JOIN US AS A CITIZEN BOOK!
Our Citizen Library aims to connect everyday Singaporeans, or as we prefer to say, ‘Citizen Books’, with others (whom we call ‘Readers’) who are interested to hear our stories and perspectives on different topics of interest.
Our Readers are all working on projects to better our world, and your unique and unfiltered views on relevant topics will guide them on their paths. As such, if your profile matches a Skillseed-curated list of profiles we are looking for at a particular session, we invite you to come forth and share your honest thoughts and real world perspectives with our Readers, using your distinct stories as a force for good. No preparation is required. In essence, just turn up and be yourself! Also, to show our appreciation for your time and contribution, we will provide you with an honorarium at the end of each Citizen Library session.
> $2,060
channeled to our citizen stakeholders* since 2020
citizen stakeholders = citizen books
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Why did we start this initiative?
We believe that every citizen is a treasure trove of knowledge, perspectives and ideas - pretty much like a book! And we believe in the power of communities, wherein lie diverse groups of people. With that in mind, we arrived at the metaphor of a Citizen Library, a trove of real world stories and opinions.
We envision a Library that transcends space, bridges time and includes every segment of society. And with the amalgamation of enriching ideas and backgrounds in our Citizen Library, we hope to form a tapestry of colourful stories and opinions that will help steer the social impact projects of our time.
2. Who can be a Citizen Book?
Anyone and everyone! You don’t need to be an ‘expert’ to be a Citizen Book. In the Citizen Library, we believe that every Citizen Book counts, so long as you are willing to share your unique views to a wider audience. In fact, the diversity and spectrum of Citizen Books is what truly enriches the Citizen Library experience.
3. When and where will the Citizen Library take place?
The Citizen Library will manifest whenever there is an available opportunity for Skillseed to bring together Citizen Books and Readers at a common space. Most commonly, this would be during social innovation training sessions conducted by Skillseed, but the possibilities are endless Think dialogues, empathy learning experiences, policy research, community engagement primers and more. If you can think of more applications of our Citizen Library, or would like to collaborate on a session, please reach out to us at info@skillseed.sg! Together, we are wiser!
A Citizen Library can be done both in person, as well as remotely, over a mobile phone using FaceTime (or equivalent), depending on specific needs and constraints.
4. How long does the Citizen Library usually last?
It depends on the requirements of the session, but usually between 45 minutes to an hour of engagement with our participants. After which, we would also like to hear your feedback on the session (5-10 minutes).
5. Will there be an honorarium?
Yes, we will provide an honorarium to every Citizen Book for each session to show our appreciation for sharing your time and wisdom at a Citizen Library session. Payment will be made through PayLah! or PayNow within 3 working days after the session.
6. Will I know the questions before the Citizen Library session?
We will share the genre of the Citizen Library before the session, eg. Environmental Sustainability, Regenerative Communities, etc, so if you’re interested to share your thoughts about it, we would love to have you at our Citizen Library. However, we don’t generally have the specific questions as these will arise when you interact with our participants (Readers).
7. Do I need to be a subject matter expert on the topic genre?
No, you don’t! You are naturally the subject matter expert of your own lived experiences. Your unique stories and perspectives are what adds to the diversity and authenticity of the Citizen Library.
8. I’m interested! How can I join or sign-up?
Please reach out to us at info@skillseed.sg and indicate your interest to join our Citizen Library with the title starting with “Citizen Library:” We will then follow up with you over email on the next steps!
Photos from Unsplash.