SINGAPORE, 12 April 2022 — WWF-Singapore (World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore) today announces the launch of the 2022 edition of #WeGotThis, a global youth sustainability incubator programme presented in conjunction with Temasek Foundation. This follows the successful completion of the inaugural edition culminating in today’s Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2021.
The latest IPCC report is clear about the urgency of action when it comes to avoiding the ravages of climate breakdown; we are fast running out of time to implement the solutions to limit global warming. With 1.8 billion people (aged 10-24) being the largest generation of youth in history, it is important to inspire and engage them. We must take collective climate action in creating a nature-positive future together.
Recognising the power of youth in driving meaningful progress, WWF-Singapore and Temasek Foundation are working with like-minded partners to create a youth-led community movement to empower younger generations in Singapore and Southeast Asia to take the lead in their own sustainable future, through social media advocacy. Through #WeGotThis, youths are equipped with skills, knowledge, and tools on sustainability, innovation and digital advocacy so they can build up a sustainability following, reach out to peers and the larger community, and drive change via their own social media platforms. This year’s themes are to tackle climate change, food wastage and promote a circular economy.
“Our young people have shown unprecedented mobilisation around the world and are scaling up their efforts and using their skills to accelerate climate action. They will be the most affected by climate change, and we have a job to do to empower their efforts and make their voices heard. At WWF-Singapore, we are committed to working with youth to make a difference through campaigning for an environmental cause of their choice. We Got This, backed by the Temasek Foundation, allows us to reach a wide section of youth up to the age of 30 to create a movement for the planet,” said WWF-Singapore’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr R. Raghunathan.
Mr Lim Hock Chuan, Head, Programmes, Temasek Foundation, said: “At Temasek Foundation, we recognise the creativity, dynamism and optimism of youths. These are important ingredients that will help to reveal fresh approaches to help us build a better and more sustainable world. With #WeGotThis, we hope to build a movement of young leaders who will champion various sustainability goals and inspire other youths to take personal action to promote sustainability as part of their lifestyles.”
Existing and aspiring youth eco-advocates, influencers, innovators, and entrepreneurs between 18 to 30 years old are invited to participate. They will have access to three master classes in May 2022, covering topics like conscious living or digital advocacy. After the master classes, to better prepare them to launch their own mini online campaigns, selected participants will be invited to attend an incubator programme in July 2022 comprising a five-day boot camp and access to a mentorship programme helmed by industry experts such as Vikas Garg, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, aBillion, Amanda Lim, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Growth at MeshMinds, and more. All sessions will be held virtually. More details about the #WeGotThis programme is in Annex A.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR PLANET EARTH
Using the skills, knowledge and tools acquired through the programme, 89 youths from the Class of 2021 formed 42 teams who designed and executed strategic online campaigns to engage in public outreach and contributed to a youth-led movement on sustainability. They were selected from over 400 youths from around the world, including Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Sharing their passion are Mr Louis Chan and Ms Yeo Pei Shan who were two participants from the Class of 2021 from Singapore.
Louis Chan – Sustainable Finance Simplified
Mr Louis Chan is a Year 4 Pharmacy undergraduate from the National University of Singapore. His passion for sustainability started through an internship with Deloitte and hasn’t stopped since then. Through his initiative ‘Sustainable Finance Simplified’, Mr Chan aims to encourage more youths to look at companies’ sustainability profiles before investing.
“My goal is to create awareness about sustainable finance and companies’ sustainability efforts. Through simple articles posted online covering green financing, impact investing, and green-washing, I want to elevate the knowledge of the youth and explore partnerships with start-ups or SMEs to guide them when it comes to sustainability,” said Mr Chan.
Yeo Pei Shan – King Food Warrior
Ms Yeo Pei Shan is the former co-founder of UglyFood, a food waste reduction social enterprise. Ms Yeo has now started a new initiative called ‘Food Warrior’ to empower youths to explore opportunities in the food sustainability space. The campaign aims to address food waste, sustainable food sources, limit single-use items and consumerism.
“I zoom into food waste because eating is something we do daily, and food production plays a huge part in climate change. At the same time, I see value in food sustainability as it also brings health benefits to people keeping them healthy and free from terminal or diet-related diseases. I decided to take more action when I started volunteering at Ground Up Initiative and was deeply inspired by the late Mr Tay Lai Hock, particularly by his conviction and determination.” said Ms Yeo.
#WeGotThis class of 2022 is supported by our Official Content Partner, Green is the New Black, and in collaboration with KRDS & Redhill.
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For more information, please contact us at the following:
| For media enquiries, please contact: wwfsg@redhill.asia | For all other enquiries, please contact: wgt@wwf.sg |
About WWF-Singapore
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
As one of WWF’s international hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network spanning over 100 countries. WWF-Singapore works closely with local stakeholders towards a greener and more sustainable Singapore and the region around us. We work to address key conservation areas, such as climate change, sustainable finance, deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, marine conservation, and sustainable production and consumption, through collaboration, education and outreach efforts involving the community, businesses, and governments. For more information, please visit wwf.sg.
About Temasek Foundation
Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and Asia.
Temasek Foundation’s programmes are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and other contributions from other donors. These programmes strive to deliver positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come.
Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strengthen social resilience; foster international exchange and catalyse regional capabilities; advance science; and protect the planet.
For more information, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg.
Annex A: Overview of Youth Sustainability Incubator Programme – We Got This 2022
1.Master Classes
| Three open sourced virtual master classes and resources for participants covering the following topics: Week 1: Sustainability with Melissa Low – Green Studies InstituteWeek 2: Digital Marketing – speaker to be confirmedWeek 3: Community Building with Kristian Marc – SG Climate Rally and Tori Tsui – Bad Activist Collective |
2.Boot Camp
| 50 participants will be selected for the incubator programme to join the 5-day boot camp: Day 1 – Building sustainability knowledgeDay 2 – Finding your placeDay 3 – Getting down to businessDay 4 – Walking the talkDay 5 – Sustaining your activism Programme curated by Green is the New Black and to be conducted by industry experts. |
3.Mentorship Programme
| 50 youth/groups will be matched with a mentor based on their interests and skills. These include: Sustainability knowledgeCampaigns or project managementLeadership and people development Programme curated by WWF-Singapore and to be supported by Ask Me Anything and other unique experiences sessions. Ask Me Anything sessions by expert guests in sustainability, digital and social media, conscious living and community building skills to address immediate challenges of the youth-led movement. |
