusive home for all

The inaugural SG Cares Carnival was held today at Our Tampines Hub. Guest-of-Honour Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong joined participants from the corporate, community, social service and public sectors to celebrate diverse ways of giving back and launch the SG Cares app. With the app, it is now easier to find volunteering opportunities, and be inspired by stories of ordinary Singaporeans helping others in the community.

Co-organised by Mediacorp, the SG Cares Carnival featured a day-long of fun and meaningful activities that highlighted a variety of caring initiatives and causes. Programmes at the event included The Good Market – a bazaar featuring 28 booths led by social enterprises, social service organisations, public agencies, community and corporate partners. These groups came together to present the wide array of ways members of the community are making a difference. There are also programmes to raise awareness about the different ways of giving back and encourage community participation.

Ms. Debra Soon, Chief Customer Officer Mediacorp said, “Our approach to corporate social responsibility reflects our role as a media company here.  We believe we have the power to ignite imaginations and build common ground amongst Singaporeans.  As co-organiser of the SG Cares Carnival we draw on our talents, our stars and our network of partners to deliver the SG Cares message in a meaningful and fun way, to encourage every Singaporean to volunteer, take part or just find out more about the needs of fellow Singaporeans.”

“Over a million Singaporeans are already doing their part in giving back to our community through volunteerism. Many more have also stepped forward to pledge their commitment to contribute since the introduction of SG Cares in November 2016. At heart, SG Cares is an affirmation of our caring spirit. It invites us to show consideration towards one another. We want to build a strong society, and an endearing home for all. This is important for our future and will require individuals, community organisations and the government to work closely together.” said Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth.

Champions of the SG Cares movement – National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and National Council of Social Service (NCSS) - have been working with corporate partners, social service organisations, schools, grassroots organisations and passionate individuals to create more opportunities for Singaporeans to care and make lasting changes in the lives of others. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and other public agencies, their efforts included the following:

1. strengthening NVPC’s Company of Good initiative to boost corporate giving,

2. re-structuring volunteer roles and linking corporate partners with social service organisations to meet their demand for volunteers,

3. strengthening volunteer management capabilities for social service organisations, and

4. enhancing giving.sg to empower users to customise their volunteer journey and galvanise like-minded people to contribute to causes.

To further empower the caring instinct in Singapore, the SG Cares movement has outlined three ways to support the community and society in doing good.

1. (a) Affirm and amplify the good in Singapore society

   1. Through the sharing of stories and celebrating our everyday heroes, people will be encouraged to spread the word about kind acts and inspirational figures encountered in their daily lives. They are likely to be more considerate in their interactions with others, and through time, make this a pervasive culture in Singapore.

   2. An example is an exhibition entitled ‘a good thing’ presented at the SG Cares Carnival to showcase the small, spontaneous acts of giving in everyday situations to inspire Singaporeans to take small steps towards making Singapore a better, kinder nation. The exhibition will be available to the public from 13-15 January 2018 at Our Tampines Hub.  

2. (b) Connect partners for greater collective impact

   1. SG Cares will connect private-public partners to ensure a bigger impact collectively. By tapping on the diverse strengths of individuals, community partners and the Government, more partnerships can be forged across different sectors to ensure that there is support for people-in-need.

   2. Today, groups from different sectors of society came together at The Good Market to showcase different channels for contribution and encourage caring. This showcase includes initiatives such as craft-making workshops, experiential activities, games and demonstrations and fundraising.

3. (c) Develop capabilities and share resources to support and enable communities

   1. Launched in conjunction with the SG Cares Carnival is the SG Cares app, which provides a community platform for sharing news, stories, resources and opportunities on social causes. This platform aims to connect and inspire all Singaporeans to contribute towards building a caring and inclusive home for all.

The app helps empower users to live the SG Cares spirit by putting values into action through volunteerism and donations to support causes they are passionate about. The app also aims to make volunteering more accessible and convenient for potential volunteers by aggregating volunteering opportunities. The app also curates regular service-based volunteering opportunities from the social service sector for groups and corporates who are keen to deliver greater impact and meet real needs on the ground.