Sustainability Exchange

Following a highly successful pilot programme last year, Sustainability Exchange - Singapore's first of its kind youth-mentorship programme on sustainable development is back!

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The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the focus on the sustainability of businesses, with a growing number of organisations acknowledging that sustainability practices adds to business resilience and greater innovation.

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The Singapore Green Plan was unveiled in February this year, highlighting Singapore's national sustainable development targets for the next decade. With that in mind, we're thrilled to put together a second edition for youths and professionals to apply their fresh thinking to create new solutions and innovations to solve sustainability issues in the real-world business and policy context.

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Sustainability Exchange is an initiative led by EB Impact, the non-profit arm of Eco-Business, and we are excited to announce a new range of partners supporting us. Our strategic partners this year include Facebook and OCBC Bank; supported by the Climate Action SG Alliance, and our academic partners include the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Social Sciences and Singapore Polytechnic.

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We hope that this edition will help forge meaningful connections for youths and mentors, academia and corporates, with the common vision of building a sustainability community and to catalyse the growth of a green economy.

Application Criteria and Programme Timeline
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 Samantha at samantha.tan@ebimpact.org.

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

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Season 1 Coverage

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.

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Season 2 Coverage

Channel News Asia (CNA):

For TV coverage, click here.

Business Times:

OCBC Bank commits S$100,000 to fund sustainability projects. Read more here.

Market Screener:

OCBC Bank to back youth projects supporting Singapore Green Plan. Read more here.

OCBC Bank media release on #OCBCCare Environment Fund and Sustainability Exchange:

Click here to read the media release.

Press Release:

Click here to read our press release for Season 2.

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