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2021 Challenge: Bridging Generations
With an aging population in Singapore, there is increasing attention paid to the less tangible impacts of demographic change:
- inclusivity
- intergenerational harmony, and
- active ageing
In particular, the mental well-being of many seniors has become a priority.
Set against the backdrop of a rapidly ageing population, this year’s Inclusive Spaces aims to generate ideas and solutions that facilitate intergenerational bonding.
Empactathon
The Inclusive Spaces Empactathon® – a hackathon which aims to create an impact through empathy – is part of our commitment to inspiring meaningful experiences and creating communities. Held from May 29 to July 10, it involved a partnership between students, seniors and Design for Change Singapore – a social enterprise that empowers students to express their ideas and act on them. The dialogue and collaboration aimed to meld the experience of our silver generation with the creativity of our youth, and tap on the creativity of tertiary students to drive solutions in health, wellness, and the environment from the ground up.
Our participants have worked to develop a report exploring how Singapore’s built environment could be better designed for our rapidly ageing society. This was done by distilling the intergenerational theme into three dimensions of design thinking: daily living; social living and mental well-being.
Design for Change Singapore (DFCsg) empowers children with the 'I CAN' spirit to shape a more desirable and sustainable world. DFCsg is part of the Design for Change global movement that runs in 60+ countries.
Empactathon® is intergenerational engagement using participatory design approach to co-design solutions for a better world. Empactathon is a registered brand of DFCsg.
Award Presentation and Judging
This led up to a virtual event on 17 September 2021, where winning teams will present their prototypes and proposals to our Guest of Honour, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, and our panel of esteemed judges.
Watch the video for Minister of State for National Development Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim’s thoughts on building an inclusive community, delivered during the finale virtual event, where the top ideas and prototypes were showcased and recognised.
Also check out what Mr Chia Khong Shoong, our Group Chief Corporate Officer, and Mrs Madhu Verma, Founder of Design for Change Singapore, have to share about developing empathy and inspiring innovative real estate ideas through Inclusive Spaces. Student participants and a Frasers Property employee volunteer also talk about their interesting experiences and insights through their participation in this initiative.
Guest of Honour
Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim
Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim
Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, Republic of Singapore
Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahimwas promoted and appointed as Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development effective 27 July 2020. Prior to his current appointments, he has served in various Ministries, namely, education, social and family development, transport and health.He has been a Member of Parliament since 2006.
A/P Muhammad Faishal embarked on his career as a Valuer with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore from 1993 to 1996. He subsequently undertook various positions at the National University of Singapore (NUS), from Senior Tutor in 1996 to Associate Professor in 2010.
He graduated from NUS with a Bachelor degree (Honours), Estate Management in 1993. In 1996, A/P Muhammad Faishal obtained Master’s degree and was awarded the Real Estate Developers Association of Singapore (REDAS) Gold Medal. He received the NUS-Overseas Graduate Scholarship to pursue a PHD in Management Sciences at the University of Manchester Instituteof Science and Technology.
He is married with two children.
Mr Chia Khong Shoong
Mr Chia Khong Shoong
Group Chief Corporate Officer, Frasers Property Limited
As Group Chief Corporate Officer, Khong Shoong is responsible for the Group Corporate Secretariat and Legal, Sustainability, Corporate Administration and Group Human Resources functions. He also assists Frasers Property’s Group Chief Executive Officer in overseeing the evaluation, execution and implementation of group-wide projects and strategy initiatives as well as the development of the Group’s international businesses. Khong Shoong chairs the Finance Committees of Frasers Property Australia, Frasers Property UK and Frasers Property Industrial.
Khong Shoong was previously the Group Chief Financial Officer and its Chief Executive Officer for Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining the Group on 2 March 2009, he held positions as Director, Investment Banking and Global Banking at The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd and Vice President, Global Investment Banking at Citigroup, Salomon Smith Barney and Schroders respectively.
Khong Shoong holds a Master of Philosophy (Management Studies) from Cambridge University, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from the University of Western Australia, Australia.
Mrs Madhu Verma
Mrs Madhu Verma
Founder, Design for Change Singapore
Madhu Verma is the Founder and Director of Design for Change Singapore (DFC-S) and Executive Board Member of Design for Change Global, US.
Her interest in children's empowerment led her to set up DFC-S, a social enterprise in 2010 that engages the young to drive positive change for a better world. (dfcsingapore.com)
Madhu believes that there is an urgent need to prepare our children to navigate their unknown and complex future and equip them with the skills to shape a more just, compassionate and sustainable future.
‘Children are the today and they have it in them to take ownership of our community today.’
Mr Ho Han Peng
Mr Ho Han Peng
Associate Director, Lien Centre for Social Innovation
Han is Assistant Director at the Lien Centre for Social Innovation in Singapore Management University. He works on a variety of research and capacity-building projects around underserved social needs, philanthropy, training in social innovation, and other areas. Many of his projects involve the intersection of evidence and practice related to innovation, financial and non-financial forms of capital, stakeholder collaboration, and systemic change.
Previous projects have included talent retention in Singapore's social service sector; child health, protection and early childhood education in Southeast Asia; the relevance of museums in addressing contemporary community-interest issues; and socioeconomic development and innovation in early China.
Mr Tony Soh
Mr Tony Soh
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre
Tony is passionate about reimagining and recreating human, community and business systems to create a more gracious, sustainable and equitable society for all. He believes in the potential of every person to make full use of his or her talents to make a difference in the world.
In a career spanning more than two and a half decades in the public and private sectors, Tony has been involved in work covering strategy, policy, research, marketing, communications, human resource, business development and operations.
He also volunteers as a board member in family, community service and healthcare non-profit organisations.
As Deputy CEO, Tony focuses on integration, execution and culture-building of Team NVPC, so that NVPC can become an effective catalyst to bring about our vision of Singapore as a City of Good.
Professor Richard K F Ho
Professor Richard K F Ho
Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore
Richard Ho graduated from the NUS School of Architecture in 1982 and worked for William S W Lim and Kerry Hill, both eminent Singapore architects, from 1982 to 1985 before venturing to Europe where he worked for six years in Austria and Italy. He returned to Singapore in Nov 1991 and set up RichardHO Architects. He is a registered architect with the Board of Architects since 1985.
In the President’s Design Awards 2013, Richard was awarded the Designer of the Year 2013 – the highest and most prestigious award conferred by the State to a design professional in Singapore.
For the past 29 years, Richard’s practice has won a number of international and local architecture awards – the Gold Medal in the ARCASIA (Architects Regional Council of Asia) Architecture Awards 2000, seven SIA (Singapore Institute of Architects) Design Awards and four URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) Architectural Heritage Awards.
Richard has been appointed Professor in Practice with the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore and has been teaching architecture and urban design since 1998.
Dr Tan Bee Wan
Dr Tan Bee Wan
Executive Chairman, ACE Seniors
Dr Tan Bee Wan is a social worker, social entrepreneur, lecturer and consultant. She is also the Executive Chairman of Integrative Learning Corporation (ILC) Singapore, an international consulting & management development group and ACE Seniors, a social enterprise with the mission of empowering 50+ years old and enabling them to remain relevant and a source of inspiration for their community.
Prior to leading Integrative, she was the Executive Director of the Singapore Council of Social Service and Community Chest of Singapore and CEO of Tsao Foundation.
She is adjunct lecturer for SUSS and NUS Business School; designing and teaching social leadership, social innovation, social enterprises and CSR, fundraising and philanthropy for the Master in Nonprofit Management, Master of Community and Social Leadership, and NUS-MBA Programme.
Bee Wan graduated with a Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore and Master of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, USA. Her Ph.D. dissertation is titled, “Research Study on the Trends and Patterns of Corporate Giving to Charities in Singapore”.
