The Giving Habit

In this episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen Keys sits down with Lisa Gainer, CEO of TalentTrust. Lisa reveals how structured, skills-based volunteering is transforming both charities and the corporate professionals who give their time.

Learn more about TalentTrust here: https://talenttrust.org.sg/

CHAPTERS:

00:00 — Intro

03:00 — What drives professionals toward social impact

07:00 — How Talent Trust works

12:00 — Real case study: transforming a youth organisation

18:00 — The "unlearning" challenge for corporate volunteers

24:00 — The broken funding model hurting non-profits

30:00 — Who volunteers — and who will next

36:00 — The future of CSR and skills-based giving

42:00 — IPC status explained

46:00 — Talent Trust's vision: TT Connect

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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Earlier this week, we sat down with Kids Giving Back co-founder and CEO Carole Schlessinger, to hear how her organisation's programs are helping children learn generosity through hands-on workshops.

Carole explained how these children are learning the value of connection and kindness by creating real change, and emphasised how critical this was in a time where loneliness is at an all time high.

In this follow-up REFLECTIONS episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen Keys looks back at the crucial work being done by Kids Giving Back, and presents his biggest takeaways for those seeking to join the world of philanthropy.

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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What happens when children learn that giving back is not just about helping others—but also about building empathy, resilience, and connection?

In this episode of The Giving Habit, Carol Schlessinger, co-founder of Kids Giving Back, explains how volunteering can create a “triple impact” for children, the people they support, and the wider community.

Carol shares how Kids Giving Back began after she struggled to find meaningful volunteering opportunities for her own young children, and how the organisation has grown from families cooking and delivering meals into a broad range of programs for schools, families, teenagers, and corporate groups.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:15 The spark: personal stories and early influences

05:32 The importance of hands-on delivery and personal interaction

08:12 The triple impact: kids, recipients, and community

11:30 The mental health benefits of kindness and connection

17:14 Programs for youth: Grow, school incursions, and holiday programs

21:55 Funding sources and sustainability challenges

26:33 The importance of empathy, compassion, and response

30:42 The impact of food insecurity and community support

33:22 Creating intergenerational connections and reducing ageism

37:42 The value of shared experiences and family involvement

40:24 The science of social connection and happiness

43:00 Advocacy, mental health, and the future of youth programs

Carol’s message is simple: you do not need to wait for the perfect opportunity to make a difference. Start small, get involved, and help raise the next generation of generous, compassionate community members.

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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In our most recent episode of The Giving Habit, we spoke with Jetha Devapura, founder of CCC Foundation and Let's Talk, to dive into the tiny sparks of purpose that can create significant change in communities of need.

Jetha shared his story of personal struggle, and how he alleviated his mental health challenges by channeling them into his charitable work.

In this follow-up reflections episode, host Stephen Keys breaks down the most valuable insights from their conversation, including the incredible positive change that has come from Let's Talk, as well as what aspiring change makers can learn from Jetha's story.

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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What happens when your darkest moment becomes your life's purpose?

In this episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen Keys sits down with Jetha Devapura, founder of the CCC Foundation and the Let's Talk programme, to explore a remarkable story of overcoming struggles with mental health and using it as fuel for two of Sri Lanka's biggest humanitarian efforts.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Intro

01:39 — Founding CCC after seeing cancer patients without support

03:25 — From a first fundraiser to CCC House

06:16 — OCD, recovery, and the values behind CCC

11:49 — Turning pain into purpose through service

15:04 — Launching CCC Line, Sri Lanka’s crisis-support service

20:59 — The 1,333 km cycling ride for suicide-prevention awareness

23:14 — Men, suicide prevention, and changing how boys are raised

24:55 — Let’s Talk: building psychological safety before crisis

31:17 — Bringing the program into schools and workplaces

35:46 — Research evidence and measurable outcomes

40:03 — Leaving corporate work to focus on Let’s Talk

43:24 — Living with discomfort, uncertainty, and balance

47:18 — Scaling Let’s Talk across schools, workplaces, and communities

51:18 — Future plans: a self-support app and a school play

53:05 — “Slowly, slowly”: family values, gratitude, and closing reflections

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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Earlier this week on The Giving Habit, we sat down with Saleemah Ismail of New Life Stories to learn about the importance of breaking the cycle, including how we can help kids to avoid falling onto negative paths by addressing their trauma.

In this follow-up reflections episode, host Stephen Keys sits down with Diana The to discuss their biggest takeaways from the episode with Saleemah, including how they can look at crime from the perspective of healing the issue, rather than punishing the outcome.

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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This week on The Giving Habit, we look at an organisation that is turning its attention towards the youths that many people overlook, and gives them the tools to disrupt the cycle of what came before them.

Saleemah Ismail, founder of New Life Stories, breaks down the critical importance of helping those with incarcerated parents to forge their own path, as well as the process of structuring an organisation to let it make meaningful change.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Breaking the Cycle of Trauma

06:09 The Healing Process: Interventions and Relationships

12:00 Measuring Success: Resilience and Family Dynamics

16:59 Intergenerational Trauma: Breaking the Cycle

21:11 Evidence of Success: Transforming Lives

23:40 The Journey from Hypothesis to Impact

30:10 Understanding Universal Themes of Love and Rejection

32:28 Leadership in Challenging Environments

36:25 Innovative Approaches to Family Engagement

42:13 Future Directions: Early Intervention Strategies

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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Earlier this week, we launched the very first episode of The Giving Habit with our conversation with Smiling Gecko co-founder Hannes Schmid, opening up the world of philanthropy by discussing the realities of making significant change in modern society.

In this follow-up episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen Keys dives even deeper into the topics we covered with Hannes, unpacking the most critical insights from this week's episode and why they matter.

Stephen also sits down with Yenlin Tan, another member of the Distinguished Senior Fellowship Programme at the University of Singapore.

New interviews every week. Subscribe so you don't miss out.

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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Hannes Schmid is the co-founder of Smiling Gecko, a sprawling 1,500-hectare social enterprise in Cambodia housing a school, farm, fish farming, carpentry workshops, and 34 small businesses. All built to create genuine, lasting change rather than dependency.

In this premiere episode, we trace the full origin story of Smiling Gecko, listen to Hannes’ case for why NGOs need to take a different approach, and dive into how sustainable this sort of program really is. This is a podcast about philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and giving back, by and for people working that much harder to make a difference. 

Learn more about Smiling Gecko: https://www.smilinggecko.ch/en/

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust: https://www.majurity.sg/

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The Genesis of Smiling Gecko

05:50 Building a Holistic Community

12:00 Education as a Foundation for Change

18:01 The Role of Trust and Cultural Sensitivity

23:57 Balancing Philanthropy and Social Enterprise

29:59 Financial Sustainability and Quality Education

36:05 Philosophy of Architecture and Long-term Vision

36:21 Building Sustainable Structures in Challenging Environments

39:10 Design Philosophy: Integrating Tradition and Modernity

42:35 Cultural Heritage and Community Identity

45:53 The Role of Art in Society

48:26 The Importance of Shared Identity through Art

51:15 Questioning and Evolving Community Practices

54:03 Environmental Sustainability: A Complex Challenge

59:46 Future Aspirations and Community Growth

The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh

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Do you feel the pull toward contribution but aren't quite sure where to start?

Have you ever wondered how your time, skills, networks, or resources could make a greater difference?

And in a world full of worthy causes, how do we better understand what is happening today, so we can contribute to a better tomorrow?

These are some of the questions we'll be exploring in The Giving Habit, a new 13-part podcast miniseries featuring conversations with social impact founders, funders, enablers, and change makers. Along the way, we will:

• Highlight organisations and causes worthy of your attention and support
• Explore practical pathways to contribute more meaningfully
• Uncover what enables stronger collaboration and collective impact

The series was inspired by my experience in the inaugural Distinguished Senior Fellowship Program at NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE).

First episode drops on 2 July.

Brought to you by The Wisdom Vault.

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