“COVID-19 has reminded me that life is fragile. It is so important to provide social safety nets for the most vulnerable in society—they are the most impacted by a crisis. —Chen Jinwen, Assistant Manager (Programmes and Research)
What’s Brewing?
The global bubble tea market was valued at US$1.96 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach US$3.21 billion by 2023. But at what cost to the environment? To imagine a way forward, several SMU and LASALLE students teamed up to explore design interventions to address single-use plastics in the consumption and packaging of bubble tea. #Thirsty4Change is a partnership involving SMU’s Lien Centre for Social Innovation and LASALLE College of the Arts. Stay tuned for continued updates.
Research Spotlight
SMU’s latest research report, Strengthening Social Fabric and Quality of Life, highlights some key findings from a study on #YouthatRisk, conducted by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation and led by Dr. Tania Nagpaul and Chen Jinwen. In the next phase of this study, Dr. Tania Nagpaul and her colleague Dr. Alan Yu are designing a youth intervention programme to build career motivation and enhance the psychological well-being of youths from low-income backgrounds. This programme is funded by Barclays Bank, and implemented in partnership with REACH Community Services Society.
“I see a valuable opportunity to examine human behaviour and the need to adapt quickly to new and ever-changing realities," says SMU student Arthur Adimoelia who weighs in on the #COVID19 situation in this Social Space article.
Have you joined our#GetWideAwakemovement? Share your take on what it means to be socially conscious by uploading a photo or video on Instagram using the #GetWideAwake hashtag and stand a chance to be featured in Social Space.
