SINGAPORE: It is now easier to do good, with changes to an app run by SG Cares – a national movement to promote volunteerism.
The updates make it easier and faster to search for volunteering opportunities near you and that best suit your interests, as well as to sign up for them.
There is also a personalised dashboard that allows users to monitor the number of volunteer hours they have put in and how much they have donated.
At an event for SG Cares’ Celebrating our Culture of Care mural project on Sunday (May 12), Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said the changes to the app were about making it easier for people to volunteer.
Mediacorp CEO Tham Loke Kheng was also present at the event. (Photo: Ahmad Khan)
“Basically it’s about lowering the barriers to entry. Can I volunteer in as easy a way as possible? My guess is that many people do want to make a difference, they want to help, but sometimes they don’t know where and are not sure how.
“Hopefully, as we make it meaningful as well and convenient, we begin to develop that habit. Imagine if we have multiple of these experiences being shared across our community and more Singaporeans are doing that and experiencing that, I think society will change,” he said.
Mr Tan, who was accompanied by Mediacorp CEO Tham Loke Kheng, said this would in fact build on the legacy of Singapore’s forefathers who laid the foundations of a spirit of giving, which is the focus of the mural project.
The second instalment of the mural, which was unveiled on Sunday, honours 15 pioneers and organisations that have contributed to Singapore’s healthcare, education and youth development since the 1800s.
One of the murals on display from the SG Cares mural project. (Photo: Ahmad Khan)
Many of them are still important pillars of society, such as Girl Guides Singapore and the Singapore Scouts Association.
Six hundred members of the public helped to put the mural together by painting ceramic tiles and making clay bricks.
The first mural was launched last month as part of efforts to involve the public in co-creating a four-part mural.
More than 400 members of public attended the workshops held during that launch, and painted a clay boat and a batik sail to symbolise the immigrant society coming together as one people at the time.
