2. Interestingly, only 22% of you voted family mediation as a solution, although 79% see family conflict as the top few reasons for young homelessness. Why is that so?
Good morning and happy (sobs 🤪) Monday! Thank you all for engaging so thoughtfully in the conversation on young homelessness 🤍
What really stood out from this discussion was how many of you pointed to the misexpectation of family support in our society. The assumption that family will always be safe, available, and able to help. Yet that doesn’t reflect the reality for some.
There was also an important point raised about the tension between choosing self and choosing family. In our cultural context, holding onto a sense of self while maintaining family harmony is often a quiet, unspoken struggle. While counselling services in Singapore do meaningful and important work, there’s also a growing sense that support could be better contextualised to our local family dynamics, cultural expectations, and power structures so that practitioners are even more equipped to support individuals and families navigating these complexities.
If this conversation resonates with you and you’d like to support the issue beyond this space, here are a couple of organisations supporting the needs of individuals with housing challenges:
Homeless Hearts Singapore: a secular homeless befriending group, open to all, that takes a relational approach to supporting homeless individuals in navigating support systems.
The Last Resort Singapore: supporting young individuals facing housing instability, often when family support has broken down
They share ways to contribute through volunteering, donations, and public education.
Beyond volunteering and donation, advocacy is also an important form of support. And advocacy doesn’t always have to look big. Sometimes it’s about being a more informed, compassionate voice, gently questioning the default narratives around “family as first line of support,” being mindful of how we talk about homelessness, or holding space when someone shares that family isn’t a safe option for them.
Thank you to everyone who shared their views courageously and for helping to make this a thoughtful and respectful space.
Conversations like these may seem small, but they matter. We’re really glad to be able to have them with all of you! 💬🤍
What really stood out from this discussion was how many of you pointed to the misexpectation of family support in our society. The assumption that family will always be safe, available, and able to help. Yet that doesn’t reflect the reality for some.
There was also an important point raised about the tension between choosing self and choosing family. In our cultural context, holding onto a sense of self while maintaining family harmony is often a quiet, unspoken struggle. While counselling services in Singapore do meaningful and important work, there’s also a growing sense that support could be better contextualised to our local family dynamics, cultural expectations, and power structures so that practitioners are even more equipped to support individuals and families navigating these complexities.
If this conversation resonates with you and you’d like to support the issue beyond this space, here are a couple of organisations supporting the needs of individuals with housing challenges:
Homeless Hearts Singapore: a secular homeless befriending group, open to all, that takes a relational approach to supporting homeless individuals in navigating support systems.
The Last Resort Singapore: supporting young individuals facing housing instability, often when family support has broken down
They share ways to contribute through volunteering, donations, and public education.
Beyond volunteering and donation, advocacy is also an important form of support. And advocacy doesn’t always have to look big. Sometimes it’s about being a more informed, compassionate voice, gently questioning the default narratives around “family as first line of support,” being mindful of how we talk about homelessness, or holding space when someone shares that family isn’t a safe option for them.
Thank you to everyone who shared their views courageously and for helping to make this a thoughtful and respectful space.
Conversations like these may seem small, but they matter. We’re really glad to be able to have them with all of you! 💬🤍
The Last Resort
The Last Resort is a safe shelter and caring community for young people built on God's grace and promise
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Career Panel: Technology & AI 101
Thinking about a future in Tech or AI, but not sure what that really looks like?💻
Praxium invites students and youths under 30 who want to explore different industries and make more informed career decisions💪 Expect real-world insights, career pathways, and honest perspectives😊
🔴17 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 2pm-3.30pm
🗺️ National Library Building Level 7
💵FOC
Sign up at: https://forms.gle/dMmgT3YfbrhRKjGu5
@openjio @experiencejio
Thinking about a future in Tech or AI, but not sure what that really looks like?💻
Praxium invites students and youths under 30 who want to explore different industries and make more informed career decisions💪 Expect real-world insights, career pathways, and honest perspectives😊
🔴17 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 2pm-3.30pm
🗺️ National Library Building Level 7
💵FOC
Sign up at: https://forms.gle/dMmgT3YfbrhRKjGu5
@openjio @experiencejio
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Lasting Conversations: The Roles We All Play
We don’t choose every role we play.
How do we speak of love, obligation, pain, and parting, especially when words fail us?❣️
In caregiving and in end of life care, we are often cast into roles we never auditioned for. What does it mean to perform care versus feel care? 🧐 What happens when personal history, cultural expectation, and family duty collide in the final stages of life?
How can the arts offer not just reflection, but relief for those navigating these blurred, deeply human roles?✨
🔴9 Jan 26, Friday
🔵 6.30pm-9pm
🗺️ 10 Hospital Blvd, #02-01 Outram Community Hospital
💵 FOC & dinner is provided
Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/yazw001
@openjio @experiencejio
We don’t choose every role we play.
How do we speak of love, obligation, pain, and parting, especially when words fail us?❣️
In caregiving and in end of life care, we are often cast into roles we never auditioned for. What does it mean to perform care versus feel care? 🧐 What happens when personal history, cultural expectation, and family duty collide in the final stages of life?
How can the arts offer not just reflection, but relief for those navigating these blurred, deeply human roles?✨
🔴9 Jan 26, Friday
🔵 6.30pm-9pm
🗺️ 10 Hospital Blvd, #02-01 Outram Community Hospital
💵 FOC & dinner is provided
Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/yazw001
@openjio @experiencejio
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Homelessness Befriending 101 by Homeless Hearts of Singapore
Want to find out more about homelessness in Singapore?🏠
Join this event to find out more about the homelessness landscape in Singapore, skills and strategies in befriending the homeless community✨
🔴 13 Jan 26, Tuesday
🔵7pm-8.30pm
🗺️Zoom
💵FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/Jan26HHOS
@openjio @experiencejio
Want to find out more about homelessness in Singapore?🏠
Join this event to find out more about the homelessness landscape in Singapore, skills and strategies in befriending the homeless community✨
🔴 13 Jan 26, Tuesday
🔵7pm-8.30pm
🗺️Zoom
💵FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/Jan26HHOS
@openjio @experiencejio
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IMH Wellness Fiesta 2026
Celebrate Occupational Therapy Day 2026 at IMH Wellness Fiesta🎉
Join them and enjoy insightful talks, hands-on workshops, interactive booths, an art exhibition, and more🙌🏻
🔴24 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 9am-3pm
🗺️ Institute of Mental Health (IMH)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/imhwellnessfiesta26
@openjio @experiencejio
Celebrate Occupational Therapy Day 2026 at IMH Wellness Fiesta🎉
Join them and enjoy insightful talks, hands-on workshops, interactive booths, an art exhibition, and more🙌🏻
🔴24 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 9am-3pm
🗺️ Institute of Mental Health (IMH)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/imhwellnessfiesta26
@openjio @experiencejio
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🔥 Al-Mizan Fireside Chats — January Series 🌱
This January, Al-Mizan brings together thought leaders and practitioners for three evenings of dialogue on sustainability. Each speaker will share for 10 minutes, followed by a 15‑minute live Q&A for deeper engagement🧐.
🌍 6 Jan: Circularity
🌳 13 Jan: Nature
⚡ 20 Jan: Energy
✨ These Fireside Chats offer a space to learn, reflect, and connect. It explores how sustainability intersects with policy, business, and community values.
🔴6 Jan 26, 13 Jan 26, 20 Jan 26 (Thurs)
🔵 9pm-9.45pm
🗺️ Online
💵FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/Al-Mizan
@openjio @experiencejio
This January, Al-Mizan brings together thought leaders and practitioners for three evenings of dialogue on sustainability. Each speaker will share for 10 minutes, followed by a 15‑minute live Q&A for deeper engagement🧐.
🌍 6 Jan: Circularity
🌳 13 Jan: Nature
⚡ 20 Jan: Energy
✨ These Fireside Chats offer a space to learn, reflect, and connect. It explores how sustainability intersects with policy, business, and community values.
🔴6 Jan 26, 13 Jan 26, 20 Jan 26 (Thurs)
🔵 9pm-9.45pm
🗺️ Online
💵FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/Al-Mizan
@openjio @experiencejio
January 26 The Other Book Club Book Discussion Session:
The Other Book Club is an LGBTQ-run club that hopes to create a haven to gather and discuss queer content safely and freely🏳️🌈
In this 21st session, they will discuss the book "HOMESICK" by NOR📚
🔴22 Jan 26, Thursday
🔵 7.30pm-9.30pm
🗺️ Revealed after registration
💵 $6.34
Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/theotherbookclubjan26
@openjio @experiencejio
The Other Book Club is an LGBTQ-run club that hopes to create a haven to gather and discuss queer content safely and freely🏳️🌈
In this 21st session, they will discuss the book "HOMESICK" by NOR📚
🔴22 Jan 26, Thursday
🔵 7.30pm-9.30pm
🗺️ Revealed after registration
💵 $6.34
Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/theotherbookclubjan26
@openjio @experiencejio
Nature Society Rewilding & Invasive Species Management
The NSS Rewilding Project
Join in efforts to fulfill the goal of having the Rail Corridor as a conduit for plants and wildlife and to provide continuous canopy cover along the Rail Corridor. You will be tree planting in collaboration with NParks' One Million Trees Movement🌳
🔴17 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 9am-12pm
🗺️ Rail Corridor North (More details will be sent 1 week before the event)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/NSSRewildingproject
Invasive Species Management Programme
Invasive species may look harmless, but they can cause real damage to our native habitats. In this event, you will learn how invasive species affect our forests and get to partake in meaningful action to protect native plants and conserve Singapore’s natural heritage🔍
🔴29 Jan 26, Thursday
🔵 3pm-6pm
🗺️ Windsor Nature Park
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/invasivespeciesmanagement
@openjio @experiencejio
The NSS Rewilding Project
Join in efforts to fulfill the goal of having the Rail Corridor as a conduit for plants and wildlife and to provide continuous canopy cover along the Rail Corridor. You will be tree planting in collaboration with NParks' One Million Trees Movement🌳
🔴17 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 9am-12pm
🗺️ Rail Corridor North (More details will be sent 1 week before the event)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/NSSRewildingproject
Invasive Species Management Programme
Invasive species may look harmless, but they can cause real damage to our native habitats. In this event, you will learn how invasive species affect our forests and get to partake in meaningful action to protect native plants and conserve Singapore’s natural heritage🔍
🔴29 Jan 26, Thursday
🔵 3pm-6pm
🗺️ Windsor Nature Park
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/invasivespeciesmanagement
@openjio @experiencejio
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📺 Film Screening: Fairytales of Growth (2026)
Post-Growth × Malay/Muslim Perspectives on Environmentalism
As we begin a new year, how might we rethink the systems we are part of and move towards ones rooted in care, balance, and collective well-being? 🌱
Fairytales of Growth brings together leading thinkers and campaigners to explore why systemic change matters, and how people-powered movements can help shape a more just and sustainable future.
Following the screening, join a reflective discussion on the resonances between post-growth ideas and Malay/Muslim perspectives on environmentalism, and what these insights mean for our local context. ✨
📅 Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
📍 Venue: Common Ground Civic Centre
21 Bedok North Street 1, Level 3 Auditorium
💰 Free admission (registration required)
🔗 Register at: tiny.cc/fairytalesofgrowth
Organised by Post Growth SG, Lepak Conversations, and Green FiTree
@openjio @experiencejio
Post-Growth × Malay/Muslim Perspectives on Environmentalism
As we begin a new year, how might we rethink the systems we are part of and move towards ones rooted in care, balance, and collective well-being? 🌱
Fairytales of Growth brings together leading thinkers and campaigners to explore why systemic change matters, and how people-powered movements can help shape a more just and sustainable future.
Following the screening, join a reflective discussion on the resonances between post-growth ideas and Malay/Muslim perspectives on environmentalism, and what these insights mean for our local context. ✨
📅 Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
📍 Venue: Common Ground Civic Centre
21 Bedok North Street 1, Level 3 Auditorium
💰 Free admission (registration required)
🔗 Register at: tiny.cc/fairytalesofgrowth
Organised by Post Growth SG, Lepak Conversations, and Green FiTree
@openjio @experiencejio
✉️ Letters to Grief
Some feelings never quite find words.
And during the festive season, grief can surface quietly, through memories, absences, or moments that catch us off guard.
Letters to Grief by The Life Review is an invitation to gently write to your grief.
Not to fix it. Not to explain it.
Just to give it a place to land.
You can take part in two ways:
🌿 Option A: Write on your own
Use our gentle writing guide and write in your own time.
Share your letter only if and when you feel ready.
🔗 https://thelifereview.org/resources/letters-to-grief-writing-guide
🌿 Option B: Join a Letters to Grief workshop
A calmly facilitated space to slow down, breathe, and write alongside others, at your own pace.
📅 24 Jan (Sat) | 28 Mar (Sat)
⏰ 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
🔗 https://thelifereview.org/letters-to-grief
@openjio @experiencejio
Some feelings never quite find words.
And during the festive season, grief can surface quietly, through memories, absences, or moments that catch us off guard.
Letters to Grief by The Life Review is an invitation to gently write to your grief.
Not to fix it. Not to explain it.
Just to give it a place to land.
You can take part in two ways:
🌿 Option A: Write on your own
Use our gentle writing guide and write in your own time.
Share your letter only if and when you feel ready.
🔗 https://thelifereview.org/resources/letters-to-grief-writing-guide
🌿 Option B: Join a Letters to Grief workshop
A calmly facilitated space to slow down, breathe, and write alongside others, at your own pace.
📅 24 Jan (Sat) | 28 Mar (Sat)
⏰ 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
🔗 https://thelifereview.org/letters-to-grief
@openjio @experiencejio
🧠 SG Mental Health Matters 2026: Public Consultation Launch
It has been over two years since the launch of the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (NMHWS) (Oct 2023). As part of SG Mental Health Matters 2026, a public consultation will gather insights on how Singaporeans and mental health practitioners have experienced the strategy in practice.
An introductory session, co-organised with RICE Media, will mark the first phase of a multi-stage study on awareness, experiences, and impact of the NMHWS.
What to expect
• Engage with a beta Public Consultation survey
• Share what’s working, what’s not, and what’s missing
• Reflect on lived experiences and real-world impact
Event details
📅 Wed, 21 Jan 206
📍Limited seats available
Insights gathered will inform the public launch of the consultation survey, focus groups, and recommendations to the National Mental Health Office later this year.
🔗 Register early: http://tiny.cc/nmhwsconsultation
@openjio @experiencejio
It has been over two years since the launch of the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (NMHWS) (Oct 2023). As part of SG Mental Health Matters 2026, a public consultation will gather insights on how Singaporeans and mental health practitioners have experienced the strategy in practice.
An introductory session, co-organised with RICE Media, will mark the first phase of a multi-stage study on awareness, experiences, and impact of the NMHWS.
What to expect
• Engage with a beta Public Consultation survey
• Share what’s working, what’s not, and what’s missing
• Reflect on lived experiences and real-world impact
Event details
📅 Wed, 21 Jan 206
📍Limited seats available
Insights gathered will inform the public launch of the consultation survey, focus groups, and recommendations to the National Mental Health Office later this year.
🔗 Register early: http://tiny.cc/nmhwsconsultation
@openjio @experiencejio
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👶🏻🍼Fostering, Unfiltered: An Open Conversation with a Foster Care Worker
What does fostering really look like beyond the brochures and assumptions?
Join to have an honest, grounded conversation with a foster care worker as they unpack common misconceptions about fostering, share what the journey truly involves, and explore how safe, steady adults can make a meaningful difference in a child’s life.
You don’t need to be ready to foster.
Just come with curiosity, openness, and a heart to learn. 🤍
📅 Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
📍 Venue: Lifelong Learning Institute
Level 4, Beach Room
11 Eunos Rd 8, Singapore 408601
🔗 Register at: tiny.cc/boystownfostering
@openjio @experiencejio
What does fostering really look like beyond the brochures and assumptions?
Join to have an honest, grounded conversation with a foster care worker as they unpack common misconceptions about fostering, share what the journey truly involves, and explore how safe, steady adults can make a meaningful difference in a child’s life.
You don’t need to be ready to foster.
Just come with curiosity, openness, and a heart to learn. 🤍
📅 Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
📍 Venue: Lifelong Learning Institute
Level 4, Beach Room
11 Eunos Rd 8, Singapore 408601
🔗 Register at: tiny.cc/boystownfostering
@openjio @experiencejio
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Digital Mental Wellness Workshop by Digital Defence Alliance Singapore
This is a fun and interactive event to help you navigate the digital world safely, build positive online habits, and use technology for both learning and play💻
You will learn:
✅How technology impacts your emotions and wellbeing
✅Positive digital habits & how to avoid online harms
✅Digital tools that support mental health
✅Strategies to manage screen time and tech stress
✅How to collaborate, discuss, and share ideas with peers
🔴23 Jan 26, Friday
🔵 6pm-9.30pm
🗺️ Sengkang Community Club, Lvl 3 Auditorium
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/ddasworkshop
@openjio @experiencejio
This is a fun and interactive event to help you navigate the digital world safely, build positive online habits, and use technology for both learning and play💻
You will learn:
✅How technology impacts your emotions and wellbeing
✅Positive digital habits & how to avoid online harms
✅Digital tools that support mental health
✅Strategies to manage screen time and tech stress
✅How to collaborate, discuss, and share ideas with peers
🔴23 Jan 26, Friday
🔵 6pm-9.30pm
🗺️ Sengkang Community Club, Lvl 3 Auditorium
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/ddasworkshop
@openjio @experiencejio
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Community Mental Health Webinar on Sleep
Sleep is more than rest.😴🧠
It plays a critical role in our mental well-being, emotional regulation, and daily performance. Join them for a practical session to better understand how sleep impacts both mind and body🤓
🎤 Speaker:
• Dr Ho Eu Chin, Senior Consultant, The ENT Clinic
🎙 Moderators:
• Alex Yeo, Executive Director, Caring for Life
• Lanurse Chen, Counselling Psychologist, Breathe & Be Psychology
🔴7 Feb 26, Saturday
🔵 2pm-3.30pm
🗺️ Online (Zoom)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/sleepxmentalhealth
@openjio @experiencejio
Sleep is more than rest.😴🧠
It plays a critical role in our mental well-being, emotional regulation, and daily performance. Join them for a practical session to better understand how sleep impacts both mind and body🤓
🎤 Speaker:
• Dr Ho Eu Chin, Senior Consultant, The ENT Clinic
🎙 Moderators:
• Alex Yeo, Executive Director, Caring for Life
• Lanurse Chen, Counselling Psychologist, Breathe & Be Psychology
🔴7 Feb 26, Saturday
🔵 2pm-3.30pm
🗺️ Online (Zoom)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/sleepxmentalhealth
@openjio @experiencejio
Sibsunite 2026 community gathering
Sibsunite is a groundup volunteer-run support group for siblings of persons with special needs.
They aim to support siblings through different phases of life and drive the conversation around the complex challenges faced by siblings in Singapore💪🏻
They are starting off 2026 coming together as siblings, to reconnect and plan for their community as one. Join them to design SibsMeet for the first of three installments, from Jan to Apr 26🙌🏻
🔴24 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 10am-12pm
🗺️ Caregiver's Pod, Enabling Village, S(159053)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/sibsunitejan26
@openjio @experiencejio
Sibsunite is a groundup volunteer-run support group for siblings of persons with special needs.
They aim to support siblings through different phases of life and drive the conversation around the complex challenges faced by siblings in Singapore💪🏻
They are starting off 2026 coming together as siblings, to reconnect and plan for their community as one. Join them to design SibsMeet for the first of three installments, from Jan to Apr 26🙌🏻
🔴24 Jan 26, Saturday
🔵 10am-12pm
🗺️ Caregiver's Pod, Enabling Village, S(159053)
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/sibsunitejan26
@openjio @experiencejio
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End FGC Singapore turns 5!
End FGC Singapore marks five years of grassroots feminist resistance, creative activism, and community-led advocacy to end Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Singapore🥳
What started as a bold effort to break the silence has grown into a movement pushing the boundaries of public discourse and policy imagination🤩
🧐There will be a panel discussion to reflect on this movement towards ending FGC in Singapore
💃🏻Expect a dance performance by local artists which exploes the topic of FGC
📖 get your hands on their booklets, Let's Talk about Sunat Perempuan (Female Genital Cutting) and guide on supporting survivors of FGM/C
🔴8 Feb 26, Saturday
🔵 1pm-5pm
🗺️ Shared after registration
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/endfgcturns5
@openjio @experiencejio
End FGC Singapore marks five years of grassroots feminist resistance, creative activism, and community-led advocacy to end Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Singapore🥳
What started as a bold effort to break the silence has grown into a movement pushing the boundaries of public discourse and policy imagination🤩
🧐There will be a panel discussion to reflect on this movement towards ending FGC in Singapore
💃🏻Expect a dance performance by local artists which exploes the topic of FGC
📖 get your hands on their booklets, Let's Talk about Sunat Perempuan (Female Genital Cutting) and guide on supporting survivors of FGM/C
🔴8 Feb 26, Saturday
🔵 1pm-5pm
🗺️ Shared after registration
💵 FOC
Sign up at: tiny.cc/endfgcturns5
@openjio @experiencejio
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