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How friends inspired this 21-year-old to embark on mental health advocacy
He now brings his experience in the mental health space to help overseas communities through the Youth Expedition Project
Mr Steve Chia on his first overseas service-learning project, which was focused on mental health, in a village in the Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam.
PHOTO: YOUTH CORPS SINGAPORE MENTAL HEALTH CLUSTER – PROJECT UNTANGLE
Toh Ee Ming, Content STudio
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His closest friends suffered from depression, loneliness from social isolation, and what they felt were stifling home environments during the April 2020 covid-19 circuit-breaker lockdown.
The four, all 18 then, were unable to meet for months and would share their struggles online.
How to help? What to say? Would he make matters worse by saying the wrong thing?
“I didn’t know whether I should provide a listening ear, or give advice,” says Mr Steve Chia, now 21. He was worried that he might say things that could “trigger them or make things worse”.
And so Mr Chia, in wanting to be a better friend, began his quest to learn about and champion mental health.
Now a computer engineering student at the National University of Singapore, he says: “I wanted to learn some new skills, contribute to society, and (at the same time), help the people that I care about.”
More on mental well-being among Singapore youth
- The mental well-being of young people in Singapore has improved since 2020, but it has still not fully recovered from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, according a survey by the National Youth Council.
- “You are not alone”: 20 young people shared their personal stories in a new book, titled Gems In The Rough, to help other youth with mental health struggles.
In late 2020, Mr Chia joined the Youth Corps Singapore’s Mental Health Cluster (MHC). The youth-led unit, which started in February 2019, aspires to become an inclusive and supportive youth advocacy group for mental health in Singapore through the events and online advocacy work they do.
Volunteering isn’t new to Mr Chia. Since his student council days in secondary school, he had been volunteering on an ad-hoc basis with the Youth Network under the People's Association and the Youth Corps.
His past volunteering experiences focused primarily on supporting the elderly and people with special needs.
Joining MHC was a significant chapter of his volunteering journey in two ways: It provided an opportunity to delve into long-term volunteering, which he believes would deepen the impact of his work, and contribute meaningfully to the mental health space in Singapore.
At the time, Mr Chia had just started national service. Even in camp during weekday nights, he would have virtual meetings with other MHC members to plan events. On weekends, he dedicated his time to facilitating these activities.
In 2023, Mr Chia stepped up as an executive committee member of MHC. His responsibilities now include volunteer management, training and welfare-related tasks.
Youth in Singapore are stepping up to drive change
- We share because we care: Through the National Youth Dialogue series, young people in Singapore share their views and discuss future-oriented issues with representatives from the public, private and people sectors.
- The next chapter: As this youth volunteer looks to mentoring the next generation of youth leaders, he taps the Asean Youth Fellowship programme for the chance to learn from regional peers and expand the impact of his work.
What we sow
Having run and organised numerous events in Singapore over the last three years, Mr Chia and his peers at MHC started to explore opportunities and new platforms beyond Singapore.
This included an overseas service-learning project in Vietnam focused on mental health, called Project Untangle. “The name comes from the idea of untangling ‘knots’, or normalised patterns and ideas, that society may have inevitably tightened around youths,” Mr Chia explains.
The trip, held from Dec 14 to 28 last year, was a Youth Expedition Project (YEP) supported by the National Youth Council.
Project Untangle involves Mr Chia and 18 other Singaporean youth aged 20 to 35. It aims to reach Vietnamese youth aged 11 to 17 and their mothers, offering support and resources to help improve their mental well-being.
The team partnered with non-profit organisation Eco Vietnam Group (EVG), which supports service learning and community initiatives by connecting volunteers and sponsors with disadvantaged communities in remote areas of Vietnam.
Ms Eng Yiwen, the team lead for Project Untangle, shares that through their research and speaking with EVG, they found similarities in the challenges that Singaporean and Vietnamese youth face in the area of mental health. This allows the MHC team to easily adapt their workshop content and make it relevant to the overseas community.
The 35-year-old, who works in the public sector, is experienced with YEP; This is her fifth trip, and the fourth as leader.
Project Untangle covered two locations in Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh City, the team sought to normalise conversations around mental health among the youth and encourage them to seek help when needed.
In a village in the Tra Vinh Province of around 14,000 people, they focused on helping the local youth develop emotional awareness and cultivate healthy conflict resolution skills.
Ms Eng explains that the youth in the province typically “settle conflicts by fighting”. Part of the content was designed to help these young people identify and cope with their emotions, so they can resolve conflicts peacefully.
A unique aspect of this project involved 15 mothers in the province. The team shared with them the various developmental stages of kids to help them understand their child’s behaviour and needs, as well as foster better communication.
They also wanted to encourage mothers to care for themselves by acknowledging their own feelings and needs.
Mr Chia says talking about mental health is still a “huge societal and cultural taboo” in Vietnam. The YEP team had to navigate cultural sensitivities in preparing the content.
For example, in Singapore, workshops by MHC would adopt a more straightforward approach with conversations on the societal stigma surrounding mental health.
“But in Vietnam, we had to be more subtle,” Mr Chia explains. “We introduced ‘easier’ topics like how to identify emotions and conflict management, (which they can) quickly apply to their daily lives.”
How we grow
Ms Eng treasures the life lessons and personal growth from her five trips. Her greatest takeaway is the same lessons she imparted to Vietnamese youth on self-management: “The reminder to be conscious of what’s within my control, and what’s not.”
Ms Eng explains that there were times when, as volunteers, they may hope to see results fast and forget that advocacy work is a long journey. “In the work that we do, we are sowing seeds of change. We can’t be so fixated on achieving the impact and outcome we want immediately.”
“We need to learn to let go, knowing we have done our best.”
Even though the aim of every trip is to give back to the community, Ms Eng says: “We gain more than we give.”
For their post-trip project in Singapore, the YEP team will be working with local charity Shine Children and Youth Services on its ResiL!ence programme. In the pipeline is an event focusing on self-care and the five senses, such as using aromatherapy as a technique for relaxation.
ResiL!ence is a community-based youth mental health programme to help those aged 12 to 25 and their caregivers learn more about how to improve mental well-being.
It includes outreach and psychoeducation, mental health screening, and caregiver engagement and support. In psychoeducation, patients and their loved ones are provided with information and support to better understand and cope with mental health issues.
As for Mr Chia, he now aims to create more awareness that physical and mental health are equally important aspects of our overall well-being.
He feels his experience in MHC has equipped him with the skills and empathy to respond better and create a safe space for the people around him.
And that includes his three friends.
What is the YEP?
The Youth Expedition Project (YEP) is an overseas service-learning programme by Youth Corps Singapore.
It aims to nurture confident and resilient Singapore youth who desire to make a difference both at home and overseas. YEP involves communities in Asia, with a focus on the Asean member states, China and India.
The programme provides funding support for youth to embark on community building projects, leadership and project management training. Each YEP team can receive funding for up to 60 per cent of total project costs.
Prior to Covid-19, there were approximately 4,500 YEP participants embarking on 200 trips each year.
In July 2020, the YEP Goes Online (YEP-GO) initiative was launched amid the Covid-19 pandemic to offer youth the opportunity to continue volunteering with overseas communities without having to travel.
This was produced in partnership with the National Youth Council.
Keen to participate in service-learning projects locally and overseas? Click here to learn more about the Youth Expedition Project.
