By Kay del Rosario
Small actions could lead to much bigger changes, even if you cannot see how far they will reach.
This is the idea behind the ripple effect that Syazwan Zainal Shah – or Wan, as he is known to family and friends – hopes to achieve in his own little way.
The 23-year-old Nanyang Technological University (NTU) psychology undergraduate volunteers his time regularly to help others. He is the chairperson of the NTU Welfare Services Club (WSC) Regular Service Project (RSP) Deaf Community, which organises empowerment workshops for the hearing impaired.
“I learnt so much from joining this club as well as from the beneficiaries that I interact with,” he said.
Wan’s proactive approach to giving back to the community is inspired by his family, particularly his older brother who is also a dedicated volunteer and Young NTUC leader.
He shared: “Seeing him as a role model going out there, putting effort in community work, motivated me to also try my best.”
It is no surprise that Wan gave his full support to an initiative that aligned with his desire to make a difference.
Gathering peers from the deaf community, Wan formed the biggest group to have participated in a social media campaign to honour frontliners and help lower income workers and their families.
Organised by Young NTUC and nEbO, the U Heart #toast2uchallenge, which ran from 30 November to 30 December 2020, raised $15,000 for the NTUC-U Care Fund.
To support this effort, NTUC Income pledged $2 for every video, post or share to ‘toast’ to frontline workers.
"Income is proud to come forth to support the #toast2U initiative, which rallies the community to show appreciation to frontline workers for their selfless efforts, while contributing to help those in need through the U Care Fund,” said NTUC Income Head of Events and Loyalty Marketing Stella Tan.
Ms Tan presented the cheque to the co-chair of NTUC’s Care and Share Committee Raymond Chin earlier today, 19 January 2021.
“We appreciate this meaningful initiative and hope there can be more such efforts to help our workers and their families, particularly those in the lower-income segment of society," Mr Chin said.
By the end of the campaign, 446 people took part in the #toast2uchallenge, with 3,446 shares.
This included organisations like Toast Box and SGAG, as well as personalities like Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, cabinet ministers, Labour Members of Parliament, and regular folks.
“While we were initially concerned about organising a digital fundraising campaign of this nature, the #toast2u campaign proved that the community spirit continued to shine bright despite challenging times,” according to Young NTUC Executive Secretary Wendy Tan.
This sentiment was shared by NTUC Club (nEbO) Head of Membership Engagement & Experience Gigi Low: “We are heartened to see our youths and the public coming together to take part in this campaign, and we hope that our essential workers know that they have our full support every step of the way.”
Being hosted on social media platforms was a huge factor in the success of the #toast2uchallenge.
nEbo youth activist Chloe Tay took part in the campaign soon after it began. She was amazed at how quickly it caught on.
“It started from one, and then it expanded, and expanded … It's crazy how social media works,” she said.
Wan has certainly seen the ripple effect in action.
It did not take much to make their video ‘toast’ for the campaign, but it amounted to something far bigger.
“It may appear small to us but when a lot of people are doing it, it amplifies the effort. There's a lot of impact that cannot be seen, but at the same time, there are real differences to people's lives.
“They will appreciate this and will pay it forward. I think it's a start for a better tomorrow for all of us,” he said.
