The Young Leader Summit was a six-month intensive programme launched in 2021 that explores solutions to the most pressing environmental and sustainability issues of today. The initiative is of the students, by the students, with a backbone of support from senior government, business, and academic leaders. The aim was to provide an actionable set of recommendations to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, giving young leaders a platform to design their future.
The young leaders were from six schools in Singapore: Anglo Chinese Junior College, Dulwich College, Hwa Chong Institution, Raffles Institution, Tanglin Trust School, and United World College. The students developed creative ideas for the leaders of the Government. “This is a classic example of how co-creation and bottom-up initiatives can help us reach our target in 2030,” said Desmond Tan, Minister of Sustainability and the Environment, at the 26th March 2021 Launch Event.
The programme looked at four key themes:
- Reimagining Consumption: Introducing raw materials and waste reporting regulation, a one-stop digital platform and a sustainable fashion culture.
- Reimagining Corporate Purpose: Implementing "The Green Singularity" strategy to accelerate adoption of sustainability by SMEs.
- Reimagining Education: Incorporating micro-credentials and work experience into the secondary school curriculum.
- Reimagining Living: Improve water, heat and electricity management, as well dormitory living conditions.
Some of the impact included:
- Reimagining Consumption: The young leaders hosted, with Members of Parliament, apparel recycling events for Singaporeans to raise the recycling of apparel and the true costs of fast fashion.
- Reimagining Corporate Purpose: The young leaders met with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Enterprise Singapore, highlighting the importance of involving small and medium sized organisations in the transformation towards a sustainable future.
- Reimagining Education: The young leaders met and inspired the Ministry of Education about the importance of internships in the education of young people.
- Reimagining Living: The young leaders met and inspired the Ministry of Manpower and Enterprise Singapore on how foreign workers lives could be improved, in terms of living conditions and sustainable living.
