Civic Engagement
Organisations exist within a broader social, political and economic context. Issues and tensions that exist within a society inevitably show up within a system. An integral part of our work with restoring systems health is to offer deeper understanding and engagement with the larger history, context, background, trends, developments in our society.
One of the most effective ways to understand our own work or organisations is to first learn about the broader context that all our systems exist in. Singapore’s context or operating environment can be understood through the modality of Civic Trails. Trails are an impactful and efficient way to communicate tensions such that participants increase their level of awareness, understanding and empathy for any issue at hand. Participants leave a trail with powerful insights and questions, not necessarily a resolution to issues, but a valuable deeper probing that is a critical step to building maturity in our understanding of issues.
Led by our team of experienced trail facilitators, participants will move in small groups to various locations where they will experience impactful storytelling and meaning making. Our facilitators are not tour guides, but professionals in various capacities. They are selected and trained to be effective story-tellers, weaving a participant's own unique experience into the trail with the intent of remaining inclusive to diversity at all times.
It typically takes 3 months to build a trail, but it takes 2-3 years for a trail experience to reach maturity. Participant response and questions are weaved into trail design over time, as the diversity of people groups who attend the trail would bring perspective, emotion and even challenge to how narrative is presented. This is what brings most value for a trail experience as coherence and efficacy of narrative is built over time.
Format
- For organisational groups, participants typically first gather for context setting.
- The trail itself is a 3 hour experience that comprises of grounding of participants, framing of the issues, communication of tensions and narratives, facilitation of dialogue and learning, and a final debrief of experience.
- There will be 6 pax per group for best engagement and to minimise undue impact on the community. Groups will set off at a staggered timing to prevent overcrowding.
Current Trail Offerings
An in depth look at migrant and local diversity and the impact it has had on issues of social boundaries, our integration policy, and the challenge of creating an inclusive and coherent national narrative that includes all. Yet, despite our best intents, actual operating environments on a community level are notoriously complex and challenging to find long term resolutions.
A community trail that explores the paradox of living in one of the wealthiest states in the world - that while immensely well provisioned, Singapore similarly contends with the realities of rental communities that house some of the most disadvantaged in our society. We explore the intersectionality of class, age, nationality, racial and gender dynamics, and how this contributes to impossible tensions in public policy, social intervention and community action.
A community trail that looks into the experience of a thriving middle class in Singapore. We explore the dynamics of rising expectations, the need to transform public systems to meet increasingly diverse needs, and the immense complexity involved in managing a confluence of contradictory demands and identities. In many ways Singapore's own success has brought with it unique issues that demand our collective attention.
This community trail explores the psychological, social and emotional impact of living in fast moving cities and more specifically looks at a growing demographic of unhappy people in Singapore. We unpack this unhappiness and understand what can be done to mitigate the unintended outcomes of city living.
An in-depth look at our historical and geographical inheritances that still impact on our nation today. Through this trail we explore the limitations and chronic divisions that exist in the Singapore fabric, how this impacts our sense of justice and what this means for our policies on creating a fair and equitable experience for all Singaporeans and residents.
A trail that looks at the intricacies of effective community building and public engagement in modern Singapore. To balance an impending strain on public infrastructure and institution, many governments are looking at creating stronger community activations to support the meeting of needs. Yet, greater diversity in communities demand we adopt more sophisticated lenses to understand community behaviour. We use issues of education and healthcare resilience as a lens to examine challenges in mobilising a community, and how effective engagement and ideation can be done to encourage productive behaviours.
This trail uses the life, death and revival story of the retail sector in Singapore as a metaphor for the overall strategy Singapore uses to survive - a relentless pursuit for relevance. Expounding upon the relationship with work, industry, identity, dignity and money, the trail explores deeper existential issues of Singapore’s parallel need to remain relevant to others, but also find satisfaction in its quest to find itself.
Pricing
Civic Trail
$800 per run (Up to 6 pax per run)
Trail Debrief and Workshop
2 hours: $1,800
4 hours: $3,500
The above pricing is for a maximum of 40 pax.
2 hours: $2,500
4 hours: $4,000
The above pricing is for 85 to 100 pax.
Special Public Runs
To make trails more accessible to the public and in particular youths, we are offering a few public runs of our trails from March to July 2024.
These trails are part of our new offering 'Managing the Tension Between Self and Others', a 2-day programme designed for individuals aged 26 to 35, and allows individuals and young leaders to delve into the fundamentals of human complexity. This programme is powered by the National Youth Council.
For more information, you can download here.
For any enquiries,