Lens of Compassion: Empowering Youths to Lead with Authenticity at Youth For Change 2026

Continuing on our powerful lineup of guest speakers for our Youth For Change Workshop 2026 on 17th March, we had the privilege of hearing from Ms Peh Yin Yee, the Executive Director of Oogachaga and a seasoned social worker, who's sharing invites our youth participants in understanding the themes of kindness, inclusivity, and the journey towards creating safer communities.

Yin Yee has been serving non-profit communities professionally since 2008, from being a medical social worker, to a social worker in the field for children and youth sector, to supervising and supporting social workers, to being a member of the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW) Crisis Response Team.

Yin Yee's career in the social service sector is rooted in a desire to ensure everyone feels heard and valued. She first shared her story where she took part in a Youth for Causes project with the Anglican Care Centre at Simei. Her original project mission was to teach the disadvantaged groups how to fish and create sustainable sources of income by creating a social enterprise producing handmade cards. It then developed to creating job opportunities for psychiatric patients working in a safe and secure environment, allowing them to discover their own potential and creativity to improve their quality of life.

Yin Yee's Personal Growth from being "Apart" to "A Part" 🤝 🌍 Yin Yee shared that her most resonant parts in her journey was the transition into her role at Oogachaga. At the start, she viewed herself as as an ally standing apart from the LGBTQ+ community. Through her close work with the community, her perspective then slowly shifted from "them" to "us".

Through her work in the different sectors, Yin Yee realized a universal truth -- we are all human beings struggling to meet our needs and wants. This led to a powerful reflection where humans often judge others without knowing their full story, however people behave and respond in certain ways just because of our natural survival instincts. She left reflection prompts that let our youth participants to think thoroughly -- "How is it fair to judge others based upon their life choices and decisions? How can we get rid of judgment and make the world a safer place for everyone?"

Additionally, Yin Yee also touched on the importance of self-leadership -- the act of taking ownership of our own life, choices, and boundaries. As a parent and a professional, she learned to align her work with her personal values, choosing a path that allowed her to be the "captain of her own ship" that steers her journey with life, vision and purpose. Yin Yee encourages us to recognize and acknowledge our personal strengths, limitations and to be committed in guiding ourselves through adversity.

To close her insightful sharing session at YFC 2026, Yin Yee reassures everyone that it is okay when things don't work out at the start for us --falling is a part of life, but getting back up is living. Yin Yee's sharing reminds us that whether we are working in mental health, supporting the different communities, or navigating our own personal growth, the most effective and powerful tool we possess is a non-judgmental heart. By choosing to be "a part" of the communities rather than standing "apart", and by leading ourselves with the same compassion we offer others, we can create a more inclusive world. We would like to extend our deepest thanks to Yin Yee for her time, her unwavering dedication to the community, and her insights that provided our youth participants a guiding light in making a difference in the future. 🌟 💪