Tan Beng Chong, Martin
Co-Founder | Executive Director,
The Majurity Trust Ltd
Co-Founder Foreword
Leadership skills have been at the forefront of discussion since the start of 2022. As with most things in life, our appreciation of the good only comes when we experience the bad. When we fall victim to the effects of bad leadership, only then do we acknowledge the significance of a good one.
Currently, there is a constant fear throughout the world as a world war could break out at any time. In addition, a war against Covid-19 rages on our shores in the continued fight against the never-relenting virus. During this time of crisis, we were yet again reminded of the importance of training our young ones to lead in uncertain times.
As I reimagine the future, two words come to mind: 'Leadership Matters’. Hence, this is why we do what we do at Halogen, so that the youths of today can become the leaders of tomorrow and be influencers in various aspects of life.
Every year, as the world’s population changes, youths will soon make up a large percentage of the population. This untapped generation is brimming with creativity, knowledge and perspectives that are essential for the continued growth of our society. Young people have hidden potential and possess strong beliefs in making a difference in the world. As our future leaders, they should be given the opportunity to speak up and to contribute in making important decisions for our society.
At Halogen, we aim to support their growth and guide them towards uncovering their strengths, by providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and opportunities. In turn, this lowers their barriers for success and inspires them to take on any future challenges ahead.
On behalf of the board members, I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards our partners, donors, staff and volunteers for keeping our mission of empowering youths going. Thank you for your commitment towards youths amidst these challenging circumstances, and for believing in our cause of raising a future generation of leaders.
We are on the cusp of exciting times, and I sincerely hope to have all of you alongside us as we sprint towards our vision of becoming a nexus for all youths to converge and flourish together.
CEO’s Message
As Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Looking back on the early days of the pandemic, the world was caught in a state of panic and many companies were affected by the unprecedented effects of Covid-19. Most businesses were fighting to stay afloat, while many had to throw in the towel. Thankfully, 2021 turned out to be a year of recovery and resilience for us.
With the pandemic raging on, we took the time to re-examine our approaches and developed new ways of engagement by moving our programmes online. Having explored different ways of engaging the youths, our team designed a virtual experience in Gathertown, where students can take part in an ‘Amazing Race’ to collectively solve a puzzle. This gave the students a chance to learn and adapt to a new digitally-led environment.
We also started exploring digital business visits with schools, offering our Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) students the opportunity to understand more about the various corporations, and to gain deeper insights on different career options - through interactions with industry professionals, virtual office tours, and Kahoot! games.
Our Academy team also took the time to regroup and rethink how we could enhance our curriculums to ensure a meaningful mentoring experience for youths, which led to the rebranding of our mentoring programme - now known as ELEMENTS. Through ELEMENTS, youths will be paired with mentors from established institutions, companies, and our Halogen+ community, to get a better understanding of who they are and their abilities, allowing them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the next phase of their life.
As our organisation adapted to cope with the changing nature of engagement, our volunteers were adapting in tandem with us too by shifting fundraising efforts online and volunteering virtually. While we know that it hasn’t been an easy transition, we appreciate the effort and time that our volunteers have given to our cause. We would not have been able to do what we do for our youths without the help from our volunteers, partners, educators and staff, and we are incredibly grateful for the support amidst the storms.
With the world constantly evolving and undergoing rapid changes, Covid is merely an example of change and new challenges will continue to arise. Hence, it is imperative that we do not become complacent and lose sight of our goals. In order to provide the best support for our youths, we need to remain relevant by keeping abreast of trends and adapting when needed. We hope to consistently inspire youths to be changemakers, by strengthening their character, mindset, and skillset to become the best version of themselves and to positively impact those around them.
Let us continue to engage and empower young people to make a positive impact in the community. Join us on this journey of shaping the next generation of leaders!
Ivy Tse
Chief Executive Officer, Halogen Foundation
What we do as a Charity/Youth Development Organisation
About
Founded in 2003, Halogen Foundation (Singapore) is an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) charity focusing on building young leaders and entrepreneurs. Defining leadership and entrepreneurship as an influence, Halogen Foundation believes that every young person has the innate potential to influence and lead, becoming positive change-agents. By developing an entrepreneurial mindset, youths can be further equipped to contribute positively to society.
Halogen Foundation aims to make quality leadership and entrepreneurship education available to all young people regardless of background, race, income, or religion, particularly those who are disadvantaged – coming from challenging family backgrounds and/or are in need of financial assistance.
Mission
Vision
To inspire and influence a generation of young people to lead themselves and others well.
To be the recognised charity dedicated to transforming the lives of young people through leadership and entrepreneurship development.
Values
People - We believe every individual is of great worth and has a purpose to fulfil. Every person should be given the platform and opportunity to shine regardless of their background.
Responsibility - We have a part to play in the community and need to be accountable for our words and actions. Leadership is a privilege and not a right.
Integrity - We commit to upholding honesty and good character in all that we do. Integrity is the hallmark of great character and great character is the hallmark of great leadership.
Generosity - We seek to be giving and serving in the communities we are in, and empowering others to do the same. Leadership is not about being served but it is about serving.
Our Theory of Change
As a youth development charity, we are committed to ensuring that young people – who are the future of our communities – are ready to face the challenges in the life ahead of them. To do so, we position ourselves as an outcome-driven organisation with a carefully curated set of activities that allow us to achieve our desired end result.
ACTIVITIES
OUTPUT
INTERMEDIATE OF OUTCOMES
LONG-TERM OUTCOME
To future-proof a generation of young people and enable them to thrive in which ever environment they are placed in
For Youths
Facilitated character development programmes in leadership and entrepreneurship
Mentorship workshops and programmes that match youths with adult volunteers
Award for spotlighting and developing high-potential leaders
Community-building events for youth to interact and co-create social impact initiatives
Internships for on-the-job leadership and character development
For Educators/ Youth Enablers*
Facilitated train-the-trainer programmes in delivering leadership and entrepreneurship workshops to youth
Community building events for educators to network and learn from analogous private sector examples of development
Consulting Educators/Youth Influencers in organisation development for youth
Building Youths in
Character-defining attributes Mindset-building attributes Skills proficiency attributes
Educators/ Youth Enablers* gain
Skills in developing the youth they interact with
Resources to continue building their youth
Networks with supporters and advocates of youth development
Youths are able to
Lead themselves well
Lead others well
Lead change well
Educators/ Youth Enabler* are
Better equipped to support youth in readying themselves
Able to lead their organisations to provide institutionalised support for youth development
*Educators andYouth Enablers are defined by us as adults who are invested in youth development and wield significant influence on young people, such as teachers, parents, youth workers, coaches and mentors.