Singapore Kindness Movement

At the quieter side of the bustling Tiong Bahru Market, facing towards the neighbouring flats, there is a small crafts stall called atthesideway. Here arises the question: why would there be a pottery store located right at a neighbourhood wet market? For a facility often associated with being a hotspot for local cuisine, hawkers, and daily necessities from mongers and stall owners, wouldn’t a crafts shop usually be considered out of place?

I’m a 25-year-old polytechnic student. As someone who is pursuing their education later than others, I expected myself to be unable to socialise and mingle with the current youth. I braced myself for solitude and loneliness throughout my three-year education journey. I couldn’t be more wrong. Within the first 2 years of my polytechnic journey, I’ve formed friendships with many different people. Some of them are people whom I consider my most trusted, as well as people whom I treasure dearly.

By: Ong Min Xuan, Lim Eng Suang Suanne, Ling Ying Xuan Cher, Liew Zi Ying, Leanne Tan Ee Faye At just 28, Tan Hui Ling leads Rental Hearts, a non-profit organisation providing free tuition to underprivileged children living in rental flats across 4 different locations, covering the North, South, East and West of Singapore all while juggling a full-time career in healthcare.

I found out I was being retrenched on a Tuesday morning, in a meeting room that was so devoid of life and quiet that you could only hear the whirring of the aircon. It was just my manager, my CEO, and me in the room. “We’re sorry,” “The company isn’t doing well,” and “We really appreciate you” – those were the exact words that my CEO said to me, and I’m sure it’s a phrase countless other people have heard as well. People are often surprised when I tell them that I felt … calm.

It’s concert day. I’m standing in the buzzing stadium queue, lightstick in hand and heart pounding, when someone suddenly taps my shoulder. I turn to see a fellow fan shyly handing me a holographic ziplock bag packed with sweets, a tissue packet, and a fan-made postcard featuring the members of BTS decorated with purple hearts. That moment introduced me to fan support, a practice I’d never encountered before. Nobody advertises it. You only find out when you experience it.

Singapore’s Total Fertility Rate hit a historic low of 0.87 last year. Every few months, a new initiative gets announced. A bonus here, a subsidy there. And yet the number keeps falling. It’s easy to frame this as a policy problem. But the more you sit with it, the more it starts to feel like a cultural one. Multiple schemes exist to encourage couples to start families: the Baby Bonus, preschool subsidies, the Medisave Grant. The assumption behind all of them is the same.

‘Whatever, just dance’ is the spirit behind Everdance, where one woman got a community of aunties moving. This is a collaboration between Ngee Ann Polytechnic X Singapore Kindness Movement

By: Chin Hui Ning, Eva Zahra Bella, Ezanne Sim, Chloe Chew Between calls of “Pong” and “Chi,” 22-year-old Jaden and 80-year-old Mdm Leong have formed an unlikely friendship rooted in weekly mahjong sessions. What began as a simple game has grown into a meaningful connection filled with laughter, stories, and mutual learning. Jaden, vice-president of SGMahjongTogether, joined the youth-initiated project to bring different generations together.

The closure of Warong Nasi Pariaman in January marked more than the loss of a single establishment. Widely regarded as Singapore’s oldest nasi padang restaurant, its disappearance underscored the growing pressures faced by long-standing, heritage businesses in the Kampong Glam area. On its final day, long queues formed outside the shophouse on North Bridge Road. People showed up in numbers they had not shown up in for years. Just a short walk away, Haji Lane tells a similar story.

By: Ding Sha Anne, Esther Grace Peter, Jodiyanah Fung Le En, Ethnan Yu-Erng Devadas, Jaylene Annabelle Thie Not everyone grows up knowing what they want to dedicate their life to, but for him, the answer came early. For Mr Sivasothi, protecting the environment has become a lifelong mission since young. Also known as Otterman, Mr Sivasothi is more than a lecturer at NUS.