Marsiling Progress Class (MPC) is a community collaboration pioneered by youth volunteers that provides enrichment support modules to low-income households in Marsiling, Singapore. The programme operated with a pool of over 50 dedicated youth volunteers, who engaged and conducted weekly sessions for the beneficiaries at Marsiling Community Centre. Over 155 beneficiaries from Primary 1 to Secondary 2 levels have participated in the weekly programme, which aims to increase their motivation and nurture resilient and achieving learners.

From Mentor to Digital Content Lead

My journey with MPC started where the action was: I volunteered as a mentor in 2018. This gave me first-hand insight into the programme and saw an opportunity to optimise our external communication.

The challenge was visibility. The information was available, but we weren't capturing the sheer impact and spirit of the programme. Stakeholders had limited visibility into the details: how we structured our weekly sessions, what our planning achieved and how they could engage further.

Building the Digital Voice

This drive to maximise our impact through improved digital clarity is what prompted me to transition into the Digital Content Lead role. I established and spearheaded our first volunteer media team to transform those functional updates into strategic online media. Leading the team required comprehensive management of the entire digital workflow. Over the three-year period (2019-2021), my responsibilities spanned strategy, oversight, and production:

• Developed yearly content calendars for both Instagram and Facebook, ensuring proactive scheduling and strategic direction

• Delegated publication content to the team, ensuring that branding guides were adhered to

• Strategised communication messaging for paid advertising campaigns

• Managed the essential post-production for all photos and videos captured during events

The success of our team lay in genuine collaboration. My team and I consistently came together to expand on ideas, ensuring our communication strategies remained fresh, relevant and supportive of the MPC community. Some of the content series that I pitched included monthly updates, MPC HBL, Mentor of the Month, Motivational Monday, and Throwback Tuesday. 

Sustaining Operations Through Crisis

Then 2020 hit. The pandemic forced us to change our entire operating system overnight. Instead of hitting pause, my team and I had to pivot our communication strategy just as fast. We successfully adapted our content to support the shift, keeping the community connected and informed on all future plans.

By 2021, we successfully navigated the challenges and made a full return to in-person enrichment support for the beneficiaries. This successful pivot and continuity was a huge milestone. Being part of this journey taught me invaluable lessons on effectively managing diverse individuals and cooperating strategically under high-stakes scenarios.

Read more about Marsiling Progress Class:

Han, G. Y. (2020, December 20). Causes Week 2020: Volunteer group builds mentoring relationship with needy kids in Marsiling. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/causes-week-2020-volunteer-group-builds-mentoring-relationship-with-needy-kids-in

Chandra. A. (2020, February 24) After “drifting” as a teen, Mr Akram Hanif set up a group to mentor students from low-income homes. TODAY. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/after-drifting-teen-mr-akram-hanif-set-group-mentor-students-low-income-homes

Peter. D. E. (2020, January 6). A Sunday well spent gives us a week’s content. The Republican Post. https://www.republicanpost.sg/a-sunday-well-spent-gives-us-a-weeks-content/

Abriel. (2019, March 11). New initiative to offer more help to underprivileged. BLOGS@NTU, Community Engagement News. https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/forgoodsessions/2019/03/11/new-initiative-to-offer-more-help-to-underprivileged/

Yang. C. (2019, March 10) Initiative to support underprivileged Marsiling residents launched by PM Lee. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/initiative-to-support-underprivileged-marsiling-residents-launched-by-pm-lee