CTPCLC NUS

Community Circle

Welcome to the Community Circle where we bring you updates on what the CTPCLC community (students, alumni, staff, partners) has been up to, and the opportunities available for you to participate.

In Our Circle

Check out the latest happenings around CTPCLC and our communities. 

CTPCLC Symposium 2025: Building a sense of home and belonging through community action

With Singapore marking its 60th year of independence, the annual symposium organised by the NUS Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre (CTPCLC) brought together over 130 students, alumni, faculty and community partners to reflect on the theme of home.

What does “home” mean in Singapore’s 60th year of nationhood? At the annual NUS Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre (CTPCLC) Symposium this year, NUS students, alumni, faculty, guests and community partners, including representatives from the Chua Foundation, came together to explore this question, discovering that “home” is as much about neighbourliness and family as it is about digital connections and inclusive communities.

Held on 27 September 2025, the Symposium brought together more than 130 attendees, to reflect on the theme: The Idea of ‘Home’ @SG60.

Read more on NUS News Highlight, 14 October 2025

youtube-video-thumbnail

Our Diary

Watch this space as we update you with the latest Reflections and News from the CTPCLC Community.

Jia Hui enjoys horror movies and recently watched Mudbound on Netflix. Zoa enjoys taking night walks and is a self-described lover of all kinds of tea. Between horror movies and night walks, one might assume they were obviously adventurous people. Although, as their supervisor found out, it took a while to uncover that side of them.
Read More →
Meet Somesh Sailesh, CTPCLC alumnus, NUS Student Wellness Manager, and incoming PhD candidate in Social Work. From undergrad research to frontline practice, Somesh’s journey has always been grounded in one principle: meaningful support starts with listening deeply.
Read More →
Dr Toh Tai Chong wears many hats. He is a marine biologist by training, a community leader by choice, and a senior lecturer with appointments across two departments in NUS. Across these different roles runs a common thread: a commitment to understanding how people and communities come together to care for the places they inhabit.
Read More →
If you ask people at CTPCLC about their Centre Manager, Ms Elsie Lim, you'll hear remarkably similar descriptions. Colleagues often describe Elsie as the person "who keeps the engines running" or simply as the most patient person they know.
Read More →
Carin and Mei Ting has completed their research project on “Familiar Strangers – Understanding the Singaporean Presence in Johor Bahru”. We invited the duo to share their experience and what they have enjoyed most in doing a practicum with CTPCLC.
Read More →
For the most part, being a youth is both an exciting and equally terrifying time of one’s life. Armed with boundless energy and an infallible desire to make their mark in the world, youths are a bundle of untapped potential. Yet, the most arduous task of being a youth is often to figure out one’s identity, values and connections to others around them.
Read More →
Having shaped generations of NUS students into community-minded leaders, the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre reflects on its impact as it seeks new ways for learning and engaging in community development.
Read More →
From documenting the lives of vulnerable workers at Waterloo Street to helping a youth organisation understand the experiences of its scholars, research at NUS’ Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre is giving communities a voice while equipping students to turn knowledge into action.
Read More →
With Singapore marking its 60th year of independence, the annual symposium organised by the NUS Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre (CTPCLC) brought together over 130 students, alumni, faculty and community partners to reflect on the theme of home.
Read More →
CTPCLC Annual Symposium held its 12th iteration on 21 September 2024, taking the theme ‘Inclusive Communities’ and underscoring the importance of fostering environments where all individuals, regardless of their background, can thrive and be full-fledged members of our community.
Read More →
Hearty congratulations to CTPCLC Alumnus, Khoo Yi Feng (NUS Southeast Asian Studies and Psychology '17, Social Work (postgraduate diploma) '20), who was one of 12 young alumni to receive the NUS Outstanding Young Alumni Award on 2 November 2023!
Read More →
Coming together in a whole-of-society approach to address Singapore’s ageing population challenges How can the whole of society be mobilised to tackle the challenges of an ageing population in Singapore? As the Singapore population demographic greys progressively, this question was at the centre of discussion at the annual symposium of the NUS Chua Thian Poh Community...
Read More →

What's Up Changemakers

Curious to know what CTPCLC Alumni are up to these days? Watch this space as we track our Changemakers in action and advocating for the cause they are passionate about. Stay connected with CTPCLC Alumni on LinkedIn.  

Social Work Made Accessible

Cheong Ming Fang, CTPCLC Alumna (Class of 2021), started Social Work Made Accessible with her two like-minded friends. Social Work Made Accessible is a Singapore-based Social Work Podcast featuring the profession, the practice, and people's perspectives. The team believes in facilitating constructive conversations, building a community to share ideas, and creating opportunities for learning.

Listen and follow Social Work Made Accessible on Spotify now!

Foreword Coffee - Winner for Brands for Good Asia 2023

Lim Wei Jie, CTPCLC Alumnus (Class of 2017), co-founded Foreword Coffee to serve coffee with a social mission - to provide employment opportunities for the disadvantaged communities in Singapore. Their goal is to help gain more visibility and interaction with general members of the public to reduce the social stigma on person with disabilities. 

Foreword Coffee has won the Brands for Good Asia 2023 and also the winner for the President's Challenge Social Enterprise of the Year 2023! 

Outstanding Young Alumni Award 2023

Congratulations to Khoo Yi Feng, CTPCLC Alumnus (Class of 2017)! He was honoured at the NUS Alumni Awards 2023 and received an award in the category of Outstanding Young Alumni for his achievements and outstanding contributions as a social worker and mental health advocate.

“In my 10+ years of mental health advocacy from the campus to the community setting, I have many mentors and friends to thank who supported me on my way and whose perspectives and (in)tangible support shaped my decisions. This Award is dedicated to you all!” says Yi Feng.

Read more >

 

32 Pages | small words, Big Meaning

Chloe Ng, CTPCLC Alumna (Class of 2023) kickstarted 32 Pages to build up the emotional resilience of children living in rental flats. 32 Pages creates learning communities that conduct weekly multi-sensory phonics sessions. Run by a multi-disciplinary team, 32 Pages centres on giving children the words and tools to better understand, manage and express themselves. 

Congratulations to 32 Pages for emerging as one of the Top 3 at the NUSSIC Project Demo Day, an incubated Social Entrepreneurship Projects together with NUS Enterprise with support of Quest Ventures, raiSE, Social Impact Catalyst, ACE and SCAPE! Click here to see more about the award. 

 

Global Award Winner : AI Impact Shaper

Willoughby Niki Lee, CTPCLC Alumnus (Class of 2022) emerged as one of the three teachers as global winners in the AI Impact Shaper Category at the Intel Corporation AI Global Impact Festival, for their best practices in AI Skilling in classrooms

As an educator that incorporates innovative AI teaching learning practices, winning this award is an important milestone for Niki as he pursues his aspirations towards building communities and enabling social impact through technology.

A Small City, with Big Hearts

Sim Rou Chen, CTPCLC Alumna (Class of 2022), has embarked on new adventures with WeHiro as Chief Executive Officer. In her capacity, she gets to design impactful simulation experiences that give people the initial exposure and understanding of the communities that they plan to serve in, which sets them up for greater impact when they do involve themselves within the community.

WeHiro has designed various experiential simulation programmes and recently launched a new Inclusivity Simulation Programme with Rou Chen on board.

Vodcast

A series of vodcasts brought to you by the NUS Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre (CTPCLC).

Catch-up with Niki

In this series, we catch-up with alumni Willoughby Niki Lee and find out his current adventures after his graduation in 2022. Click here to view the full series on YouTube.

Catch-up with Pradnya

In this series, we catch-up with Pradnya Govind to learn about her current work experience and going forward.. Click here to view the full series on YouTube.

Catch-up with Ming Fang

In this series, we catch-up with alumni Cheong Ming fang to learn about her experience in CTPCLC, her current work and community engagements. Click here to view the full series on YouTube.

Catch-up with CTPCLC

Stay connected with us! Drop by our centre for a quick conversation or drop us an email if you wish to support our Vodcast. 

Life @ CTPCLC

Students at CTPCLC, or affectionately known as ‘Student Fellows’, get the opportunity to work together with local organisations and communities as part of CTPCLC’s courses and practicums to further their skills in community leadership and development. We invited three groups of students to share their experiences leading a CTPCLC project on various social issues.

Like to share your project story and inspire others? Just drop a note to teehui.lim@nus.edu.sg and we will be in touch! 

>> Behind the Scenes of Completing a CTPCLC Research Project

Carin and Mei Ting has completed their research project on “Familiar Strangers – Understanding the Singaporean Presence in Johor Bahru”. We invited the duo to share their experience and what they have enjoyed most in doing a practicum with CTPCLC.

>> Read Communities of Care

Together with Yishun Health and Beyond Social Services, Ming Fang and her groupmates, Ayisha, Shin Er, Timothy, Myat, and Jonathan explored how communities could be empowered to take ownership and solve their own community problems.

>> Read Voices of N(US)

As part of a practicum project, Khye Bin, Xin Hui, and Wee Ling learnt about the misunderstandings and prejudices that transgender individuals in NUS experience. They then embarked on a journey to promote inclusion and create conversations about the state of inclusion in NUS.

>> Read Boombox: Strengthening Social Ties in the Midst of Social Distancing

Alyssa, Andrea, and Niki set out to address the issue of social isolation in the Sree Narayana Mission Home (SNMH) for their Practicum project. The team managed to prototype a device which helps to facilitate meaningful social interactions among seniors within the nursing home, as well as with their own families.

Button - Life at CTPCLC (colored)

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

Check out the good work done by #humansofCTPCLC! Here are some of the top posts on our social media.

Huang Huanyan
Yale NUS College '23

Mohammed Noor Haqeem
Economics '19

Willoughby Niki Lee
Electrical Engineering '22

Samihah Niquat Safeel
Political Science '22

We would love to hear from you!

Let us know if you have comments, questions, or your own stories to share! We would love to hear from you! Drop us an email at teehui.lim@nus.edu.sg and we will get back to you as soon as we can.