Giving Week, a national movement, offers opportunities for Singaporeans to make a difference by giving their time, talent, treasure and voice.

 

National giving movement, Giving Week, returns for its fourth year, with more diverse opportunities for Singaporeans to embrace giving as a way of life throughout the December festive season.

Taking place from November 27 to December 5 this year, Giving Week is catalysed by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) to celebrate the spirit of giving, by rallying individuals, businesses, and non-profits to share their time, talent, treasure and voice. The movement will feature a myriad of festivals, activations and activities that provide constant opportunities to inspire people to support any cause they are passionate about in all ways big and small, to build a City of Good.

Singapore is the only country globally to extend the international day of giving, Giving Tuesday (November 27), into a week-long national movement that concludes on International Volunteer Day (December 5).

Melissa Kwee, CEO, NVPC, said: “Giving Week is about celebrating what we have and notwhat we lack. As we celebrate the gifts in our lives, we naturally extend this out to share with others. We hope that Giving Week will create a ripple effect beyond the week and beyond Singapore, inspiring other cities around Asia and globally. As the movement grows, we hope to see giving become part of our culture and way of life – we joyfully live and give.”

For the first time for Giving Week, many iconic buildings like Esplanade, Singapore Flyer, The Fullerton Hotel and The National Stadium will also light up in red in support of the movement this year. Corporates like Deloitte, Expedia, P&G, Pontiac Land Group, and Singpost will also be engaging their employees or tenants in various giving activities.The line-up of activations and activities featured in Giving Week this year reflects new and emerging definitions of giving. Highlights include:

1. Have fun while doing good at The Good Hubs

‘The Good Hubs’ festivals that are free to members of the public will take place across the island throughout Giving Week. Communities, non-profits, businesses and social enterprises will be hosting a variety of carnivals, food fairs, performances, charity runs and volunteering workshops.

• Sports Hub Community Play Day: Season of Giving (December 1 and 2) – Singapore Sports Hub (SSH) is organising a weekend of fun and play for the whole family, with activities such as carnival rides and games, craft workshops, sports, film screenings, and charity runs where proceeds will be donated to Make a Wish Foundation and the B60 Charity Run. In addition, Zalora is collaborating with The Salvation Army to hold a clothes donation drive at SSH. Members of the public can also stay on till the evening for a visual treat as the ChariTrees light up the Stadium Riverside Walk through the month till January 1.

• Ng Teng Fong General Hospital: Good Neighbour Day (November 30) – Members of the public, especially those living and working in the West side of Singapore, can shop for Christmas gifts and pre-loved deals at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital’s flea market, with proceeds going to charities and community partners in the neighbourhood. Individuals can also give by donating blood, new and used books, and finding out more on how to support communities in need within their locale.

• The Giving Street @ Club Street & Ann Siang Gourmet Campus (December 1) – For the first time and for one evening only, Club Street and Ann Siang Road will be transformed into The Giving Street where it will be taken over by a carnival of music, munchies and magic – all in the spirit of giving. Members of the public can watch parkour ninjas show off their craft, catch circus acts on the street, design and build a giant Jenga, craft their own jewellery, and even get their holiday shopping sorted while supporting non-profits, ground-up movements and social enterprises. Christmas food and gifts that will be sold including log cakes by Association for Persons with Special Needs, cookies by Beyond Social Services, and merchandise by Habitat for Humanity, Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, and Cat Welfare Society. Proceeds will go towards supporting various beneficiaries.

• Mini festival hubs will also be held at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Singapore Innovation Park and the Volvo Showroom.

2. Shop, dine and live better with The Good Life

Over 40 brands, including McDonalds, FairPrice Online, Carousell, and CapitaLand will be collaborating with non-profits to celebrate the spirit of giving. By purchasing from these retailers during Giving Week, members of the public will contribute funds that will impact the lives of many beneficiaries. UOB is supporting New Life Stories and will be having a matching campaign to encourage the public to scan and donate to New Life Stories via SGQR or PayNow.

There are also several social enterprises, supported by “The Better Traveller”, an initiative by Singapore International Foundation to encourage Singaporeans to choose better even when they are out of Singapore during the Giving season.

There is also a full list of activities like Build-a-Bicycle by Society Staples, jewellery-crafting workshops by Mimento and Sherol’s Creations, as well as Parkour and Tactical Workshops by Superfly Monkey Dragons to encourage learning and activation, with some requiring pre-registration listed in The Good Life. For full listings, visit: https://givingweek.sg/the-good-life/.

3. Adopt a cause on Giving.sg

Members of the public are encouraged to visit Giving Week campaigns hosted on Giving.sg, Singapore’s national giving portal, and explore causes championed by over 500 local non-profits. They can donate to the causes they are passionate about, sign up for a volunteer activity, or start a fundraising campaign. To support more causes, please visit: www.giving.sg/givingweek2018.

4. Watch five new local films that inspire giving and support the causes

The second phase of a landmark film project, “15 Shorts” premieres during Giving Week, and will showcase inspiring acts of giving to raise awareness on social issues. Through these films, members of the public are encouraged to support the empowerment of children; youth from low-income families; visually-impaired community; social integration of prisoners, ex-offenders and their families into our society; and learn more about reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination in Singapore.

Produced by 15 Singaporean filmmakers in collaboration with NVPC and Blue3Asia, “15 Shorts” showcases lesser-told stories of everyday Singaporean heroes from the 1970s to the 1990s, in support of 15 charities. This first-of-its-kind collaboration, “15 Shorts” hopes to remind Singaporeans of our giving spirit that has always been part of our identity as a nation, and aims to raise awareness on critical and emergent social issues.

From 30 November onwards, members of the public will be able to catch “Plague”by Singapore filmmaker, Boo Jun Feng on www.15shorts.com, which sheds light on social acceptance of infectious disease survivors (HIV/AIDS) and social discrimination against marginalised communities. The film is dedicated to Action for Aids.

Four new films by Singapore’s notable filmmakers, Chong Yu Lun (“Shanti”, a film dedicated to Mainly, I Love Kids fund), Kee Swee San (“Guilty”, a film dedicated to Boys’ Town), Chai Yee Wei (“Sister”, a film dedicated to 70×7, an initiative under Prison Fellowship Singapore), and K Rajagopal (“T(h)ree Lives”, a film dedicated to the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped) will be released throughout December 2018 and February 2019.

Members of the public can also show their support by donating to the various charities adopted by each filmmaker on Giving.sg. Additionally, public screening of the first five films of the “15 Shorts” initiative is available at the Singapore Sports Hub Library (4 Stadium Walk, Singapore 397697) over two weekends on December 15 and 16, and December 22 and 23.

More information on Giving Week 2018 and the full list of activities can be found at: www.givingweek.sg or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GivingWeeksg.

 

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