Bringing Youth Leadership Development to Singapore

An interview with Jeffrey Yip, co-founder of Halogen Foundation Singapore

Going by first impressions alone, you might be forgiven for failing to notice Jeffrey Yip’s quieter leadership qualities. Yet, Jeffrey has dedicated the past decade of his career to the research and planning of leadership development. He has collaborated with the National youth Council and Centre for Creative Leadership, a top-ranked, global industry leader in adult leadership development, practice and research.

While on a work trip to Australia to learn from the youth scene there, Jeffrey attended a Young Leaders’ Day organised by the then Young Leaders’ Foundation (later changed to Halogen Foundation), and was amazed at how thousands of youth were brought together to hear from some of the nation’s top leaders in arenas ranging from sports to business to politics.

Inspired by the idea, Jeffrey approached Martin Tan about bringing a similar idea to Singapore. In 2002, they set up an office (which consisted of a fax machine on Martin’s balcony) and Halogen Foundation Singapore was born.

Eight years on, Halogen has a proper office, 10 full-time staff, over 100 volunteers, and thankfully, a new fax machine. To date, we have reached over 65,000 students through events, leadership training and community projects.

Recently, we had the chance to sit down with the new father and find out more about the brains and heart behind Halogen.

Halogen360 (H360): Alongside Martin, you co-founded Halogen with a fax machine at the corner of a balcony. What is your most vivid experience from the humble beginnings of Halogen?
Jeffrey Yip (JY): I clearly remember the very first Young Leaders’ Day we organised in 2003 in partnership with Northeast Community Development Council. It was the trailblazer that set off an important tradition — a team of young change agents united by a collective vision for others like them. It was our very first event and we weren’t sure how students would take to it. The best part of it was reading through the feedback cards from the students and teachers. They loved it! Thanks to their affirmation, we knew we were on the right track.

H360: You are currently pursuing a PhD in Organisational Behavior in Boston University, and you’ve been involved in youth leadership for more than a decade. What is it about your work that drives you out of bed every morning?
JY: Organisational Behavior (OB) is a fascinating field of leadership study. As a student of OB, I am motivated to understand how people achieve (or fall short of achieving) positive change for themselves and their organisations. In my research, I work with students to examine how belief systems can impact change-oriented behavior and outcomes. I’m not all about work though! As a new father to a beautiful baby boy, what really gets me up every morning is the sound of his voice.

H360: If we had to ask Martin (co-founder of Halogen Foundation Singapore) to give us one reason why he likes you, what do you think it will be?
JY: He’ll be quick to point out that we both enjoy good conversations (and coffee). Plus our personalities round off each other pretty well! Martin is a people person and an entrepreneur at heart. He plays well in a group, and he’s great at expressing ideas and engaging his team to move them forward. His energy can be quite contagious! I’m an introvert and prefer to think and write, and to develop concepts and frameworks. It is a strong dynamic and I couldn’t ask for more. We’ve had some lofty ideas over the years and a number have borne fruit, such as the Halogen Academy and the Everyday Leadership curriculum.

H360: Tell us about one real-life or fictional leader you look up to.
JY: Zhuge Liang, the Chinese statesman and scholar. He was one who masterfully applied principles of science and arts to leadership. I admire him for his ability to embrace complex obstacles with great insights, humanity, and compassion. He also embraced contradiction and paradox — a challenge that many leaders face. As a student of diverse disciplines — astronomy, geography, and military science among others — Zhuge Liang managed to combine these disciplines quite deftly in his leadership and writings.

“[Zhuge Liang] was one who masterfully applied principles of science and arts to leadership.” – Jeffrey Yip

H360: What would you have done if Halogen had never come into existence?
JY: It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Halogen would not have existed. Halogen has always been more than an organisation to me – it is a community of people and friends with a shared passion for positive social change — and we have fun doing what we love to do. Halogen is where it is because of the talent, energy and creativity of all who are part of it — that’s a huge number of people, from all walks of life, and it’s exciting to be a part of this.


Article by Lin Xue Hu
Halogen Academy is the arm of Halogen which brings leadership consultation and education to Singapore’s youth and educators through a values-driven and experience-based learning model. Among talks, camps and customised programmes, we conduct Everyday Leadership workshops in schools and youth organisations. Workshop modules are about Personal, Group and Shared Leadership.

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