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Youth leaders from Institutes of Higher Learning, like Nadia, are recognised for stepping up to facilitate meaningful engagement on harmony in diversity
The hurried pace of students rushing between lectures slowed in the foyer of the Singapore Institute of Technology as they encountered a booth with 300 red roses. Each rose was accompanied by a “peace card” inviting the recipient to make an online pledge and share their hopes for a more harmonious Singapore.
For Nadia Begum and three of her schoolmates, the gesture was a quiet but powerful bid to move Racial Harmony Day beyond a calendar event and inspire genuine dialogue and reflection among their peers.
Nadia admits she was nervous. “I wasn’t hopeful that they would stop or want to be involved,” she says. But as her schoolmates paused, read the cards, and took the pledge, it became clear that the message had resonated.
The activity marked a key milestone in Nadia’s journey as part of the Temasek Foundation-Roses of Peace (TF-ROP) Harmony Champions Programme. Created to address a clear gap, the programme provides structured opportunities for post-secondary youth to talk meaningfully about race and religious harmony – conversations that often taper off after secondary school.
The initiative equips young leaders from Institutes of Higher Learning to lead campus-based initiatives with confidence and sensitivity. Over 120 Harmony Champions have been appointed to date.
“Our youth today are not just passive observers of our diverse world,” explains James Chan, Head (Programmes Office and Resilient Societies) of Temasek Foundation. “They want to be heard and to shape conversations around how they can contribute to a culture of respect and understanding.”
For Nadia, the desire to promote harmony was also deeply personal.
“I’m an Indian Muslim, but I took Malay as my second language, so I’ve always been a minority within a minority,” she says. “I am also a woman, and I wear the hijab. So, my experience of being in ‘small spaces’ makes things like harmony important to me.”
Nadia’s interest in turning that sentiment into action was piqued when, as part of an assignment for her Mass Communications course, she had to analyse a widely-publicised incident involving racist remarks made by a polytechnic lecturer to an interracial couple. “Although not frequent, microaggressions still occur in Singapore,” she says, recalling several online comments tinged with xenophobia.
“I was disappointed that these things still happened. Are we taking things like racial harmony for granted?”
Her determination to tackle these unconscious biases motivated her to join the TF-ROP Harmony Champions Programme.
“I was a bit quiet at the start,” she says. “But after we went through workshops on facilitation, attended dialogue sessions, and learnt about advocacy in online spaces, it opened my eyes to the whole harmony in diversity space in Singapore.”
Nadia’s training gave her the confidence to take on a bigger role in bringing people together.
Beyond the distribution of roses, Nadia and her fellow programme participants organised a dialogue session titled ‘Ha Ha Ha Harmony’, blending stand-up comedy by Ministry of Funny’s Haresh Tilani and Terence Chia with serious conversations about race and religion, with former Minister-in-Charge for Muslim Affairs, Professor Yaacob Ibrahim, joining the discussion.
The turnout was double what the team had expected – and the event was among several student-led sessions across campuses that successfully sparked conversations around race and religion. “There are actually many who want to learn more about being more inclusive,” she says.
The facilitation skills she gained have shaped how she navigates difficult conversations, whether with family, friends, or broader groups. “You learn how to create a safe environment to share ideas. As a facilitator, your job is not to dominate the conversation, but to allow ideas to flourish.”
She remains committed to encouraging young people to engage thoughtfully and openly in conversations about race and faith. “Harmony shouldn’t be taken for granted,” she says. “People want to be involved in these conversations – make them engaging, and they will take something away that sparks the next wave of change.”
Our youth today are not just passive observers of our diverse world. They want to be heard and to shape conversations around how they can contribute to a culture of respect and understanding. This programme gives them the knowledge, skills and confidence to foster and promote harmony in Singapore.
James Chan
Head (Programmes Office and Resilient Societies), Temasek Foundation
The Temasek Foundation-Roses of Peace Harmony Champions Programme was created to address a gap: the lack of structured opportunities for youths to engage in interreligious and interracial dialogue after leaving secondary school.
The six-month programme equips youth leaders from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) with the skills to facilitate dialogue and support initiatives that promote harmony, and to do so with confidence and sensitivity. By empowering students, the initiative ensures that meaningful engagement on harmony in diversity continues through – and beyond – the tertiary years.
Beyond facilitation, the programme incorporates design thinking and storytelling to help participants engage more effectively with their peers. In 2024, Google was brought in as a partner to train participants to create sensitive and effective social content.
Since the programme began in 2023, Temasek Foundation and Roses of Peace have appointed more than 120 Harmony Champions across two programme iterations. Over 95% of participants have completed projects that foster harmony across Singapore’s diverse communities.
Temasek’s journey in building social capital started over 20 years ago, when it adopted a deliberate and structured approach, anchored on the twin pillars of governance and sustainability, to give back to communities.
Since 2003, Temasek has been setting aside a portion of its net positive returns above its risk-adjusted cost of capital for community gifts.
These community gifts are approved by the Temasek Board and then donated to partners to achieve Temasek’s community objectives of Connecting People, Uplifting Communities, Protecting the Planet, and Advancing Capabilities.
Temasek Trust (TT) has been the primary beneficiary of Temasek’s gifts. The Trust disburses grants for programmes to be developed and delivered by Temasek’s non-profit ecosystem, including Temasek Foundation, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Stewardship Asia Centre, and Mandai Nature.
In addition to Temasek Trust and its non-profit ecosystem, Temasek also works directly with partners from the Public, Private, and People sectors to advance its community objectives in areas where its philanthropic capital, network, and industry insights can make the most impact.
Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and beyond. Temasek Foundation programmes are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and other contributions from other donors. These programmes strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and regional capabilities, advance science, and protect the planet.
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