While sparking a change in others, Halogen’s volunteers experience the change themselves. Hear these stories from Halogen’s change-makers
“When I first heard Martin Tan close his talk at an international youth conference in 2007 with: “Someday someone in this planet will do something that will change the world. Why not you?” I was hooked! Seeing the spark of inspiration in the eyes of all those young people that day which seemed to shout in silence: “Yes, I am a leader and I can make a difference!” equally inspired me.
Throughout the years, that same spark in students’ eyes made working late into the night preparing for events and classes, and then waking up bright and early the following morning to work and teach, all worthwhile.
Now as a career coach and corporate facilitator, I continue to find joy in helping others see the leader in themselves, leaders who can make a difference in their families, their teams, their companies and their communities in their own way.”
“I used to believe it was idealistic to think that every single youth has the potential to make a significant difference in life. Each time I volunteered as a trainer, I felt that a particular training was a success if I left the classroom with at least one youth impacted and wanting to change. I had low expectations: one youth was enough.
One day during a debrief session, a staff shared that every youth can learn something from every session in their own special way, and we should strive to impact every student when we enter the classroom. That experience left a deep impression on me, radically changing my paradigm; Halogen taught me to believe in every youth.”
“My dream was to impact youths to become leaders. I never thought that I could actually do that at the age of 18 but this dream was realised when I started volunteering for Halogen more than a year ago. It was really great working with other volunteers who have the common goal of developing young leaders to the fullest.
I was given much opportunity to reach out to the youths and impact them directly and indirectly. Having a little bit of interaction with the speakers from the various National Young Leaders’ Days also enriched my volunteer experience, giving me the chance to be a better leader.”
“Who would have thought I’d still be with Halogen today! My 5 years as a volunteer not only made my life more fulfilling, but also made me grow as a leader. Driven by the goal of inspiring others, I honed my skills in public speaking, facilitation, and mentoring through the Halogen academic trainings.
The values cultivated from my experience with Halogen played a huge part in paving the way for my career path today in the entrepreneurship scene. Starting off as a ‘Startup Scout’ in NUS Enterprise grooming young startups, I aim to build my own successful startup in 5 years, and further down the horizon, give back as an angel investor in 12 years. So Halogen, KEEP ROCKIN’! XOXO”
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Article by Faith Jinghui Luo