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Make the Change is thankful to be given the opportunity to hold a 2 day workshop and impart our social entrepreneurship knowledge to the young and aspiring changemakers at Ngee Ann Polytechnic! On the first day, everyone started with a shy introduction of themselves, together with a small ice breaker activity to get all of us comfortable with each other. As we slowly warmed up, we jumped straight into introducing what social entrepreneurship is all about. The students showed enthusiasm and eagerness to learn through their active participation, even though they were still feeling a little awkward around us. They asked many questions to clarify their doubts about social enterprises and their business models, as well as went a step further to search up about more social enterprises out there in Singapore. After a short break, we showed the students a new side of social enterprises: How do you start one. Initially, we wanted to wow them with a new model called Design Thinking but lo and behold, they were more well versed than us in Design Thinking! *gasp generation gap* With that, we briefly touched about it as a refresher and moved on to the next tip on how to start a social enterprise. This time, we managed to wow them with a video by Simon Sinek introducing the Golden Circle Model. According to Simon, people don’t buy what you do; they buy what you do it and this serves as a reminder for all of us, especially when we are starting on a new project. With lunch time closing in, we tasked the students to break up into 2 groups and come up with their social enterprise ideas before releasing them. Both groups came up with amazing ideas, one targeting ex-convicts and another on the visually impaired persons. But before they could carry on working on their social enterprise ideas, they had to understand their beneficiary and business in order to come up with a service or product most suitable for them. This is where we imparted our knowledge of impact measurement, empathy thinking and business innovation to them, teaching them the different ways to measure the impact of their social enterprises (Impact Measurement), the different tools to understand their target beneficiaries (Empathy Map), as well as the different leading points to probe their strategic mindset when setting up a business (Business Model Canvas) After they were clear with their business ideas and target beneficiaries, they started creating their prototypes: the products, packaging, websites etc. The day ended with a short game, called completing the story, to summarise what they have learnt throughout day 1 of the workshop. We met up again the next day and the students finished up working on their prototype and slides. Time was tight but all of them put in their utmost best to perfect their deliverable for the presentation later on. It was nice to see them enjoy making their products, experimenting with different tools and styles. Time passed quickly as they were concentrating on finalising their slides, they even worked on them during their break time! *the dedication tho!* Finally, it was their long awaited presentation! They had to present to a panel of judges about their social enterprise ideas and if it is innovative and viable, the judges can choose to invest in the idea and make it come alive. We were happy and excited for the students when the judges showed interested in one of the groups’ idea and were keen to carry it out! As they all say, all good things must come to an end. We were thankful to be able to meet such aspiring and creative young changemakers through this 2 day workshop and we hope that both ideas would be implemented and carried forward in the near future!

2017 marks the beginning of Young Sustainable Impact Southeast Asia (YSI SEA). YSI SEA is passionate about bringing young people together to tackle sustainability problems, specifically in three areas: Energy Transitions, Food & Agriculture and Circular Economy. YSI SEA is part of a larger community, YSI Global, after it brought about an overwhelming response all across the world. On Saturday, 27 July, we are thankful for the opportunity to hold our Make The Change booth at their YSI SEA Showcase 2019: Sustainability, Hype or Hope? as we share about our sustainable efforts and understand how we can all play our part as a bigger ecosystem in keeping our society more eco-conscious. The event was kickstarted with a speech by Minister Masagos Zulkifli, the Guest of Honour, where he touched on some of Singapore’s engagement in Sustainable Development. His sharing was thought-provoking as I listened to the sustainable efforts of other youths in Singapore and rethink my old bad habits of waste as a youth, equally too. I could and should have been more aware of my actions towards the environment. The 4 hours event was packed full with programmes. On the stage were 4 distinguished speakers across different fields sharing on their insights, struggles and motivations in paving towards a sustainable future. And on the ground were 16 over booths ranging from start-ups to organisations in the social service sector presenting and showcasing their own efforts in being sustainable. As the crowd started coming in, I found myself interacting and networking with individuals from vastly different industry however, all with the same goal of sustainability. Sustainability; a word I hear so often yet an action I very often do not follow. It was truly an enriching session filled with interactive activities and educational discussions as I took back golden tips on how I can play my part to make the world a better and greener place. It’s never too late to start now. Let’s all make a change towards a greener and more socially-conscious world.

Salesforce is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software system available in the market and it makes perfect sense to consider implementing it for your company if you are thinking about scaling up your business. It is, after all, the best CRM system for enterprises as ranked by Business News Daily and described as the “All-in-one, cloud-based solution that has everything you need in a CRM software”. The review has also marked Salesforce as being easy to use, with key functions that help small enterprises with various functions within the organization. However, before embarking on the (possibly tedious if done wrongly) journey of executing such a big exercise of integrating Salesforce into your existing processes and systems, there are 3 important advices we have and you may want to continue reading. What are you using it for? Do you really need such a powerful CRM system or are you just jumping onto the bandwagon because it is “trendy” to do so? What will you be needing it for specifically? If it is just digital marketing, most of the social media & search engine already have very user friendly “self-service” platforms and there may not no need for another SaaS like Salesforce. However, if you are looking at things like for example, improving customer relationships, bettering user experiences at different touch points, gathering data, making decisions quickly in order to make sure customers return for more, then you are looking at the right direction. You may need further validation by knowing that SurveyMonkey has found out 72 percent of shoppers (in America) are more likely to shop from brands that make customer experience as a priority. Are your staff ready to commit to it? Salesforce is a powerful tool, only if the data it is getting has good integrity from the ones inputting them in. It may sound simple on paper, but getting staff to commit on doing that additional step of keying in data on a daily basis may be much more difficult than previously thought. Introducing something new in the company will almost guarantee resistance, albeit only with a small effort, let alone extra work. Communication is key. A lot of ground work may be needed, like explaining the benefits, showcasing the companies that are also using it, etc., before the stakeholders are more ready to start using it. They may even see it as a privilege to be among the first to use it. If you are confident of overcoming this hurdle, which may require a consistent effort over a long time, we believe that the team will also slowly start to see the benefits and reward of having the system (better conversion, increased sales, etc.), and get to grow into it eventually. You need a good Salesforce partner, not just any integration provider. Although Salesforce is based in cloud, you will still need to integrate it into your existing system and processes. Even if you don’t need to, the reason why Salesforce is so powerful is because it is customisable to each different organization’s needs and wants. You can go directly to Salesforce but they will be charging a much much higher fee. Therefore, most savvy in-charge will go directly to the page on Salesforce where they show their list of authorised partners in different territory instead. However, do note that not every Salesforce partner is as reliable as the next one. The experienced ones will make the integration of Salesforce into your organization seems like a walk in the park, a total breath of fresh air with a new toy to play for your fellow colleagues in no time. A bad one will make you regret your decision of even proposing this (and maybe fighting for it) in the first place. And it is going to look very bad on you with all the “I told you” prophecies coming true, behind your back in the pantry. A good indication will be the partner’s number of years in the field and their portfolio of clients, how many of them looks like the type your organization belong to. Those with in-depth cloud experience is a huge plus point too. The journey of setting it may not be a bed of roses (especially when you end up with a bad Salesforce partner). But once it is up and ready, enjoy your new powerful tool and, when the data starts coming in, making critical decisions that are the best for your organisation. Article is contributed by Mandy, who is a marketing executive of Crimsonworks Solutions, a top Salesforce Singapore partner, and have been helping clients with the customisation and integration of cloud solutions for organisations of various sizes since 2002.

Make The Change is honoured to be part of Y.LEAD 2019, under the invitation of River Valley High School to share with the youth a different approach of doing business to become leaders of tomorrow. As MP Baey Yam Keng has mentioned, “Our youth are growing up in an era of rapid change and global uncertainty – yet also a time of great opportunity as we become more and more connected, with new ways to live, work and play.”, we hope to hone these leaders of tomorrow to make a difference to the community through social entrepreneurship, which Forbes has mentioned as the new business model. The workshop started with the introduction of social entrepreneurship: What is a social enterprise Examples of social enterprises in Singapore and overseas The different business model of social enterprises An activity to differentiate different social enterprises business model The students were quick to catch on the different business models of social enterprises and we were pleasantly surprised with their deep knowledge of them. They were not hesitant to ask questions when in doubt and even probed us further to give them a deeper understanding of what social enterprises were. We continued the workshop with design thinking where we shared what design thinking is and how to apply it through emphatising, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing. To give the students a clearer understanding of the processes, we used a youth initiated project Sondering Slate as a case study to show them how the different phases were carried out in real life. An activity followed after where they have to think of a social issue they want to tackle and use design thinking to create a solution for it. The students never fail to surprise us with their creative and innovative thinking skills when they presented their ideas, some seemingly so viable and easy to carry out yet so ingenious. The workshop ended with a group photo and we separated with happy memories made. We hope that this workshop has been a fruitful one for them, with useful skills like design thinking to take away, and we look forward to seeing some of them become changemakers after this!

In recent years, we hear a lot more about social injustice and caring for the neglected of society. Models of meeting the needs of others have evolved over time and with a new generation entering the workforce; meant more new perspectives and space for innovation. With 76% of young people purchased/considering to purchase goods with social causes that they resonate with, it's more than evident than ever how social justice ties in closely with their lives. As of last year, 336 social enterprises are registered with Raise. Given time to come, more social enterprise will arrive in the local scene. Are you one who is interested in the local social enterprise scene? Here are some helpful pointers to guiding you to successfully starting your own Social Enterprise (SE). 1. What is a social enterprise? Social enterprises are small, medium enterprises (SMEs) that offer quality products and services in the market while contributing to sustainability goals and serving a specific community. They contribute to the society either by serving the community directly as their main business goal, divert some of their revenue towards sustainability efforts or engage the community as part of their business operations. 2. Who do you intend to serve? It is easy to express your interest in impacting society. However, we all got to start from somewhere. Is there a certain people group or demographic that has caught your eye? There are many needy communities in Singapore, ranging from young children from low-income families to ex-convicts hoping to reintegrate into society to elderly living alone in their one-room apartments. Having to pick one group to start with helps to narrow down your products/services and the relevant strategies towards catering to the needs of your target audience. Having decided on a particular group helps determine the viability of your selling idea for your social enterprise. 3. Why do you serve them? After identifying the group you want to serve, ask yourself what keeps you going to serve them? What makes you passionate in serving this community in need? Is there a backstory to your heart for this particular group? Having to know your why helps in retaining your vision and focus on the things that matter especially during turbulent times. There will be times of sweet success and times of hard ploughing. It is during the ploughing where things can get exceptionally difficult. Knowing your vision and reason become your main motivation to persevere. 4. How do you intend to serve them - What is your business? Like all business, you need to have a unique selling point. Will your business be product-centric or service-centric or a hybrid of both? Even so, there is a wide variety of choices under each category. A little lost with what business you should do? Here are some suggestions: Look at your own marketable skills, talents and resources. Take time to sit down and evaluate what skills you have that are useful to start a business. Always do your due diligence to research on the potential in the different industries. Are they oversaturated with people having similar ideas as you? Being different gives you an upper hand when attracting potential customers. Think about how your business can be run sustainably to benefit the under-served community. Is it easier to serve them directly through the products/services from the business or will an indirect method be more practical in the long run? These are only some of the many considerations. We encourage you to spend time with friends, colleagues and those who have more experience in Social entrepreneurship for more insights. 5. Where do you want to serve the community-in-need? Depending on your business model of choice, your platform to serve the community-in-need will vary. If your community-in-need are your main customers, your platform will be designed more towards meeting their needs. On the other hand, if they are not your main customers, you may be afforded some flexibility in the way you serve their needs. Some platforms can include physical locations (e.g. training or rehabilitation centres, physical stalls) or digital platforms (e.g. e-commerce websites, social media, event hosting websites). Interested to find out more about social enterprises? Sign up for our workshop Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship to learn more!

After months of hard work and dedication, our Persons-with-Dreams (PWDs) from our Marketing For The Digital Age and Website Design and E-Commerce programmes have finally graduated! Make The Change has always believed that PWDs does not stand for Persons-with-Disabilities but instead, Persons-with-Dreams and as we watched them journeyed towards their dreams through these past 6 months, we are happy to say that it was all worth it. In their course of study, our PWDs students picked up valuable technical skills such as User-Interface/User-Experience, Website Creation, Content Creation and more which will keep them competitive in the thriving workforce. In addition, they acquired soft-skills such as having better confidence and communication skills when working with their classmates for group projects to better prepare them in their integration back to society. Many of them started out on this journey with zero knowledge of what they are about to take on but their eagerness to learn is truly admirable. Despite the intense number of classes and assignments, their enthusiasm and passion has never faltered and today, they are standing proud and tall with their certificates of achievement. We would like to take this chance to thank SG Enable for supporting our creative programmes for PWDs, the Enabling Village and our dearest lecturers for their patience and guidance through the times together. Last but definitely not the least, to our graduates, congratulations and we wish you all the best for your future endeavors. Till then, see you again!

Hello! We are Xin yan and Yu Ting, two students from Raffles Girls School, who were part of a two-week internship with Make the Change during the June holidays. Our goal before joining Make the Change was to gain more insights on the running of a social enterprise, as well as pick up some digital marketing and graphic design skills. However, we left with much more than that. For our day to day work, we were invited to assist in some of the actual projects Make the Change was working on, and this allowed us to not only have a better understanding of the work a social enterprise does, but also gave us the opportunity to contribute ideas towards some of the team’s marketing strategies! This unique and rewarding first-hand experience was more than enough to give us a thorough understanding of what a social organisation really encompasses, which is both creativity and a commitment to service. As for the other projects that we worked on, we were tasked to do research and source for potential clients, giving us a platform to hone our research skills as we had to search for resources related to marketing online to aid us in our work. At the same time, we learnt skills outside our field of involvement, such as art skills, as we participated in some of Make the Change’s art design classes and the Digital Arts For All Programme. At MWS Charis Ace, we helped in facilitating the media literacy and digital art workshop, where we interacted with the elderly at the daycare centre and clarified any of their doubts. We also took part in a workshop conducted by a deaf instructor, Isaac, and learnt not just about digital art, but also his story and journey as a deaf artist. These initiatives, which are the behind-the-scenes aspects of social enterprises like Make the Change, truly show how much Make the Change has given back to the community in their own way, so as to help improve the lives of the members of the community. Most importantly, we managed to forge deep friendships with our fellow amiable and caring colleagues, who have done their utmost to mentor us in any way possible and guide us in our Make the Change journey, and we are extremely grateful for the patience and care that they have showed us every step of the way in our journey as interns. Make the Change really amazed us with the amount of effort that is being put into every product that they work on. Not only is their team dedicated and collaborative, they also make sure the product is completed to the best of their ability. They always look for and listen to suggestions and ideas from each other before a final draft is released, and we believe that this is because of their strong common identity they have in giving back to the community. All in all, our experience with Make The Change has been a very fruitful and enjoyable one, and we are glad that we had been given the opportunity to work with such a tightly-knit and professional team!

Ageing is an inevitable process that everyone has to go through in life, but why are we always trying to avoid it? According to Martin Firrell, ageing is a privilege not a predicament. As one of Make The Change's main pillars, community development has always been close to our hearts. Through programmes such as Digital Arts For All (DAFA), we had the chance to train and work with youth facilitators to connect with active seniors in Singapore. This time, MTC is happy to be at the Ageing Asia Exhibition to find out how we, as changemakers, can play our part for the ageing population in Asia. Asia’s first curated ageing exhibition was held on the 14th and 15th May 2019. It showcased the world’s top 50 trending products that will change the future of ageing; from a specially designed playground for the elders to clinical sessions for better health. There were many innovative ideas that were eye-catching and many of which showed potential in bettering our ageing population in Singapore. We had many hands-on opportunities at the exhibition as new innovations are often difficult to understand properly through explanations only. The exhibitors were more than willing to show us about their innovations through demonstrations. They even encouraged us to try them out and this really helped us to fully grasp the concepts of them. Overall, it was a pleasant experience as the people there were welcoming, friendly and enthusiastic. We saw many interesting innovations and here are our top picks! Image credit: I'm Soul Inc 1. I’m Soul Inc We cannot help but wander towards the song ‘上海滩 Shang Hai Tan’ the moment we entered the exhibition and there, we found ourselves at I’m Soul Inc. They are a social enterprise that breaks barrier by using engaging programmes and innovative technology to allow everyone to make music for mind, body and soul. Neuroscience proves that music has power and that Music Making boosts this power on our brains and wellness. I'm Soul Inc delivers the booster shot. We were approached by a friendly representative and without hesitation, she showed us how the sound beam produces music through movement. In an instant, it blew our minds away. I got the opportunity to try out the sound beam and honestly speaking, I never knew technology could be used this way! It is so simple to use and with just a few taps, I have already created a piece of music! It is user-friendly and definitely, elderly-friendly. We got curious and asked if it was possible to play a song just like the one we heard only to find out that the controller includes 41 pre-composed soundsets! Isn’t that the best? I’m Soul Inc not only targets the elderly sector as their beneficiary, but their technology is also made for everyone! The representative mentioned that it also helps children with special needs, people with cerebral palsy and Parkinson to even cancer patients! An uncomplicated solution yet inclusive for all to use. Image credit: Moto Tiles 2. Moto We stumbled across Moto at the corner of the exhibition hall and their colourful LED lighted tiles caught our attention. Moto’s motto ( ahahahha ) is to bring happiness to life and they do so through play. They sell tiles that can sense pressure, and has 8 lights placed in a circular format embedded in the tiles which shine up in the colours of the rainbow. The tiles are designed like LEGO bricks, which can put together in different shapes like in a straight line, in a square, in a horseshoe, etc. The Moto tiles can even be placed away from each other to allow longer runs. It comes with an app pre-installed in a tablet which contains the different variety of games and controls the Moto tiles for play. Even though we were not able to have a talk with the representatives of Moto tiles, we saw snippets of how it works through videos and it truly amazed me. These tiles not only improved the lives of the elderly but also people from all walks of lives. They have users ranging from refugees suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) to stroke patients and children with cerebral palsy. Seeing a stroke patient being able to stand and move accordingly to the lighted tiles left me awestruck. Normally, physiotherapy is painful and strenuous to patients but in that video, he was having the time of his life with a smile on his face when he was on the tiles. Because of that video, I could see why Moto is the winner for Product Innovation of the Year. A simple idea that made use of technology brought along so many health benefits; creating joy for anyone and everyone while bringing life-changing effects around the world. Image credit: Japan Times 3. Aspire55 The next pick is Aspire55! Aspire55 is Asia’s first virtual retirement village that offers a combination of social, health and cares services but enables members to continue living in their existing homes. They hold programmes like strength training, brain training to reduce risks of dementia and regular social activities for their members. We were introduced to their newest edition, the Bunne Music Guitars. Unlike traditional guitars, the Bunne Music Guitars only have 3 chords, making it simple for all ages and abilities to play music. The exhibitor demonstrated the song ‘Edelweiss’ and it was so mesmerising that I started humming along to the rhythm. Later, we got the chance to strum the guitar to ‘Happy Birthday’ while she guided us with some simple hand gestures. Music has never been easier for someone who is tone deaf like me, I literally felt like the next Mozart. And amazingly, in just that short span of me playing the guitar, I could feel my entire body bursting with energy. The Bunne method was first developed in 1980 by Sten Bunne to make music easier for all. Music therapy has been found to have physiological and psychological effects that improve the quality of life. It boosts brain activity especially for those with dementia and that is the intent of the Bunnes Method. The Bunne Music Guitar has just arrived in Singapore not too long ago and I look forward to it kick starting at Aspire55, healing and bringing musical happiness to more elders in Singapore. 1.5 hours there was definitely not adequate as we explored the wide variety of booths. It is heartwarming yet fascinating to see all the unique inventions come to life and changing the future of ageing. Ageing has always been an off-putting topic but with these inventions, ageing may become a less daunting process.

Make The Change’s E-entrepreneurship Programme is open to all secondary school students in Singapore. Make The Change wants to empower the next generation with relevant skills that will help them in their future, for this reason we started running the E-Entrepreneurship programme, during the course of the programme, students will learn how to start their own business from the ground up; they’ll learn how to: Create a Business Plan and Model, and pitch them to Angel Investors Create or curate Products to sell Build their own websites Market and start selling their Products Digital and Social Media Marketing Students will get to visit various MNCs like Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft and some others, as well as, SMEs to pick the brains of industry experts, and different workshops would be conducted. All in all, Make The Change’s E-entrepreneurship Programme is a very hands-on experience which would impart invaluable lessons to participants. So far we had worked with several secondary schools in Singapore, if you are looking for a meaningful programme for your students do not hesitate in contacting us. According to the latest United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates, the global E-commerce market is worth around $22.1 trillion* *https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/global-e-commerce-market-is-worth-22-trillion-unctad/articleshow/53274475.cms?from=mdr

As of March 2019, 95% of Singapore's public transport and bus stops are person with disabilities (PWD) friendly, our employment, only dismal 5% of the population with disabilities is actually employed. Singapore, being one of the first world nations, aims to be more inclusive in the workplace in the coming years. However, many companies are hesitant to take that step due to the lack of knowledge and a misperception of high costs of integration into their operations. Thankfully, with the help of SG Enable, more companies have taken steps towards a more inclusive workplace culture. Continuing on our two-part series on PWD friendly organisations, here are some of our local trailblazers. In partnership with SG Enable, these are the top 10 PWD friendly companies - ranked by the following qualities: (Ranking System) If you have missed out on Part 1 of our series, click here to find out more. Opportunities for Progression PWD Friendly arrangements Inclusiveness culture 6. Pan Pacific Hotels Group Team Singapore Para Sailor Apple Yap Qian Yin has benefitted from her role as finance executive in the company. Pan Pacific made washrooms wheelchair-friendly and gave her a dedicated access card to get around easily. Apple lived a fulfilling life - managing and consolidating accounts in the day while training for competition in the night. Pan Pacific not only made it PWD friendly but possible for Apple to continue to pursue her passion as a sportsman. If you are someone keen on the hospitality industry, Pan Pacific might be somewhere you like to consider. 7. KK Women's and Children's Hospital At KK, they have hired more than eight staff with disabilities believing that their physical limitations does not stop them from contributing to society. KK made provisions for Linli, a wheelchair bound administrative staff, by providing a larger space for movement and a personalised photocopier within her reach. She has been working there for almost a decade now and was also awarded for her excellence in service by President Tony Tan in 2012. KK is an example of an inclusive environment for those aspiring to work in the healthcare sector. 8. Singtel Singtel empowered their disabilities staff to progress further b y giving them their own voice in the Group Sustainability department where they look at making retail stores more accessible for PWDs. To accommodate their needs, Singtel made certain adjustments with a special staff pass that can be detected and would automatically open the doors for their PWD staff. Also, there have been open discussion with the PWD's supervisors and colleagues to understand their condition better to know when is appropriate to provide help. By tending to the physical and emotional needs of the PWDs, Singtel ensures an inclusive and empowering environment for all. 9. Barclays In one of the offices at Barclays, the staff communicates a little differently from the rest - via sign language. Barclay empowers their PWD employees by teaching their team members basic sign language words and simple deaf etiquette. Beyond that, Barclays provide a platform through Reach Disability network for other colleagues to interact with the PWD staff and learn more about the disability etiquette. This enable Barclays employees to better empathise with the PWDs. With more platforms available, I believe Barclays will effectively integrate more PWDs into their inclusive culture in the coming days. 10. GovTech Just like any human will have their strengths and weaknesses, GovTech believes that disabilities will not dampen the PWD's ability to contribute to the workforce. GovTech's culture seeks to amplify team effectiveness and cover each other's weaknesses; leading to their high performance. Employees are also welcoming and encouraging that spurs our PWD staff on in their daily operations. Career progression is also readily provided as GovTech sends their PWD staff for upgrade and certification and most comes back with flying colours. If you are a tech junkie, GovTech may provide you a sustainable career doing what you like! Break out of your physical limitation and do something more! Check out our PWD-Friendly courses - Digital Marketing, Communication Design, Website Management specialised to cater to your needs.

"Change is not meant to be made alone. That's why we're here." – Abigail Teo, Changemaker, Make The Change Make The Change is honoured to have Timothy Hamons and Shah Widjaja come to share their thoughts and experiences with us for this year's edition of Design For Good Talk. During his session, Tim showed how visual models and concepts can be used to support and work through personal change to create a compelling story set around one's end goal. Tim expounded his belief that EVERYONE can draw; he had attendees pick up pen and paper, okay, an A5 card and a marker, and had them pair up, drawing whatever their partners shared with them. Questions were encouraged, and what w discovered was that the more people shared, and listen, the better the quality of the drawing. Granted, the drawings were not perfect but Tim shared that people were attracted to imperfection (the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi?). This acted as an effective icebreaker. The insight gained from Tim's sharing? EVERYONE can draw! Just let loose your inhibitions and release the inner child. Listen. The more one listens, the more insight and understanding one gains. The ability to tell a story is important if you are a leader, because great stories inspire people and allow them to see the possibility of the previously thought impossible. In summary, Tim encourages using visual thinking to aid and enhance our thought processes. Our second speaker of the day was Shah Widjaja, the former Head of Creative at Palo IT, Experienced Designer, Mentor and Troublemaker. Shah's sharing was titled very interestingly, "Design Thinking: WTFs and FTWs". Well, the acronyms mean just that. When met with a difficult problem, most of our reaction would be to blurt out the former expletive (what the...?) But what Shah wants attendees to do is to adopt the latter attitude. Take away from Shah's session? The boring stuff is important. You know what they say: "The devil is in the details." Plan 'just' enough. While it is always good to plan for contingencies, care must be taken not to over plan. It's not about the method. Show, don't tell. Visualise your ideas, it is easier to get across to your audience. Get uncomfortable being uncomfortable. Adopt a learning mindset, put aside personal ego, or "expert mindset" — Past results are no indicator of future performance. And last but not least, Persevere!

Singapore holds one of the lowest disability employment rate amongst developed cities in the world with only 4.9% of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) employed in the workforce. This means that only 5 out of every 100 PWDs are participating in the workforce and we are missing out on a potential workforce of 160, 000 people. We still have a long way towards becoming an inclusive society. Do you desire to make your mark despite your physical limitations? Do you know anyone with a physical disability? The good news is that more effort has been put in to educating the public, as well as organisations, in creating a more inclusive society. Many companies are becoming advocates for a more inclusive workforce with PWD friendly environments. This means there will be more job opportunities for PWDs. In partnership with SG Enable, these are the top 10 PWD friendly companies - they are recommended based on the following qualities: Companies are not ranked in order. Inclusiveness culture PWD friendly arrangements Work opportunities for PWDs 1. United Overseas Bank Group (UOB) UOB is one of the early adopters to the inclusiveness culture with their launch of "inclusive employment initiative" since 2013. In collaboration with Autism Resource Centre’s (ARC) Employability and Employment Centre, UOB redesigned certain work processes, modified their work environment and training programs to ensure that it is friendly for people with autism. Even the jobs, like checking and digitisation of customers documents, are tailored to people with autism's unique quality of steadfast focus and detailed attention. In addition, UOB provides counselling and supporting services which helped ensure the turnover rate decrease from 50% in 2013 to 5% in 2015; ensuring a sustainable long-term career. 2. Liho Our local bubble tea chain has recently jumped on the bandwagon to be part of the inclusive culture. Liho is making much effort with their new concept store opening at Cathay Cineleisure this March; with aims for the store to be entirely managed by PWDs. On PWD friendly arrangements, they are partnering with Singapore Association for the Deaf to provide appropriate training to 2-3 PWDs. We look forward to seeing how Liho can provide more opportunities for PWDs in the coming months. 3. Samsui Kitchen (Soup Restaurant Group) Being the social enterprise branch of Soup Restaurant Group, Samsui Kitchen catered to provide nutritional elderly friendly meals. Samsui Kitchen continues to be inclusive by having these meals prepared by trained inmates in Changi Prison and PWDs in Enabling Village. Facilities are also PWD friendly with low cooking facilities and induction cookers to ensure workplace safety for their wheelchair bound staff. With the expanding business, we can expect more opportunities for PWDs to make an impact in Samsui Kitchen. 4. National University Hospital (NUH) Through the School-to-work transition programs, NUH partnered with Ministry of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Education, and select special education schools for potential intellectually challenged students for internships in various departments. These eventually became their full-time jobs. With SGEnable job coaches and supportive supervisors in place, it smoothened their transition to the workplace with communication and processes adapted to their needs. Opportunities are given to PWDs to move from simpler tasks to more complex roles with greater responsibilities. 5. Uniqlo Uniqlo believes in engaging PWDs beyond monetary or physical means. To inculcate an inclusive culture, Uniqlo hires PWDs across their branches for their staff to catch the heartbeat of their belief. Uniqlo also provides utilises a basic training system that is easily used by all their employees including those with disabilities. PWDs have multiple opportunities to explore different roles here from frontline work with customers to back room jobs. If you enjoy interacting with people, Uniqlo may be the place for you. Look out for Part 2 of our series on Top 10 PWD Friendly Companies this month! Break out of your physical limitation and do something more! Check out our PWD-Friendly courses - Digital Marketing, Communication Design, Website Management specialised to cater to your needs.