Mr Lim Tuang Liang, Board Chairperson of SHINE Children and Youth Services
Ms Justina Tan, Board Chairperson of Changi Foundation
Ms Amanda Soh, Head of Partnerships of Do Good International Foundation
Mr Ronny Tan and Mr Suhaimi Zainul-Abidin, Board Chairpersons of Tri-Sector Associates
Social Impact Guarantee partners and distinguished guests
Introduction and Welcome
Why the Social Impact Guarantee Matters
2. Today, young people face many challenges: online harms such as cyber bullying, deepfake revenge porn, unrealistic body image ideals, addictions to social networking sites, explicit materials, vaping and the list goes on. Mental health takes a hit in many instances. Schools and communities need stronger, proven solutions. Youth COP is one programme that works.
3. This programme trains students to become peer advocates and leaders to help their classmates make better choices and create positive change. This builds stronger connections and a sense of belonging in schools. The result? Safer, more supportive environment for everyone.
4. Now that we have a good programme, the question becomes – how do we invest in programmes to continue making impact? This is where the Social Impact Guarantee (S-I-G) comes in.
The Value of the Social Impact Guarantee (SIG)
5. The SIG is a new way to fund programmes that works differently from traditional donations. Funders get a promise: If a programme doesn't deliver the agreed results, a guarantor will come in and reimburse the funders this time round, so that funders can use their money to ‘try again’.
6. This creates accountability and shared responsibility for success. It also allows funders the opportunity to channel their funds to areas that have shown impact and move beyond guesswork or preferences.
7. Over time, we hope that the funder will elevate themselves to be the guarantor having seen the impact of the programme, and catalyse even more funders to come in. This is the kind of positive reinforcement we want to see in the philanthropy and social service space.
Demonstrating the Model through Youth COP
8. Youth COP has made a difference for nearly two decades. Now, with the SIG, it can reach and support even more young people by galvanising the community around them.
9. This milestone is possible because of strong cooperation and co-creation between the people, public, and private sector. SHINE Children and Youth Services, Changi Foundation, Do Good International Foundation, and Tri-Sector Associates have brought together their expertise and commitment to make this model work. They were supported by raiSE Singapore, Community Foundation of Singapore and the National Council of Social Service, who has been funding the Youth COP programme for over 10 years and have funded SHINE Children and Youth Services in capability-building projects through the Transformation Sustainability Scheme.
Closing
10. What excites me about this launch is that it demonstrates a move beyond traditional funding to embrace new partnerships to tackle complex social challenges and create lasting impact. Needs are changing in Singapore – for instance with an ageing population, how do we move the social service sector to a new level in the context of overcoming these challenges that we are facing, and will face in future.
11. Congratulations to everyone involved in this collaboration. This launch is more than a milestone for one programme. It's a step forward for how we fund, collaborate, and create impact across our entire social sector.