Young Leaders Programme

The Young Leaders Programme (YLP) is a platform for young local and international leaders to network and collaborate on initiatives to strengthen social cohesion. The YLP aims to develop a core of young leaders who can speak and lead with confidence on issues affecting ethnic and religious harmony today.

Reverend Chris Lee sharing his experience with Young Leaders Programme delegates at the YLP 2022 Fireside Chat – Social Media for Social Cohesion on 7 September 2022.

During YLP 2022 from 6th-8th September 2022, delegates experienced:

  • Community Showcase & Collaboration Whitespace: A session which encouraged youth civic activism and collaboration through facilitated game-play and an interactive showcase of ground-up initiatives by young community leaders.

  • Fireside Chat – Social Media for Social Cohesion: Delegates heard from and engaged with Reverend Chris Lee, Father Fiel Pareja and fashion designer Yasmin Jay as they shared how they use their online platforms to foster interfaith understanding and respect.

  • Dialogues around contemporary issues of faith and diversity:

(i) Faith for Sustainability
In this session, local advocates from the faith communities such as Dr N Varaprasad, President, Hindu Centre and Teo Heng Xuan, co-founder of Dhamma Assembly for Young Working Adults, shared how faith-based organisations can drive sustainable development beyond their own communities. Participants discussed and discovered how to put intention into action and grow communities of different faiths to commit to sensitive and sustainable service.

(ii) Faith in Workplaces
In this session, Imran Taib, Founder, Dialogue Centre, Hannah Willage, Director of Emerging Leaders Network/Interfaith America) and Dr Aamir Hussain, an Interfaith America alumnus, discussed the (hard and soft) skills interfaith advocates need to be effective bridge-builders in the workplaces.

(iii) Harnessing Faith for Community-building
In this session, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and Vocation Minister, Sister Julia Walsh and local community advocates, Liyana Rosli Asmara, Head of Harmony Centre and Dr Tan Lai Yong, an Associate Professor from the National University of Singapore, brought delegates on a journey of awakening to discernment and service.

  • Leadership in a Diverse World (Workshop): A capability-building workshop to equip and inspire young civic leaders led by Krish Raval OBE and Denny Braggins from Faith in Leadership, as well as Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand, Director of Leadership and Learning from Pears Foundation. The workshop was facilitated by local peer facilitators and former YLP delegates.

  • The Pitch: A stage for teams of delegates to share their vision of change and realise them with funding support from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

Click here for a recap of the ICCS 2022 Young Leaders Programme.