SMU LKCSB AR 2018/19

It has three main programmes – Explore, Equip and Empower. The Explore programme allows people to learn about social causes in Singapore and abroad. The Equip programme teaches skills like creative problem solving, adaptability, and entrepreneurship; and mindsets like design thinking and systems thinking. Empower takes those skills and allows participants to apply them in a 10-day programme in a rural Southeast Asian community to train local youths to build co-operatives that support their school’s financial overheads. Thus far, they have four businesses in rural Vietnam and Myanmar. They have created a socks and dried-snack business supported by Honda and Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group. Proceeds Bamboo Builders, which was set up by Lee Kong Chian School of Business graduate Gabriel Tan, was formed in December 2017 when he was still studying at SMU. Bamboo Builders aims to “empower confident leaders to become social entrepreneurs, creating ripples of change throughout ASEAN.” According to Gabriel: “We believe many young people want to create change but do not know where or how to begin. Our experiential programs expose them to Southeast Asia’s most pressing problems, equips them with 21st century skills, then empowers them to create their own change sustainably.” earned from the business funds student- led events that educate their community about traffic safety and school bullying. In Myanmar, they started two social enterprises – an agro-technology company and a honey distribution company. Proceeds from these businesses go back to the rural communities. Gabriel first became aware of the plight of the less fortunate when he went on a community service trip to Chiang Mai as a 12-year-old to do a food distribution program with his church. One day, he encountered a 6-year-old girl who was so poor that she picked up and ate a single grain of rice that had fallen on the ground. These days, there are an increasing number of social enterprises that have been set up to help the less fortunate. However, one social enterprise stands out from the rest because it also aims to build social entrepreneurs. We believe many young people want to create change but do not know where or how to begin. Our experiential programs expose them to Southeast Asia’s most pressing problems, equips them with 21st century skills, then empowers them to create their own change sustainably. “ “ Social Entrepreneurs A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE THAT BUILDS Interview with Gabriel Tan food on the table and if they go to school, the family doesn’t have extra income.” That is where Gabriel had the idea of a rural school sustained by community-owned businesses. “They come to school, learn skills, and earn part-time wages working on their businesses. “We want to help make rural schools financially sustainable. We also want the young adults that come through our programme to learn more about social issues and be empowered to lead their own change.” Gabriel, who graduated in May 2019, currently splits his time between Bamboo Builders and working for Samsui Supplies & Services, where he works on starting a centre that trains people with disabilities to enter the food and beverage industry. “The programme let me see that there were so many other people who want to create change. I’m part of a larger eco-system that wasn’t just in Singapore.” During the six-month programme, he learned about social enterprises and how they worked. After that, the students flew to Thailand to do consulting work for non-governmental organisations. Based on his experience with the programme and fuelled by a desire to make a difference, he founded Bamboo Builders. The vision behind Bamboo Builders is to help the rural poor by setting up a sustainable business to allow students to earn an income while studying. “We all know that poverty is due to a lack of education. But it’s the other way around as well. In rural areas, parents need their children to work in the field or for the family. It puts “I couldn’t un-see that girl,” he recalled. As he grew older, he became more and more convinced that he needed to make a difference. In 2016, as an undergraduate at LKCSB, he had the chance to lead an overseas community service project in Fiji. “I learned a lot from that experience,” he recalled. The SMU students set up a dried fruits business that could be run by a school for students with special needs. In 2017, Gabriel was selected to join the Southeast Asian Global Undergraduate Leadership programme which was created by the Institute for Societal Leadership in SMU. Gabriel had been overwhelmed by how much there was to do and felt helpless and frustrated because he believed he was alone. SMU LKCSB / YEAR IN REVIEW / ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 – 2019 134 135