NYC Fires Up Youth Launchpad to Empower Local Youths to be Next Generation Problem-Solvers

National Youth Council (NYC), *SCAPE and Tribal Worldwide Singapore have launched Campfire to foster and facilitate opportunities for youths to develop creative-solutioning skills that will ready them for the real-world challenges of today.

Rooted in Tribal Worldwide’s Total Experience (TX) framework, Campfire is a bi-annual six-week intensive programme that is specially designed for youths, aged 18 – 35, to empower them with real-world experience and ignite their passion for entrepreneurship, design innovation, social enterprise, volunteerism and creative storytelling.

The youths will first go through a two-week accelerated course led by the department heads of Tribal Worldwide Singapore, who will impart the TX framework to effectively equip participants with various skill sets, ranging from business consulting to technological innovation. They are then challenged to think critically and create solutions for problem statements that the agency will develop with clients while being mentored by industry professionals from the agency’s network.

To further hone these ideas, Campfire has on board Braintrust Advisors, a panel of local thought-leaders and entrepreneurs with a penchant for giving back to the community and inspiring the Youth. In order to give the youths a holistic learning experience, the panel was carefully handpicked to offer a diverse range of expertise and insights. Some advisors include Ng Kai Yuan, Co-founder of Our Grandfather Story, Cindy Chng, Co-founder of Hide & Seek, Alvin Yapp, Co-founder of The Social Kitchen, Carmen Low, Director of AfterglowConcepts, and Kent Teo, Founder & CEO of Invade. These Braintrust Advisors work alongside the agency to mentor the Youth participants.

To facilitate a community-centric focus in the programme, the problem statements given to participants are anchored by NYC’s key themes of Environment and Sustainability, MentalWell-Being, Jobs and the Future of Work, and Support for Vulnerable Groups. These problems statements are derived from Tribal’s network of clients, with a focus on the up-and-coming – tech start-ups, social enterprises, or nationwide initiatives (such as sustainability). Details of the problem statements and clients will be released on launch day. 

The 6-week programme will culminate into pitching sessions with clients and BraintrustAdvisors, with an objective of bringing the best out of the ideas and into fruition. 

David Chua, CEO of NYC and Chairman of *SCAPE said, “The National Youth Council has always sought to create opportunities for all youth to be heard, be empowered and be the change, while *SCAPE is turning into a hub for creativity, entrepreneurship and careers, and exists to serve and support youth to live their dreams. With this People, Private and Public partnership between NYC, *SCAPE and Tribal Worldwide Singapore, Campfire will support youth by empowering them with real-world experience and skills to thrive amid the pandemic and beyond.”

This is not Tribal’s first commitment to mentoring local youth talent. In 2016, TribalWorldwide Singapore launched Equator, a global centre of excellence for technology and innovation by DDB Worldwide. From its flagship office at Temasek Polytechnic, Equator has expanded to Nanyang Polytechnic, with plans to work with Singapore Polytechnic as well, and has reached more than 500 students over the years. As part of the programme, these youths also had an internship opportunity to work at the Tribal office, alongside industry professionals. Some of the commercial projects that students have worked on include clients from Shiseido, SMRT, Samsung, Manulife, Gardens by the Bay and the National Environment Agency.

“As an agency, we are constantly invested in the future. I believe now is the time to create the strongest Youth launchpad where global brands want to be a part of the narrative, in Singapore and Asia. We want to inspire a generation of youth to care beyond themselves and be plugged into society, especially in this post-pandemic world,” added Jeff Cheong, Deputy CEO of DDB Group Singapore.

The commitment to mentor the youths extends beyond students or fresh graduates. Campfire is also designed to guide youth professionals in the workforce, who may be at a crossroads and looking to pivot their careers during this challenging time. 

Most recently, Tribal Worldwide launched a skill-training development programme to help local small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the design sector build the skills and capabilities of their workforce, under the SkillsFuture Queen Bee initiative. 

The first run of the Campfire programme commences on 1 Apr 2021. More information about Campfire can be found on their website at https://campfire.sg/.