"1Youth started out in 2017 when a group of young people came together to support each other in giving back through volunteer work. Each individual introduced to the team a cause close to their hearts, and the team lent their hearts and hands to turn this desire to do good into actionable impact. When I first joined the 1 Youth team as a volunteer, our goal was simple — we wanted to give back in whatever capacity we could, with friends who shared our passion for supporting vulnerable communities.

In one of my earliest days volunteering under the Meals With Love programme, I met a little old lady with the biggest heart. After retiring as a nurse, she continued to radiate joy and care for her neighbours in whatever small ways she could. As she lived alone, she always looked forward to our visits and would greet us with the warmest hugs and the most infectious laughter. One weekend, we found out that she had been hospitalised. Our volunteers decided to pay her a visit in the hospital after we’d finished our regular run. I remember watching her face light up when she saw us enter the ward. It’s these small moments of pure joy that bring me back to volunteering, year after year.

I also remember visiting an old man who had lost his eyesight. He had trouble adjusting to the loss of his sight, and was having a lot of difficulty with simple tasks like making a cup of coffee. Instead of the initially planned 15 min, we spent two hours teaching him to navigate around his house and helping him figure out a way to prepare hot drinks safely. We also alerted the help centre so that they could follow up on his case. It was then that I realised the role that volunteers can play in supporting the social service ecosystem in Singapore. We can act as eyes and ears on the ground, helping social service and non-profit groups plug crucial gaps in the community. This understanding gave my volunteer work more purpose and was a constant reminder for me to treat every volunteering encounter with respect and active curiosity.

It’s a privilege and a joy to volunteer with like-minded youths who believe in the power of collective good. The strength of 1Youth lies in our passionate volunteers who believe that together, we can make doing good a way of life."