If you’re a student aged between 15 and 17 years old who dreams of making a positive impact and building your own start-up, here’s your chance.
The Next Generation Philanthropy Leadership Programme is happening from Jun. 23 to 27, 2025, at NTU’s Nanyang Business School.
Organised by the Singapore Good Soil Foundation, the five-day programme consists of leadership sessions, immersive volunteer experiences and a charity pitch session.
Participants with successful pitches will be provided with startup funding to develop their projects under the foundation’s in-house incubator, and access to mentorship and support to ensure their ideas take off.
Selected student fellows will also be part of a three-day advanced training in Bali to visit charities and engage in dialogues with local social leaders after the programme concludes.
The inaugural programme was held in 2024 at NUS Business School and gathered 57 student fellows from across Asia.
They met with former Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan, TikTok’s Social Impact Manager (APAC) Jerry Lewis Ong, and Richard Buttrey from the University of Cambridge.
Besides visiting OUE Group and Enabling Village, last year also saw two student-led initiatives being incubated, namely Silver Sayang and NourishMind.
The student fellows behind Silver Sayang focused on alleviating elderly loneliness with engagement kits and volunteer programmes.
They are currently building a network of student volunteers to interact with seniors, while working on an exhibition to showcase the creativity of seniors.
On the other hand, NourishMind uses artificial intelligence (AI) to promote mindful nutrition and mental well-being.
After completing an offline wellness event, the team is working to add wellness products to their inventory.
Both student-led initiatives won project start-up funds and were provided with mentorship support to ensure project implementation.
This year’s theme is: “How can High Technology be Leveraged for Philanthropic Innovation?”
Going beyond traditional education, student fellows will be placed in an immersive learning environment to increase their understanding of leadership and philanthropy.
Placing an emphasis on practical application, they will also be involved with volunteering allowing them to experience the power of charitable actions firsthand.
In addition to like-minded young people around the world, student fellows will also meet and learn from AI scientists and renowned entrepreneurs.
Here’s what you can look forward to for the exciting and enriching five days in June:
This means student fellows will not have to pay for the programme, except for a fee of S$200 to cover transport and meals.
When asked what sets this programme apart, Singapore Good Soil Foundation founder Faye Lo shared that they focus on integrating leadership development with a social change strategy on a global stage.
As opposed to reviewing regional challenges in light of public policy and governance, their programme encourages student fellows to tackle challenges without being bounded by borders and industries.
According to Lo, the heart of the programme is their commitment to “cultivate genuine talent and foster an environment of growth”.
She hopes the programme can show youths that “to positively impact society is not about waiting for the perfect moment” because in reality, there will never be a perfect moment.
Applications are now open and will close on May 15, 2025.
Learn more about the Next Generation Philanthropy Leadership Programme here.
Stay up to date with the Singapore Good Soil Foundation by following their Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube pages.
This branded article by the Singapore Good Soil Foundation made the writer wish she was 15 again.
Top images via the Singapore Good Soil Foundation.
