Photos by Lim Yaohui
It was a cool evening at the open-air second floor of Zsofi’s Café down on Dunlop Street when Be an Idea’s founder Nadim van Der Ros took the stage – and kicked off the Vision 1.2 event.
Like its predecessor that was held in late January, Vision 1.2 is a platform for social change-makers to speak about the causes they’re supporting; a chance for them to not so much give a sales pitch for the organisations that they’ve aligned themselves with, but just to tell their stories.
Six guests presented that evening and, also like Vision 1.2’s predecessor, did so in the challenging Pecha Kucha style – 20 slides with 20 seconds allotted to each, which added up to some very tight presentation.
“I want to think about how things can be done.”
First on stage was Yong Teck Meng – the national director of Habitat for Humanity Singapore, an organisation dedicated to building housing for the poor and breaking the cycle of poverty. Teck Meng’s spoke further about Habitat for Humanity Singapore, but also touched on getting things done in the NGO world. “[This is] a phrase that I learned when I was young,” said Teck Meng. “When you’re 18 years old, if you’re not idealistic, then you have no heart. When you are 40 years old, if you’re still idealistic, you have no brain – and I want to think about how things can be done without a brain.”
Following Teck Meng was Lyndon Yeo from See and Be Seen, an initiative that encourages night cycling safety. His talk was framed with an introduction to the African word “Ubuntu,” which basically means, “I am because we are.” Lyndon spoke about how See and Be Seen’s night races like the Firefly Night Race, which are used to promote awareness, come together not because of any one individual, but a collective.
“I want everyone to say hi to HIV and I want everyone to say hi to me.”
Next up was Avin Tan for Action for Aids Singapore. Avin spoke not just as a member of the organisation that encourages open dialogue about and awareness of this horrible disease, but also as someone who’s been diagnosed with HIV himself. “I want everyone to say hi to HIV and I want everyone to say hi to me,” said Avin right at the start of his emotional, inspiring and powerful talk, before going on to speak about his experiences in overcoming the social stigma that comes with the disease, as well as how much progress has been made in regards to its treatment.
The fourth speaker for the evening was Karin Aue, who’s part of Aiducation International, an organisation that’s dedicated to providing young people around the world access to proper education. “Where would you be today without education, without all the chances to fully develop your potential?” asked Karin. “It’s not just about tests. Education is the strongest tool to push personal development and empower people.”
Robert Kee took the stage next, on behalf of the Operation Hope Foundation, which was founded to help poor orphans around the world. Robert spoke passionately not just of the orphanages that the organisation has built in developing countries, but also of the kids that grew up in those orphanages. “Many of them said that without the orphanage, they would not get a job. These children are my pride and joy,” said Robert fondly.
“Change today really requires consistent effort into a lot of areas.”
Ivan Chang for Start Now, an organisation that strives to use technology to make every Singaporean a volunteer, rounded up the evening. “Change today really requires consistent effort into a lot of areas. Change comes from organisations that stand at the intersection of things. Start Now stands at the intersection of technology and social,” said Ivan. He then spoke about how Start Now has used technology to make social change more accessible and interactive for initiatives like the President’s Challenge Volunteer Drive.
As Ivan finished and the evening came to a close, the crowd was already bustling. Nadim took to the stage, encouraging the audience to talk with the speakers, but dialogues had already started during the course of the evening and potential partnerships were being formed.
More importantly, the talks themselves were really affecting everyone in attendance. “It’s so nice to hear about these initiatives going on and seeing people with a why-not mentality,” said graduate Nurul Huda Izyan, who had attended Vision in January and added that she was definitely coming back for the event in March.