Singapore’s largest showcase of social initiatives by the young, Be the Change Exposition, returns for its sixth iteration this year on 12 November 2015 (Thursday) at Suntec Convention Centre. Organised by social enterprise, SoCh in Action, this year’s event themed ‘SG50 and Next’ will showcase the works of 250 students, together with 20 engaging activities with social sector organisations.
SoCh in Action works to empower every child to shape society for a better tomorrow. SoCh designs and implements various programs for the community to be involved in the social change process and runs a series of educational workshops on social innovation and social entrepreneurship based on design-thinking process where students are encouraged to identify the issue and are able to think, voice and act to make a social impact. Some of the 50 Project Stories showcased this year are as follow:
– 10-year olds from Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) are taking the lead to reduce food wastage in school
– 11-year olds from Yumin Primary School promoted better engagement with grandparents
– 15-year olds from Greendale Secondary School are product innovators who design claw hands for wheelchair-bound users.
Held annually, the Be The Change Exposition marks the close of the annual Design for Change Challenge, recognised by the United Nations in achieving the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. It is an international movement that is designed to give young people an opportunity to express their own ideas for a better world, and put them into action.
To capture past stories of change, an e-book, ‘I CAN’: 50 stories of children shaping Singapore’ of real change projects by children will be launched at the event. Re-written for an interesting read with colourful illustrations, these stories are testimonials that children are not too young to have a voice in shaping the future of our nation. To read some of these stories, please click here.
“We as a nation need to recognize that children have what it takes to lead and inspire change, said Madhu Verma, Founder & Director of SoCh in Action. “so, we want the voice of the children to be heard and to build a children-inclusive society where children are empowered to shape a better future for Singapore.”
The Challenge typically attracts students from over 30 schools, across Singapore. This year’s challenge expanded the reach to two new categories ‘Youth’ and ‘Family’ to encourage participation from these two segments. Winners of the Challenge will be determined by an esteemed jury, consisting of senior executives from Lien Foundation, MOE, DBS Foundation, IDEO, DesignSingapore Council, Our Better World and The Press Room Group. 
SoCh in Action has engaged with more than 8,000 students in Singapore in the design-thinking approach SoCh believes in empowering children to make a difference in the world around them by not only being aware of the social issues that surround them, but also by taking positive and proactive action to drive the change.
6th Annual Be The Change Exposition 2015
Date: Thursday, 12 November 2015
Time: 9.00am – 12.30pm
Venue: SUNTEC Convention Centre, Hall 403 over the last six years. 
The Be the Change Exposition, is sponsored by the SG50 Celebration Fund, and supported by Suntec Singapore. To learn more about this free community event and to register for the exposition, please click here
