“To me, this is simply us sharing what we care about, and caring about what we share.'“

Our founding director, Huijia, shares her journey on why and how the Training complement at Skillseed was developed, ending the year by reflecting on how we started.

By Mark Leong and our programme participants from SMU and BEAM Foundation

When traveling overseas for community service programmes (OCSP) was not possible, we had to pivot to virtual programmes. It was a reminder for all on how agility and adaptability is vital but more importantly, we visualised what can be achieved when we tap on our individual and collective assets to make such an experience possible despite the many challenges.

Through such virtual skilled volunteerism programmes, Skillseed hopes to leverage the unique skills and knowledge that our local students have, while equipping them with the confidence to share this knowledge with and empower the host community in their endeavours.

A reflection piece by Ser Lyn, our Skillseed intern and final year NUS student majoring in Project and Facilities Management

Akriti Shrivastava, a volunteer at Skillseed and an experienced social development professional across the non-profit and corporate sectors, shares about ESG and why it matters in today’s context.

Akriti Shrivastava, a volunteer at Skillseed for the past 5 months and an experienced social development professional across the non-profit and corporate sectors, shares her experience, insights and takeaways from her volunteering stint with Skillseed.

Serlyn, who is currently interning at Skillseed shares on the much hyped ‘new normal’ that the world is progressing towards. As we embrace a hybrid workforce model, we also struggle with the challenges of remote working such as Zoom Fatigue . With such unprecedented challenges and changes, how do we then manage our personal and professional expectations?

Akriti Shrivastava, a volunteer at Skillseed and an experienced social development professional across the non-profit and corporate sectors, shares the whys and hows of Community Engagement in today’s context.

Homerun Superhero Me: A community arts exhibition featuring the work of five children – Alfred Goh, Brandvan Yang, Maryangelly Jayabahan, Nur Shahanis Binte Johar and Raden Rauf Bin Radin Padli, who share their perspectives on childhood to mark the end of their six-year journey with Superhero Me. Set in two rental flat units at Blk 55, the kids hosted the public on guided tours over 10 weekends in 2020.

Dione, a team member of Skillseed, reflects on her experience visiting the art exhibition at the end of last year.

Sustainability - this is a term that has been repeated ad nauseam especially in the social and environmental sector. The phrase “to sustain” may evoke mixed feelings though one may argue that it comes with positive connotations. Our founding director Huijia shares how this phrase makes her think of the endless effort that a person, or a community, would put in just to maintain the status quo and if the status quo is indeed good enough.

Ecotourism, the fastest-growing sector of the tourist industry, was born as a reaction against mass conventional tourism to provide a more conscionable, environmentally-sustainable alternative. At its core, ecotourism is about exploring while also respecting humans and nature. It’s about recognising that we are a part of the ecosystem and therefore should be mindful of our impact on it. With borders closing and limitations on traveling during this COVID season, perhaps now more than ever, it is the time to observe our surroundings and rediscover our immediate environments in our day to day lives.

Akriti Shrivastava, a volunteer at Skillseed and an experienced social development professional across the non-profit and corporate sectors, breaks down the concept of Social Innovation and shares how corporates can contribute to sustainable impact.

Darren, who interned with us in 2020, reflects on his journey at Skillseed and draws parallels between his internship learning experience and Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s film, “The Platform”. An intriguing read that provides an insider view to how the Skillseed team works together!