What Can We Do?

6th Sense, a charity based in Singapore, recognises the growing inequalities in the country. They work with children and mothers who live in public rental scheme neighbourhoods,  home to low income families whose total income is below 1500 Singapore dollars  a month

6th Sense and its volunteers conduct activity based workshops with the children, to help with expression, personal and community development. They go a step further and befriend the mothers, and guide them through daily issues they might encounter.  

In this episode, founders of the charity  Abhishek, Manisha and Jezamine talk about how they enable the families they work with, the challenges they face, and why the work they do is important. 

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Mental health and emotional well-being, two things that are on many people's minds these days. 

In this episode, I speak to Singapore born Usha Raman, a trainer and life coach based in Perth, Western Australia. Usha's focus is mindfulness and emotional intelligence. Usha will give us a basic understanding of what mindfulness is, how it can help in difficult times and simple ways we can introduce the practice in our lives.

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Environmental activism is growing steadily, as more of us are getting educated on the perils of climate change. While there is a lot of discussion on how changing human activities and behaviours can help in the fight against environmental threats, the actual solutions for some communities are not this simple. Sofiah Jamil realised this as an environmental activist. In Central Lombok, she witnessed that communities could not be focused on saving trees, when they were struggling for basic access to resources like water. 

Sofiah has since left her activism days behind in search of ways to meaningfully help communities in need. She has recently co-founded Pantry Perch, as a side initiative of her main PR & political consultancy business, Hornbills- Concepts and Communications. The aim of this business is to help promote and support brands within the Asian region that are socially responsible. 

In this episode, Sofiah talks about why she left environmental activism, what her business Pantry Perch aims to do, and how we can all step out of our bubbles. 

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www.whatcanwedopodcast.com

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Singaporean and Singapore based artistes operate in a unique arts and culture environment - censorship, government funded grants and mainstream media channels that are mostly operated by state owned subsidiaries. This combination limits the scope of works that are produced. Rishi Budhrani has been navigating this industry for over a decade now as an actor, performer, entertainer and comedian. Rishi talks about how this distinctive landscape has shaped his craft, his latest project The Rishi Report, and how he thinks the industry will evolve post COVID.

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Homelessness is Singapore is a topic that is not widely discussed in the country. In recent years, there have been books published about inequalities in Singapore society, as well as academic articles. Liyana Dhamirah's book "Homeless - The Untold Story of a Mother's Struggle in Crazy Rich Singapore" is the first of its kind, told from a first person encounter. Liyana experienced homelessness over a decade ago, and she wrote this book to raise awareness. Today, she is a Befriender for those who are homeless, and helps them navigate Singapore's bureaucratic system to get the aid they need. She also runs her own business, Virtual Assistant Singapore, and employs single mothers. In this interview, Liyana talks about her journey towards getting this book published, the reaction its received, and how fellow Singaporeans can help those who are vulnerable. 

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There are a range of support services available across Australia to help people fleeing danger or at risk of being vulnerable. However, a lot of the times the burden of rebuilding their lives with essential household items falls on the vulnerable person. The Generous and The Grateful partners with available support services, by connecting household donations with the people that need them for a home. CEO and Co-Founder Carmen Platt talks about why she started this service, the difference it makes, and how all of us should approach helping.

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The world around us is becoming increasingly uncertain. Some people turn to faith at times like these. This special episode is a recording of my conversation with Pravrajika Gayatriprana, President of the Vedanta Society of NSW. A senior Nun of the Sri Sarada Math of the Ramakrishna Order, Pravrajika Gayatriprana talks about how faith and spirituality can help us through chaos.

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Online fundraising is a major source of funds for not for profits and charities. These organizations have faced criticism over the years about how a portion of donations do not go towards those in need. Benojo, led by Pascal Adolphe, is a fundraising platform that's trying to simplify the act of giving for donors and organizations. 

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About 7 million tonnes of waste goes into landfills each year in Australia. Guido Verbist and his team at The Bower Reuse and Repair Centre want that to stop. To date, the organization has diverted over 2 tonnes of waste from the landfill, and continue their efforts through repair cafes, education, their stores and by leading campaigns to hold manufacturers responsible.

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Australian content still has a long way to go in terms of representing diverse and inclusive voices, despite years of dialogue and debate. Vonne Patiag is a Filipino Australian filmmaker who has worked in the industry for over a decade. In this episode, Vonne talks about how he found his authentic voice, what it lends to his art, the inclusive practices he used in the making of his web series "Halal Gurls", and how POC content creators are finding their own platforms outside of traditional media.

Website (for show notes and transcripts)

www.whatcanwedopodcast.com

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.