Community for Advocacy and Political Education (CAPE)

Co-founded a youth organisation to advance democracy in Singapore, through bold political education and strategic grassroots power-building events

My early volunteering in environmental causes revealed a frustrating pattern: advocacy in Singapore was often limited to awareness campaigns and individual actions, which were inadequate for systemic issues like climate change. Real change required policy shifts, but that felt inaccessible to a lone individual.

At university, I connected with peers across diverse causes—from queer rights to migrant worker welfare—who shared this frustration. We identified a common root cause: a lack of political literacy, which prevented deep engagement with institutional levers of power. To solve this, we co-founded the Community for Advocacy and Political Education (CAPE).

CAPE demystified civic issues through critical research, public seminars, and workshops, fostering a community of active citizens and building collaborations across the political, media, and civil society landscapes.

My Role and Key Contributions

As a co-founder, I was instrumental in setting the foundational vision, scope, and strategic direction of CAPE from its inception in 2016. I spearheaded several of our flagship events, which involved end-to-end project management:

• Parliament 101 & Budget 101: In my dual role as a Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament, I worked with MP Louis Ng and our LA team to deliver two popular seminars (avg. 80+ attendees) that deconstructed government processes in layperson's terms. We also used the sessions to solicit public feedback that directly informed our team’s submissions for the upcoming budget debates.


• Student Activism Forum: I orchestrated this forum from ideation to execution, enabling 40+ students to gain insights from experienced activists. Over a panel discussion, workshop, and breakout session, students learned practical "how-tos" for effective advocacy, and applied them to their own campaigns.


• All Talk How Action: I programmed and implemented this workshop on civil society action. 30+ changemakers gathered with our panellists—each representing different civil society organisations—to discuss common challenges and brainstorm solutions for cross-sector solidarity and more effective engagement with the state.


• Voter Education: Presidential Elections: I coordinated a timely dialogue for 50+ attendees to dissect the new reserved election system and the Elected Presidency. Our moderated discussion with professors of law and Southeast Asian studies covered the history of the elected presidency and the construction of race in Singapore, providing critical context during a pivotal national moment.


• Why Participation?: I partnered with Between Two Homes to design and facilitate a workshop for 20+ participants, using the impending redevelopment of the historic Dakota Crescent estate as a case study. Attendees role-played as policymakers, advocates, residents, and conservationists to explore how public participation can improve relocation processes and find practical ways to preserve a place's memory while assisting those affected by urban progress.

My work extended beyond public events to strengthen CAPE’s foundation and reach. I organised a high-level stakeholder consultation with Minister for Law and Home Affairs, K. Shanmugam, to present CAPE’s recommendations on the newly introduced “Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill”.

As the head of our Community Building division, I designed and conducted internal knowledge-transfer workshops to pass down our skills in strategic advocacy and project management to new members. As such, CAPE's legacy has endured beyond the founding team: CAPE’s 2020 General Election resources and webinars reached over 100,000 Singaporean youths on average, and was selected for preservation by the US Library of Congress Web Archive for its historic value.

Expertise

• Leadership: Strategic Planning | Systems Thinking | Stakeholder Relations | Cross-Functional Teamwork
• Operational Execution: Workshop Facilitation | Knowledge Management & Training
• Project Management: Program Development | Event Production & Logistics
• Analysis & Communication: Policy Analysis | Public Advocacy | Civic Education