Sustainability Exchange

These are the important dates to look out for:

‍

Youths

• Gain access to mentors from a wide range of multinational companies, top Singapore-listed companies, government agencies and civic society organisations.

• Acquire hands-on learning experience on specific sustainable development issues.

• Solve real-world problems with practical applications in business, government and civic society.

• Access to extensive networking opportunities and interactions in the sustainability sector. Discover career paths related to sustainability.

• Experience pitching your solution and receiving diverse feedback from fellow participants, mentors and a panel of esteemed judges during the finale

• Stand the opportunity to advance your initiative into a fully/further developed project through support from mentors and funders. ‍

‍

‍Mentors

• Guide the next generation of sustainability leaders and make meaningful impact

• Have direct access to young talents for talent development and recruitment opportunities for your organisation

• Gain extensive networking opportunities and interactions in the sustainability sector

• Be recognised as a partner for this initiative and all its marketing and publicity collaterals (both the individual and the organisation)

‍Youth (team)

• The executive team must include at least three youths between 18 and 25. Please provide the names of these members in the application form. All three team members must participate in the programme, with at least one member present at each workshop.  

• These individuals would preferably oversee strategic direction, fundraising/business development, and programme/product development.

• Teams applying do not need to have already tested their idea. They can be in the early stages of developing a concrete idea without any implementation yet.

• For those who are in implementation phase, please show your current impact, whether it's the number of participants, product/programme reviews, or other metrics that demonstrate effectiveness. ‍

‍

Youths (individual)

• This programme is open to youths are Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and those who will be residing in Singapore over the course of the programme (August – November 2024)

• Currently enrolled in a local polytechnic, ITE or university, or a young professional between 18 to 25.

• Passionate about sustainability and have demonstrated some level of leadership or community engagement in a related field

• Able to communicate effectively in English (both written and spoken)

• It is preferable to have some experience working on sustainability projects or jobs, or through studies

Commitment required:

• To attend all the programme’s events and workshops, including the onboarding session on 22 August 2024, the final showcase on 8 November 2024, and three capacity building workshops which will be held from 26 August – 31 October 2024 (dates TBC).

• Youths are expected to arrange times to meet and speak to mentors, alongside other teammates, on a bi-weekly basis (twice a month) from August – November 2024. Times are to be agreed within the team and with their mentors.

• Youth participants are expected to dedicate substantial time to completing pre-assigned readings and assignments to fully engage in the program and reap the maximum benefits. These tasks will not be overly demanding.

• Winning teams that receive seed funding of $10,000 will be expected to prepare for a further one-year runway where they are accountable to EB Impact who will be their grant managers.

• Aside from check-in calls once every 2 months, they will need to produce three progress reports (Jan, May, Nov 2025)  

‍

Mentors

• Open to mentors who will be residing in Singapore over the course of the programme(August – November 2024)

• Professionals with minimum five years of experience in a sustainability-related field of position

• Interested in supporting the growth of youths in their sustainability-related profession and personal explorations

• Willing to share their knowledge about career paths and personal experiences working in sustainability-related fields

• View this programme as beneficial to their organisation, in terms of visibility and access to fresh thinking talents

• Mentors with the ability to extend their support by potentially offering internships and other working opportunities to youth participants, preferred

‍

Commitment required:

• Be present and responsive to an allocated team of 3 to 4 youths throughout the programme. Mentors will be assigned to various groups based on their experience and knowledge.

• Mentors are expected to meet with their allocated team bi–weekly (twice a month) from August – November 2024. Times are to be agreed within the team and with their mentors.  

• Attend all the programme’s workshops and events to the best of your abilities.

• To share knowledge, skills, values and experiences with youths.

‍

How to apply?

To apply as a youth participant, please click here.

To apply as a mentor, please click here.

If you have any questions or require further clarifications, please contact Kaamela at kaamela.barvin@ebimpact.org  

The workshops aim to equip youth participants with essential skills to enhance the feasibility of their projects. They include sharing sessions with Sustainability Exchange alumni and sustainability professionals, offering valuable insights for their sustainability projects. Additionally, the workshops serve as a networking platform to maintain alumni connections. There are three key facets for the capacity-building workshops in Season 4:

Note: Accepted participants must also attend the onboarding session on 22 August and the grand finale on 8 November.

‍

Vision Planning (Aug)

• The legalities of incorporation  

• Exploration of various organisational structures  

• Setting of goals  

• Crafting a roadmap for achievement and project success

‍

Solutions-Testing (Sept)

• Two tracks: Digital solutions and Programming  

• Exploring research methodologies and data analysis  

• Understanding how to extract insights and apply them in meaningful ways  

• Keeping up with trends  

• How to market your organisation  

• Identifying your target market

‍

Partnerships & Communications (Oct)

• Crafting compelling decks

• Designing effective tiers with tailored benefits to attract a diverse audience

• Crafting plans for long term financial strategies  

• Producing a budget plan on how they intend to use their funding  

• Funding criteria when potential partners look for funding initiatives

March 2023 - August 2023

‍Youths

Through this programme, as an aspiring youth, you will:

·     Gain exposure to a wide range of multinational companies, top Singapore-listed companies, government agenciesand civic society organisations.

·     Discover career paths related to sustainability.

·     Acquire hands-on learning experience on specific sustainable development issues.

·     Solve real-world problems with practical applications in business, government and civic society.

·     Access to extensive networking opportunities and interactions in the sustainability sector.

·     Have the opportunity to pitch for and implement the solution or idea that you devised during the Sustainability Exchange programme through funders such as SG EcoFund and OCBC Bank.

Criteria to apply:

·     This programme is open to youths are Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and those who will be residing in Singapore over the course of the programme (April– August 2023)

·     Currently enrolled in a local polytechnic or university, OR a young working professional under the age of 25.

·     Passionate about sustainability and have demonstrated some level of leadership or activism in a related field

·     Able to communicate effectively in English (both written and spoken)

·     It is preferable to have some experience working on sustainability projects or jobs, or through studies

Commitment required:

To be fully immersed in the programme and obtain the most benefit from participating, youth participants are required to commit significant time to attend and participate in programme activities and events.

·     To attend all of the programme’s events and meetings, including briefing sessions to beheld in 3^rd and 4^th week of April, the final showcase atthe end of August and three capacity building workshops which will be held fromMay – July 2023: May 12^th, June 21^st and July 10^th

·     To commit to the six-month-long programme with sustained participation to the end, and measurement of impact thereafter.

·     Youths are expected to arrange times to meet and speak to mentors, alongside other teammates, on a bi-weekly basis from April – August 2023. Times are to be agreed within the team and with their mentors.

·     To produce an impact report at the end of the programme to fulfil the objectives of the initiative

Mentors

As an experienced mentor, you will:

·     Guide the next generation of sustainability leaders and make meaningful impact

·     Have direct access to young talents for talent development and recruitment opportunities for your organisation

·     Gain extensive networking opportunities and interactions in the sustainability sector

·     Be recognised as a partner for this initiative and all its marketing and publicity collaterals (both the individual and the organisation)

·     Be able to join the newly launched CSOxChange, an initiative launched by EB Impact andEco-Business, in partnership with SGTech. Learn more about the initiative here.

Criteria to apply:

·     Open to mentors who will be residing in Singapore over the course of the programme(April – August 2023)

·     Professionals with minimum five years of experience in a sustainability-related field of position

·     Interested in supporting the growth of youths in their sustainability-related profession and personal explorations

·     Willing to share their knowledge about career paths and personal experiences working in sustainability-related fields

·     View this programme as beneficial to their organisation, in terms of visibility and access to fresh thinking talents

·     Mentors with the ability to extend their support by potentially offering internships and other working opportunities to youth participants, preferred

Commitment required:

·     To attend all of the programme’s events and meetings - youths are expected to arrange times to meet/speak to mentors on a bi-weekly (one every two weeks) basis fromApril to August 2023, at times agreed between them.

·     To commit to mentoring a group of 3 to 4 youths throughout the programme, to be present and responsive to the allocated youth participants.

·     To share knowledge, skills, values and experiences with youths.

How will mentees and mentors be matched?

The steering committee have put together a set of problem statements, under six key pillars and sectors of focus in Singapore’s transition to a green economy. Interested youths and mentors will be able to indicate their preferred choice of theme to solve and will be matched according to their choices. Youths and mentors will also have the ability to indicate other areas of interest if not listed in the pre-curated list of problem statements. This allows for greater flexibility, and alignment of interest and mentor expertise, to ensure that the mentorship journey will bring about the most benefit for all participants.

‍

Programme Timeline

March 17^th: Applications Launch

April 4^th: Applications Deadline

April 5^th –April 17^th: Confirmation of teams and onboarding for youths and mentors

May 12^th: Workshop 1

June 21^st: Workshop 2

July 10^th: Workshop 3

August 30^th: Final Showcase

The third season of Sustainability Exchange will host a series of capacity building workshops to provide youths with the skills needed to excel in driving sustainability innovation, as well as provide a platform for networking and collaboration. The aim of these workshops is to:  

·      Build key skills to enable use to excel in their ideation and implementation of solutions devised during the mentorship programme  

·      Fostering community building by allowing for intergroup networking and foster greater knowledge sharing between different mentors and youths

·      Upskill youths with transferable capabilities within sustainability that are relevant for the mentorship programme, and beyond, as they embark on their careers in the space

·      Engage with the Sustainability Exchange alumni network by allowing them to attend the workshops and further enhance their skills and capabilities on their projects and/or their careers in sustainability

Eligibility: who should attend these workshops?

These workshops will be compulsory for the season 3 youth cohort to attend. Mentors will be encouraged to attend to further support their youths during activities and sharing sessions. In addition, we invite alumni(i.e. season 1 and 2 youths and mentors), to join the workshops if it is of interest to them.

The season 3 cohort and Sustainability Exchange alumni will be contacted by the EB Impact team for further information around these workshops, and the public will be open to attend these workshops virtually.

To better guide and support the development of workshop content and curriculum, EBImpact convened a steering committee comprised of experts in the field of sustainability, across sectors, including academia, private, government and communications. Members of this steering committee will:

·      Offer strategic guidance for the workshops andin the development of the workshops’ curriculum

·      Be advocates and share about theSustainability Exchange programme with their community and students

‍

We were also joined by Phua Mei Pin, Director, Sustainability Partnerships Office, Ministry of Sustainability, and the Environment, who will be joining us as a resource partner.

‍

Read the full list of problem statements here.

Eco-Business:

EB Impact’s Sustainability Exchange Season 2, Final Showcase. Read the article here.

Application Criteria and Programme Timeline
‍

For the 2022 intake, we're looking for aspiring youths and experienced mentors!

As an aspiring youth, you will:

• Gain exposure to a wide range of multinational companies, top Singapore-listed companies, government agencies and civic society organisations.
• Discover career paths related to sustainability.
• Acquire hands-on learning experience on specific sustainable development issues.
• Solve real-world problems with practical applications in business, government and civic society.
• Access to extensive networking opportunities and interactions in the sustainability sector.

Criteria to apply:

• Open to youths who are Singapore Citizens, PRs and will be residing in Singapore over the course of the programme.
• Currently enrolled in a local polytechnic or university, OR a young working professional under the age of 25.
• Passionate about sustainability issues and have demonstrated some level of leadership or activism in a related field.
• Able to communicate effectively in English (Both written and spoken).
• Preferably some experience working on sustainability projects or jobs.

Commitment Required:

To obtain the most benefit from the programme, youth participants are required to commit significant time to attend and participate in its events.

• To attend all of the programme’s events and meetings - youths are expected to arrange times to meet/speak to mentors on a bi-weekly (one every two weeks) basis from January to April 2022, at times agreed between them.
• To commit to the three-month-long programme with sustained participation to the end, and measurement of impact thereafter.
• To produce a report at the end of the programme, to fulfil the objectives of the initiative.

‍

As an experience mentor, you will:

• Nurture the next generation of sustainability leaders and make meaningful impact.
• Have direct access to young talents for talent development and recruitment opportunities for your organisation.
• Gain extensive networking opportunities and interactions in the sustainability sector.
• Be recognised as a partner for this initiative and all its marketing and publicity collaterals (both the individual and the organisation).

Criteria to apply:

• Open to mentors who will be residing in Singapore over the course of the programme.
• Professionals with at least five years of experience in a sustainability-related field of position.
• Interested in supporting the growth of youths in their sustainability-related profession and personal explorations.
• Willing to share their knowledge about career paths and personal experiences working in sustainability-related fields.
• View this programme as beneficial to their organisation, in terms of visibility and access to fresh thinking talents.
• Preferably mentors who are able to extend their support by potentially offering internship stints to the youth participants.

Commitment Required:

• To attend all of the programme’s events and meetings - youths are expected to arrange times to meet/speak to mentors on a bi-weekly (one every two weeks) basis from January to April 2022, at times agreed between them.
• To commit to mentoring a group of 3 to 4 youths throughout the programme, to be present and responsive to the allocated youth participants.
• To share knowledge, skills, values and experiences with youths.

‍

How will mentees and mentors be matched?

The steering committee will be putting together a set of problem statements which will be closely aligned to the Singapore Green Plan. Interested youths and mentors will be able to indicate their preferred choice of problem statement to solve and will be matched according to their choices. This is to allow for greater alignment of interest and to ensure that the mentorship journey will be a fruitful one for all.

‍

Programme Timeline

19 October 2021 - 30 November 2021: Application opens for youths and mentors.

Mid-December 2021: Shortlisted applications will be notified and briefing sessions will be held for youths and mentors.

January 2022 - April 2022: Course of mentorship where youths are the work together, under the guidance of their mentors on a bi-weekly (once every two weeks) basis.

April 2022: Closing Event - EB Impact and Partners will host a concluding event to showcase the shortlisted proposals of the season.

April 2022 - July 2022: Youths are to continue working on their idea, to finalise their proposal report. The proposal report must convey how their ideas will be translated into action and how it makes an impact on the community. The report will be submitted to EB Impact for consolidation.

‍
How To Apply

*APPLICATIONS FOR SEASON 2 HAVE CLOSED*

To apply as a youth participant, please click here.

To apply as a mentor, please click here.

If you have any questions or require further clarifications, please contact Dian at dian.anderson@ebimpact.org

‍

Follow us on our social media channels to stay tuned for more updates!

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

‍

The Straits Times:

Article 1: Singapore youth to take the lead in sustainability innovations. Read more here.
Article 2: Game that explores environmental footprint of food among projects aimed at tackling sustainability issues. Read more.

Lianhe Zaobao:

Read the article here.

Press Release:‍

Read our press release for Season 1 here.