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SMC participates in Singapore Futures Youth Competition 2021

21 Jun 2021


  • Two students from School of Management and Communication participated in this competition, Matius Chan (Diploma in Human Resource Management with Psychology) and Oliver Sim (Diploma in Consumer Behaviour & Research).
    Two students from School of Management and Communication participated in this competition, Oliver Sim (Diploma in Consumer Behaviour & Research) and Matius Chan (Diploma in Human Resource Management with Psychology).
  • Matius and his teammates came in fourth place. Their vision centred around Singapore’s food security in the future.
    Matius and his teammates came in fourth place. Their vision centred around Singapore’s food security in the future.
  • Oliver’s team presented on the issue of income inequality, suggesting that the current meritocratic system may no longer be the answer to bridge income gap.
    Oliver’s team presented on the issue of income inequality, suggesting that the current meritocratic system may no longer be the answer to bridge income gap.

The inaugural Singapore Futures Youth Competition took place from 21 to 25 June 2021. Organised by Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Executive Education Singapore Futures, the competition was open to students from post-secondary/pre-tertiary educational institutions across Singapore. 

Two students from Republic Polytechnic School of Management and Communication participated in the competition. They are: 1) Oliver Sim from the Diploma in Consumer Behaviour and Research; and 2) Matius Chan from the Diploma in Human Resource Management with Psychology. 

Oliver’s team tackled the issue of income inequality; suggesting that the meritocratic system may no longer be the answer to bridge income gap. Whereas, Matius and his teammates focused on the topic of food security. The future involves equipping HDB blocks with rooftop garden, adding vertical farming system in office spaces and encouraging people to do home-farming. There will be efforts to support local, increase local food production volume and yield through investments and technology.  

Overall, Matius’s team came in fourth place, winning a total of $500 in cash prizes. 

Participants were challenged to imagine how Singapore would look like when the country celebrates its 75th birthday, in 2040. This was not an easy feat as participants were required to work in teams with students from other schools. 

On the first three days, participants were introduced to the Futures Thinking tools and methodologies. They also worked on consolidating their learning and refining their visions for Singapore. 

The preliminary and final rounds of the competition took place on the remaining two days, where students presented their visions to a panel of distinguished judges. They are: (1) Ms. Zarith Sofia Magad, Technical Director at Mott MacDonald Singapore; (2) Mr. M. Ibnur Rashad, Director (Innovation Sciences) for Ground-Up Innovation Labs for Development (GUILD); (3) Mr. Vicnan P., Co-founder of pluswhat; and (4) Ms. Serene Lim, Associate Director at ANZ Bank.