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Community Initiatives

IT TAKES ALL OF US

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the importance of community trust, support, and networks. Our community programmes aim to endeavour to develop well-being insights and skills that not only benefits individuals but inspires us to benefit others.

We believe that everyone deserves better well-being, and that well-being must be accessible in any society.

What drives us

ACCESSIBILITY

ACCESSIBILITY

Our community programmes are designed to be free or at an affordable cost.

PEOPLE FOCUSED AND DATA-DRIVEN

PEOPLE FOCUSED AND DATA-DRIVEN

Our programmes are backed by data and research but are designed for people.

COMMUNITY BUILDING

COMMUNITY BUILDING

We hope to build a community that advocates better well-being.

OUR PROGRAMMES

Well-Being Circles bring people together to learn well-being skills through reflection, personal stories, and social support.

The Well-Being Circles (WBC) is one of the largest community well-being programmes in Singapore to date. It endeavours to equip participants with skills to improve happiness and well-being.​

The insights from this pilot programme will go on to inform future policy directions.

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The Happiness Film Festival is the world’s first film festival that promotes happiness and well-being. Held in Singapore annually, it hopes to raise greater awareness on happiness and well-being through films and post-film dialogues.

Film is a powerful medium that can engage audiences and start meaningful conversations. The post-screening dialogues will bring together speakers to talk about issues or ideas explored in each film.

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Happiness is Serious – From Insights to Action
Happiness is a serious issue. There is a growing body of science and research around happiness and well-being. This conference provides a platform for people to share the latest insights and inspire action.

Prevention Is Better Than Cure
The number of people with mental health conditions in Singapore has been on the rise. Despite accessible treatments and awareness campaigns, the trend remains worrying.

Forbes reported that mental health conditions cost US businesses between $80 and $100 billion annually. In the same article, they cited mental health training in the workplace can see a return of up to 10 times the money invested.

Happiness can be a set of learnable skills. This conference aims to help the audience develop insights on choices that promote happiness and well-being. We can be happier. So can our family, workplace, and community.

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The insights are from the State of Happiness Study (SOHS), which aims to understand how happy Singapore is, and what are the predictors of happiness in Singapore. It also offers recommendations of how can we improve the state of happiness in Singapore.

SOHS is spearheaded by Happiness Initiative, a local social enterprise that aims to build a flourishing society with evidence-based interventions.

View Report

Our Brown Bag Sessions are a community-run initiative to promote greater happiness and well-being within the community. If you love to explore the science of happiness and well-being and how to benefit the community, this is it!

What Can You Take Away From This?
1. Learn more about Positive Psychology, each session focuses on a different topic introduced via a reading, video or article
2. Meet new friends to share your experiences and thoughts with
3. Have intimate discussions on your relationship with these theories and how they could apply to our own lives

Brown Bag Sessions will be held over Zoom and is a safe space to interact with others who are also interested in learning more about well-being. Everyone at this session is highly encouraged to come with an open mind and heart.

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COMMUNITY PARTNERS

A Good Space
Binjai Tree
Dopa Dopa
HPB
IMH
Kampung Kakis
MCCY
NHG
NLB
NTU
NYC
OpenJio
raiSE
RICE
SCAPE
SG Assist
SKM
SMU
SPEN
The Lion Mind
TCHYC
YMCA

Testimonials

Cheryl Tan

Marketing Trainee

My experience working with Happiness Initiative on the Happiness Conference taught me a lot both in terms of technical skills and in soft skills like time and project management. Given the ambitious scope of the event, I had opportunities to work on a variety of different things I’d never touched before, often simultaneously, pushing me to learn and upgrade my skills in marketing and design. It was exciting and quite fulfilling, especially since my abilities were stretched with the full backing of a very supportive and encouraging team. It was with this support that I could feel freedom to explore and gain guidance when I faltered, allowing me to embrace going beyond my comfort zone. Beyond the conference, I think I’ve gained greater faith in my ability to take on daunting tasks and to do so with enthusiasm. I believe I’ll look back on this experience when I need that extra boost of confidence to tackle any new challenges that come my way in the future.

Vincent Ng

General Manager

A Good Space

I have attended various events by Sherman and Simon from the Happiness Initiative over the years, from the Happiness Conference, to the Happiness Film Festival and the Brownbag Sessions. Each time I attend a session, I learn something new and practical that I can start practicing in my daily life. I especially appreciate the care and effort made by the team to distil evidence-based positive psychology research through very engaging formats like films, workshops, games, facilitated conversations, etc... into tips that I as a lay person can use Each time I attend a session, I know I will walk away a little bit lighter, meet new friends, and have stimulating conversations that help me to be happier. ?

Bryan Lee

Brown Bag Session Participant

The brownbag session not only brings people with similar values closer together, it has helped foster a sense of friendship with like-minded individuals, encouraging each other during the most difficult time. The people within this community and network have encouraged and helped me tremendously in my professional and personal endeavour. These people have also in my ways, contributed to the success of other HI's programs like Happiness Film Festival and Happiness Conference. I am amazed by the quality of information that is introduced to each brownbag session and the unwavering support from the community that we have built. It is without question that I have become a better and more grounded person today because of the network of people from Happiness Brown Bag.

Yulianna Frederika

Brown Bag Participant & Speaker

The brown bag sessions are a great time off from the hustle of daily life to sit down, learn and reflect on our experiences. The sharing by the hosts are usually short, leaving more time for the breakout room discussions, which I really appreciate. The topics are easily relatable and relevant to any audience. As such, my favourite thing about the sessions is hearing the experiences of people from very diverse backgrounds and realising that we have similar struggles. I always leave the sessions feeling less alone and more empowered to be a better person, even in the smallest of ways.

Marc Van Huizen

Brown Bag Session Participant

HI’s brown bag sessions introduced me to a community that is very passionate about all things related to improving one’s mental well-being. I’ve been exposed to new topics like miswanting, non-violent communication and the Scandinavian perspective on happiness. The best part about the sessions is being able to apply what we’ve learnt into our lives – taking a leaf from miswanting, I make it a point to reflect on how I want to grow - guided by my values - instead of pursuing what others consider as the benchmark of success (e.g., driving a flashy car or owning a fancy house). With the Happiness Initiative, I’ve found my tribe. After getting to know other regular attendees of the brown bag sessions, I met another individual who wanted to explore acting class and we mustered the courage to sign up for it together! So if you are invested in your own mental well-being, I highly recommend that you come along to one session.

Karen Lee

Director (Partnership Lab)

National Youth Council

NYC has also partnered HI to roll out the Resilience and Well-being series in 2020 to promote well-being amid an unprecedented strain on youths’ mental health brought about by COVID pandemic. Through these programmes, HI has reached out to over 6,000 participants. HI also has in-house capabilities and domain knowledge with regard to mental well-being... HI’s emphasis on evidence-based data and information to develop and implement programmes is also a reason that NYC is partnering with HI in 2022 for their signature “10/10 Positive Psychology Well-Being Programme”, benefiting 800 youths (leaders and participants) over a three-year period.
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