Dr. Dalvin Sidhu is a Senior Programme Manager at the Lien Centre for Social Innovation. Her research interests focus on advocacy for vulnerable groups in Singapore. Her postgraduate training has equipped her with advanced analytical skills, especially the ability to understand and then synthesise themes from the components of complex problems. Recently, she has been involved in impact assessment, utilising evidence-based procedures in analysing impact.

Dr. Tania Nagpaul is a Senior Lecturer at the S.R. Nathan School of Human Development, Singapore University of Social Sciences. She obtained her Ph.D. in psychology from Nanyang Technological University and has held research and teaching appointments at premier institutes of higher learning in Singapore. 

Her research interests include self-determination theory, occupational well-being, social issues surrounding food insecurity, youth-at-risk, low-income workers, and mixed methods research.

In Seow Ling’s many years of social work practice, she was involved in case management, community work, social work supervision and management. Seow Ling is passionate about both restorative justice and Asset-Based Community-Driven Development (ABCD). She has used these approaches in her practice in the community setting to advance the well-being of individuals, families and the community. 

She is currently involved in working with her team in partnering low-income families to improve their financial situation through addressing their stressors, increasing their savings and expanding their social network. 

Seow Ling believes that relationships matter. She therefore seeks to provide a positive experience for these families through attending to their needs, respecting their ideas and acknowledging their strengths as they pursue their aspirations.

Ng Bee Leng is a social worker by training and is currently the Director of Community Development & Corporate Support at AMKFSC Community Services. She is passionate about working alongside low-income communities to catalyze asset-based community-driven initiatives to advocate for equitable social conditions that enables people to break out of poverty. She is an official ABCD Guide accredited by Nurture Development and ABCD Institute, Europe.

Working with disadvantaged communities for the past 30 years has brought her to believe in asset-based community development that focuses on strengths rather than deficits of communities. Attention to “what is wrong” leads to an emphasis on deficits which is followed by a reliance on experts to solve their problems. However, when people in the community focus on “what is strong” and come together to participate in resolving their problems, they take control and collectively improve their own lives and the lives of others.

She hopes to see Singapore as a society where communities are like homes, where helping a neighbour or stranger is as natural as helping a family member. A home where bottom-up solutions are co-created WITH and BY rather than FOR the community, and a home where we live out our pledge of justice and equality.

Pauline Tan is an experienced social service professional with more than ten years of practice in the social service sector, particularly in managing and scaling up programmes that provide supported employment and training to persons with disabilities, youth and family engagement, caregiver support and social enterprise development. 

Prior to joining the sector, she was involved in a private franchising start-up providing children education services. She was nominated and participated in the NCSS 40-under-40 leadership programme in 2020 and is currently a member of the senior management team of HCSA Community Services.

Pauline is a graduate from the Singapore University of Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Social Work as well as the University of Tsukuba with a Master in International Business Administration. She believes in a strength-based approach towards empowering vulnerable individuals and fostering strong partnerships in the community to achieve collective impact.

Mr Yong Teck Meng was the founding-Chairman of Habitat for Humanity Singapore, and current National Director. He started Habitat Singapore with a team of volunteers officially in 2004, and through the years have led his team to raise more than US$32 million for its work in Singapore and in the region.

He also pastors the English service of the Reformed Evangelical Church (Singapore) and is the Chaplain of Far East Organization, Singapore’s largest real estate developer. Prior to his involvement with both organisations, Teck Meng spent 10 years as an engineer, and another 12 years as an entrepreneur, being involved in a variety of businesses in the education sector.

Since his youth, Mr Yong has been active in voluntary work. He is the youngest recipient of the Special Volunteer Award from the late President Wee Kim Wee. This award was given for his outstanding effort and achievements in raising significant funds for the Community Chest.