SCF 2022 – A platform for youth voices to be heard

Our journey to build a community where youths can be empowered to share their voices continued with the latest iteration of the Singapore Children’s Forum (SCF). Held on 3 December 2022, this year’s SCF concluded with a project showcase event after seven months of preparation. Thirteen core group members, aged between 12 and 19, presented their work on the following topics: mental health, navigating the digital world and climate change.

For many of the participants, this was their first time conducting real research— running surveys, sitting down for interviews, doing the work of finding out what their peers actually think and feel. It wasn't always easy, especially for those who described themselves as shy. But nearly every participant said it was one of the most fulfilling things they'd done.

47 people came to watch them present their projects, including Guest of Honour Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Here are highlights from the showcase:

Mental Health Solana, Zahra, Anders, Adnan and Qalishya looked at how wellbeing struggles often begin early and in familiar places, like home. Their research pointed to strained relationships, unrealistic expectations, and a lack of mental health literacy as factors that quietly take a toll on young people.

Their survey of 36 participants aged 13 to 19 also found that strained parent-child relationships often led to unhealthy coping habits. Their response? A game (part Twister, part Heads Up/Charades) designed to spark real conversations between parents and kids in a setting that feels natural and fun.

Digital World Education, play, friendships— so much of young people's lives now happens online. But so does a lot of unkind behaviour. Against this backdrop, Anthea, Elisha, Janine and Rachel dug into what it actually looks like to be a better digital citizen.

Interviews with 11 students aged 15 to 19 from junior colleges, polytechnics and ITEs revealed something telling: most young people respond to malicious users by simply ignoring them. The team wants to change that. Their message centres on the 3Ps— Pause, Put on your thinking caps, then Proceed— a simple framework for being more intentional about what we post and how we show up online. They also built a prototype website to help peers decode Gen Z lingo and communicate better across generational lines.

Climate Change Climate change can feel enormous and far away. But Isra, Sheryl, Shuwen and Judas brought it right back to our everyday habits— starting with the clothes we wear. They traced the lasting environmental damage caused by fast fashion, and found in their survey of 109 young people that most had little awareness of greenwashing or sustainable local alternatives.

Their ask is a simple shift in mindset: slow down, buy less, and support local. Small habits, compounded across a community, add up.

Getting hands-on After the presentations and Q&A, guests got to experience the projects up close. They played the Twister/Heads Up game, picked up Gen Z vocabulary at the Digital World booth, and turned old t-shirts into tote bags with the Climate Change team. The kind of experience that sticks.

In their reflections, the thirteen core group members expressed that they found the journey very enriching.

Sheryl from the Climate Change team shared: “This journey has been very interesting and fun. I learnt and did many new things that I would not have done if not for SCF. This programme allowed us to learn and start our own projects. It was very beneficial, and I learnt a lot about current affairs that will affect me.”

That sense of ownership– of being trusted to investigate something real and share it with the world– is exactly why SCF exists.

* The Mental Health team conducted an online survey with 36 participants aged 13 to 19.

** The Digital World team interviewed 11 students aged 15 to 19 from different schools (junior colleges, polytechnics, and Institute of Technical Education).

*** The Climate Change team had 109 survey respondents between the ages of 13 and 19.