The Design4Impact2 organising committee with Minister Desmond Lee & winners from Design4Impact 2020 sharing their insights to a fresh batch.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected not only the physical health of the community, but also the mental, social and emotional well-being of Singaporeans. Recognising this, a group of social-minded innovators have rallied together to tackle issues impinging on the mental health and well-being of seniors, caregivers and youths in Singapore, by designing solutions that are pragmatic and easy to execute.
This year's edition of Design4Impact (D4I), brings together diverse stakeholders to co-create and test sustainable and community-owned solutions for health and social needs of Singaporeans amplified by COVID-19. Specifically, it aims to shine the light and improve the mental health and well-being of 3 key target groups: Seniors, Caregivers and Youths.
Pre-Event Webinars - Framing the Mental Health Landscape in Singapore
Held on 15 & 16 September, valuable insights into the mental health landscape were shared over a two-day webinar that attracted a 580-strong virtual audience. They listened in to expert panelists who expounded on current mental health-related issues and persons with lived experience who shared their perspectives on the mental health landscape, articulating their aspirations and hopes on what could be done.
Watch the behind-the-scenes video of the pre-event webinars here:
Challenges Initiated - Making a Difference
The kick-off held on 7 October saw Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development & Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, gracing the virtual kick-off ceremony.
Shares Mr Desmond Lee, “Social and health issues are closely intertwined, particularly for the most vulnerable members of our society. So, to better support vulnerable families, we need to take a holistic approach. Focusing only on their health, or only on their social challenges, in isolation, is not enough; we need to tackle both the health and the social issues in tandem. The solutions don’t just lie with the government.
In fact, community partners have a significant role in integrating social-health service delivery. With their expertise in various areas, and their extensive local networks, they can help us to better identify where the needs and gaps really are on the ground, and meet these needs more quickly.”
“We must keep pressing on together to emerge from this pandemic, and work toward a future where we can learn to live with the virus, as it becomes endemic. But along the way, we must also keep finding better ways to support each other – socially, mentally, emotionally – as we get through these tough times," Mr Lee added.
Led by MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT) and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), NUS-ISS and DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) have conceptualised a design-centric approach to implementation, which will involve community providers and users at every stage.
Shares Mr Khoong Chan Meng, CEO, NUS-ISS,“Our Smart Health Leadership Centre is pleased to partake in D4I for the second year running. In its 2nd edition, the focus on mental health for seniors, youths and caregivers are of paramount importance and cannot be overlooked. We look forward to the many creative and implementable solutions as we take the teams through an innovative and comprehensive learning journey to improve the lives and well-being of Singaporeans in the community.”
Through five stages of plenary sessions, the learning journey will culminate with a Pitch Day slated for 3 December 2021, where the top three teams will receive seed funding to implement their pilot and make a difference.
To learn more about Design4Impact visit here.