MissionX 2025

Some months back, my friend Constance, who is a YouthCorp leader, encouraged me to sign up for this Mission X programme. I worked with Constance during YMAC 2025, so I knew that it would be a good event if she recommended it. So, I convinced another buddy, Haotian to join as well. It turned out that this camp was way more fun that I anticipated. Thanks for the excellent “lobang” Constance! 

What is Mission X?

Mission X is a community service leadership programme launched by Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) in partnership with Singapore’s Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to promote youth volunteerism and develop the next generation of community service leaders. The whole concept is aptly captured in the name where the "X" stands for Multiplier. The central mission is to create more youth “Multipliers” and through our shared action create a positive impact on the community.

Day 1: Community Needs Assessment

On the first day, we were divided into 18 different squads. I was excited to meet my team, Squad Luna, consisting of Grace, Haylee, Wan Qing, Sum Sum, Maria, Hui Jie and Shannen. Everyone was either year 1 or year 2, and I was the only 3rd year student. It struck me that for once, I am the oldest team member... :)

After the icebreakers, the Executive Director of YouthCorp, Ms. Angela Wong, gave an overview of the programme. She hoped for youths to expand our knowledge of community issues, work with like-minded Multipliers, and inspire our peers to make an impact. Looking at the nodding heads around me, it felt good to be among passionate like-minded individuals. The facilitators then took over, teaching us how to properly conduct a Community Needs Assessment (CNA). They emphasised that before jumping into solutions, we must first engage the community and thoroughly understand their pain points.

Our team Squad Luna focused on children from low-income families aged 7-12. Our secondary research pointed to emotional instability as a main issue facing this group, which led to our problem statement:

“Children from low-income families often lack the resources and education needed to recognise and understand mental health issues.”

 Using the 5 Whys methodology, we asked questions like, "Why are children not receiving support?", eventually leading us to the root cause: Children lack the resource and support to better understand mental health issues. 

Day 2: Root Cause Analysis

On the second day, we spoke with a resource specialist from the Children Charities Association of Singapore, who shared the challenges low-income parents juggle daily. We noted three main hurdles faced by the children: Lack of Awareness, Low Confidence, and Stigma & Fear.

Challenges & Needs faced by the children from low-income families.

With this insight, we then framed our "How Might We..." question. Specifically, “How might we help children from low-income families better understand mental health issues?” In simpler terms, how do we best reach out to this under privileged group?

Putting ourselves in the children's shoes, our team agreed on one thing, i.e. kids of all ages love doing fun activities. So, we narrowed down our ideas and decided that the best solution was a carnival. Using this fun, non-intimidating approach, lower-income families will not face the stigma of looking like they need help. Through play, we will be able to indirectly raise these kids (and their families) on mental health awareness.

Squad Luna brainstorming...

Volunteer Management

The later part of the afternoon, we were taught the “art and science” behind volunteer management, including how to create appealing posters for outreach as well as YouthCorps’ 4 Senses of Volunteer Management:

YouthCorps 4 senses of volunteer management

While listening to this, I saw some parallels between these 4 senses to how I do stakeholder management. So, I summarised the comparisons in the following table.

	YouthCorps	Stakeholder Management
Sense of Purpose	Aligning volunteer interests and motivations with the programme's goals (e.g., calling volunteers one month ahead to check suitability).	In a similar way, by clearly communicating "why" a project matters helps align stakeholders' interests with organisational objectives and fosters buy-in.
Sense of Belonging	Fostering connections through an orientation training a week before and a debrief afterwards.	Building friendships and connections helps foster a collaborative environment which helps stakeholders feel valued and integrated, enhancing communication, cooperation, and team cohesion.
Sense of Confidence	Ensuring volunteers know their roles through detailed training and a final pre-event debrief.	By doing our work well, supervisors will also have more confidence in us to take on more value-added work. This can be done through training, mentoring or coaching.
Sense of Ownership	Encouraging volunteers to continue volunteering for future events through words of encouragement and appreciation.	Continuity is key for any sustained success. Hence, sharing a clear vision as well as practical next steps help empower the team to remain active and committed. With a greater sense of ownership, its more likely that the team will continue to progress forward.

This section reminded me that not everyone will be “bought in” from the start of a project. But knowing the “Science” behind volunteer management certainly will help. Through the right techniques, we can all be better team mates and leaders, rallying everyone’s effort into fulfilling the common mission.

Day 3: Pitching

On the third day, it was showtime. My team worked through the night to polish our presentation and it paid off handsomely. We presented our project to the panelists - who simulated as charitable organisations looking to fund projects (think Shark Tank). When the results were announced, our team was in the top 2 highest-scoring groups across all 18 teams! We were even awarded the "Dream Team" certificate for scoring above 80 points. Good job team Squad Luna!

L for Squad Luna!

1+1 = 3 (or more)

The highlight of the 3-day camp was the final event where all 18 groups had to work together to complete a new mission, i.e. defeat a social ill called “Ignorance.” All 18 squads pooled our resources and tackled the multiple games and puzzles together. It was amazing to see how we were able to complete the mission within 1.5 hours. It was a microcosm of the camp’s core lesson - when every individual contributes, our collective actions "multiplies", creating an exponential, positive impact on society. The X in Mission X is a direct word play representing how everyone’s effort when combined acts as a force multiplier resulting in exponential impact. It further reinforced my belief that everyone is capable of being an agent of change!

Final Reflection and Encouragement

Mission X was a meaningful 3-days experience where I learnt about CNA, volunteer management, and how to pitch a winning proposal. Made some new friends along the way too. 3-days well spent. 

If you are an IHL student looking to do volunteer work, consider signing up for Mission X! As you engage in volunteer programs, you will also develop leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and build a network of like-minded peers who are passionate about community service. Join us and be a Multiplier for change. 

Chia Howie

09 October 2025

TLDR

Joined MissionX & learnt how to create a positive impact on the community. Made friends with many other student "Multipliers". My team Squad Luna, obtained a "Dream Team" certificate for being one of the top two highest scoring groups.