Parkour, recycled drumming, therapeutic coffee: Youth projects add Christmas sparkle to Somerset

The Somerset stretch on Orchard Road is abuzz with even more festive fun, thanks to Somerfest 2022.

The youth-led event, which runs from Nov 25 to Dec 18, features over 100 retail pop-ups, curated stage sets and studio zones across *Scape, Somerset Youth Park and Somerset Skate Park.

These are courtesy of Realise Your Somerset Projects (RYSP) powered by the National Youth Council (NYC). Initiatives on creative arts, urban sports, mental well-being and sustainability are given awards ranging from $3,000 to $50,000.

Somerfest 2022 is a teaser to next year’s line-up of youth-centric activities, which will jumpstart Singapore’s plans to transform the precinct into a platform for youth to explore creative ideas alongside peers and corporate partners.

“The Somerset Belt is a space for youths to call their own, where they are free to explore and create new possibilities,” says Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Alvin Tan.

“I look forward to the creative and innovative activities through RYSP at the inaugural Somerfest,” adds Mr Tan, who is also Minister of State for Trade and Industry. “In the year ahead, MCCY and NYC are committed to partner and empower our youths through more opportunities provided at the Somerset Belt.”

Meet some of the people and ideas behind Somerfest 2022.

When Mr Koh Chen Pin was 14, he was fascinated by the sport of parkour after watching the 2001 French film Yamakasi.

It featured the sport’s pioneers using physical agility to chart an efficient path through a city, while traversing obstacles such as walls and railings.

“I was impressed that the human body is capable of such feats, and hoping I could train my body to do the same,” says Mr Koh, 29, who is now vice-president of local society Parkour Singapore and director of parkour school Lion City Parkour.

Guided by more experienced practitioners, he picked up the sport at a playground in Tampines when he was a teenager.

Over a decade later, the full-time parkour coach and athlete finds that the sport has helped him build mental fortitude. “When faced with a challenge that is difficult, I can build up towards overcoming it.”

“Parkour is about finding your path. It’s something I’ve been able to apply to my job, and my life.”

Mr Koh hopes to inspire the young when they visit Parkour @ The Belt. The beginner-friendly set-up aims to introduce the sport safely to participants through five approachable “challenges”, such as balancing on a rail near the ground.

Parkour Singapore members will guide visitors through the challenges. Those who complete all five challenges can enter a lucky draw.

Pointing to how Somerset Skate Park resulted in an uptick in skateboarding interest, Mr Koh is hopeful Somerfest will increase awareness of parkour, and even see a permanent parkour park someday to make the sport more accessible to youth.

“Just think of it as a huge playground,” he says. “You just need to show up in running shoes and sports attire, and you can have a good time.”

Are more young people today struggling with mental health? Yes, says Ms Charmaine Marsh, founder of therapy clinic Goodity Co. About eight in 10 of the clinic’s clients are aged 35 and under.

“This particular generation faces a lot of social pressure. Because of social media, there's no way to shut off,” she adds.

That’s why Ms Marsh, 37, and co-founder Daryl Tan, 35, have set up Coffee Talks. It is a pop-up cafe in Somerset that offers visitors a chance to chat over a cuppa with a licensed therapist, who doubles as a barista.

Java starts from $5, while a drink and 15-minute chat starts from $12, with three therapists on duty. Customers write how they’re feeling on the side of the coffee cup to get the conversation going. 

The idea was inspired by how patrons pour out their woes to bartenders, says Mr Tan. “We wanted to give a different experience of what therapy can be like. It doesn't have to be in a sterile clinic,” adds Ms Marsh, who is a trained counsellor. “It should be easy, comfortable and casual, just like getting a coffee.”

Food and beverage as a means to fuel deeper conversations is also offered at Colour Palette, a project by second-year Republic Polytechnic students Mirza Rusyaidi, 18, and Florence Goh, 19.

The idea is simple: hand out 1,000 free scoops of locally-manufactured ice cream. There are three flavours: Hainanese kaya burnt cheesecake, cranberry Yakult and blueberry lavender.

Companies can engage Colour Palette – which counts retail space Design Orchard among its clients – to develop brand-exclusive flavours, which they can give out as a corporate social responsibility initiative.

For example, the three flavours offered at Somerfest embody the three colours in the Somerset Belt logo. Anyone can “reserve” a scoop through the Colour Palette website. 

Mr Mirza and Ms Goh see this as an opportunity for youth to check up on friends who need emotional support by asking them to grab the free dessert together.

“We are hesitant to talk to each other about mental wellness because we find it awkward,” says Mr Mirza, adding that many of his peers are struggling with stress alone, as they have little time to socialise.

“Going straight to ‘Are you feeling okay?’ is too serious and awkward,” he adds. “So we bring in ice cream, a ‘happy food’, to start that conversation.”

As a rebellious teen, Mr Arthur Choo disliked studying and would get into fights. “I had no dreams and passed each day without purpose,” says the 35-year-old.

His life turned around when he fell in love with the cajon – a box-shaped percussion instrument – and went on to start a cajon school in 2013.

While he found purpose and joy through music, he realised that not everyone would be as fortunate. He shares that the costs of instruments made it expensive for lower-income families.

To make music more accessible and sustainable, Mr Choo launched Green Drumming in 2019. It is a youth-driven group that teaches and plays on “drums” made from everyday items like pails, which are decorated with paint and waste bits such as vinyl flooring scraps.

The group has performed at events such as the Singapore Grand Prix, River Hongbao, and Singapore Countdown. They have also showcased sustainable art installations at the Singapore Night Festival.

Visitors to Somerfest can catch these drum performances at 5 pm on Sunday, when drummers would be performing as an ensemble on a unique series of green drums with distinct visual elements co-created by youths.

Visitors can also try their hand at playing some of these creations that are featured as installations at Green Arena 2.0, which includes sophisticated drum creations inspired by Transformers robots.

For example, the “Megatron” drum is made of rims, wheels and rods taken from car scrapyards, and mechanical and electronic components such as LED lights. “It’s a grand and striking instrument,” says Mr Choo.

But there is a deeper purpose for Green Drumming’s presence at Somerset. “Green drumming is not just music, it’s a message that if we can turn waste into something beautiful then, given a second chance, our lives can also turn into something beautiful,” says the music school founder, who also works with at-risk youth in secondary schools.

He is hoping to reach out to more among the young through Somerfest. “Sometimes, they rebel because they want attention. So we try to direct their attention to places where they feel confident through music and arts performances,” he says. 

“After all, it's the season of giving faith, hope and love to people.”

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100 youth leaders gather in Somerset

As part of Somerfest, 100 youth founders of businesses spanning the creative, retail and F&B sectors gathered for Sandbox Somerset, an event jointly organised by events and space-activating company Invade, in partnership with the Somerset Belt Office and powered by NYC.

The curated programme, spanning two weekends in late November and early December, included panel discussions and showcases to hone founders’ skills, network with peers, receive mentorship, and leverage spaces along the Somerset Belt as a launchpad for ideas.