Singapore Hospice Council is empowering youths to be at the forefront of palliative care efforts and to normalise thinking and talking about death.
On 1 June 2024, the youth took centre stage at Singapore Hospice Council’s (SHC) inaugural Hack Care: YOLO! Competition Pitch Day presenting an array of innovative solutions. The competition, organised by SHC and supported by Temasek Polytechnic, saw over 200 youths across secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and universities submit a total of 54 proposals on improving the palliative care landscape. Seven submissions were chosen to be presented on Pitch Day to a panel of judges representing the palliative care sector.
The Lead Up
Before the submission deadline, all participants underwent the SHC Palliative Care 101 course to deepen their knowledge of palliative care and end-of-life matters. Equipped with a firm understanding of Singapore’s palliative care landscape, students began crafting their proposals centred on one of three goals:
(i) Encourage open die-logues among youths and intergenerational conversations.
(ii) Promote peer support and compassionate understanding within the community for patients and caregivers along the illness journey and during grief and bereavement.
(iii) Raise overall awareness of palliative care among youths in Singapore.
The organising committee received many excellent proposals and selected the seven finalists based on originality, scalability, and impact after much deliberation.
On Pitch Day
The pitch presentations kicked off at 10am on 1 June. Presenters impressed with their creativity and ability to answer a barrage of thought-provoking questions eloquently.
Team Solace and Team Legacy clinched the gold awards with their proposals for a music death cafe and an interactive website with gaming elements, respectively. In recognition of the exceptional quality of the proposals, SHC awarded four merit awards on top of the silver and bronze awards to the other stellar participants. The Guest of Honour, Minister of State for Health Ms Rahayu Mazham, and SHC Chairman Mr Robert Chew handed out the awards to the deserving winners.
posing for a photo with Ms Rahayu Mazham, Minster of State for Health and SHC Chairman Mr Robert Chew
Memorandums Of Understanding
As part of the strategy to empower our youths to build stronger palliative support in Singapore, SHC partnered with Temasek Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to expand collaboration in areas including research, development, training and community outreach initiatives. The signing of the Memorandums of Understanding with each of the polytechnics was held after the award ceremony to kick off the collaborative efforts to build stronger palliative support in Singapore. The signing was witnessed by Ms Rahayu and Mr Chew.
In her address, Ms Rahayu emphasised the importance of engaging the next generation as Singapore rapidly becomes a super-aged society. “Youths must be empowered to co-create sustainable solutions to raise overall awareness of palliative care matters,” she said.
The resounding success of the Hack Care: Yolo! competition attests to the youth’s desire to be involved in palliative care. SHC is heartened by their commitment and will continue working collaboratively with the polytechnics to engage our youths and fulfil the growing needs and wishes of the palliative care community.
Prize Winners
Congratulations to all our prize winners!
