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SINGAPORE, 08 SEPTEMBER 2023 – Since it was launched last year, the Beyond the Label (BTL) Collective has engaged over 45,000 students and 10,000 individuals in the community on mental health conditions and equipped them on how to take care of their mental wellness as well as care for those around them.
Additional information can be found in the Annexes:
For media enquiries, please contact:
Boo Jiun Yi Ninemer Communications +65 9299 3662 boojiunyi@ninemer.com |
Lim Si Yun Ninemer Communications +65 9119 5601 limsiyun@ninemer.com |
About National Council of Social Service (NCSS)
NCSS is the umbrella body for over 450-member social service agencies in Singapore. Its mission is to provide leadership and direction in enhancing the capabilities and capacity of our members, advocating for social service needs and strengthening strategic partnerships, for an effective social service ecosystem. Community Chest is the fundraising and engagement arm of NCSS and Social Service Institute (SSI) is the human capital development arm of NCSS. For more information, please visit www.ncss.gov.sg.
About TOUCH Community Services
Since 1992, TOUCH Community Services has served people of all ages, races and religions to see sustainable change and transformation in their lives. It believes in the worth and potential of every child, youth at-risk, family in need, senior and person with special or healthcare needs to grow, participate and contribute in the community. The heartbeat of TOUCH is to activate potential, build independence, connect people, and deliver impact by developing sustainable solutions in society. For more information on TOUCH, please visit www.touch.org.sg.
About Beyond the Label
Beyond the Label (BTL) is a nation-wide movement started in 2018 by National Council of Social Service (NCSS), which focuses on addressing stigma towards and promoting social inclusion of persons with mental health conditions. In 2022, President Halimah launched the second phase of the movement (BTL 2.0) and the BTL Collective, which comprises partners from the public, private and people sectors working together to create an empowering and inclusive environment for persons with mental health conditions. BTL 2.0 is led by NCSS and TOUCH Community Services. For updates from the BTL Collective, follow the BTL Facebook and Instagram page (@beyondthelabelsg). For mental health resources and services, visit Belle, the BTL Helpbot (https://go.gov.sg/belle-helpbot).
Annex A – About BTL 2.0 Steering Committee and organisations in the BTL Collective
S/N | Role | Agency | Representative |
1 | Co-chair | National Council of Social Service | Ms Tan Li San, Chief Executive Officer |
2 | Co-chair | TOUCH Community Services | Mr James Tan, Chief Executive Officer |
3 | Member | Agency for Integrated Care | Mr Thomas Tan, Deputy Director, Caregiver and Community Mental Health Division |
4 | Member | Care Corner Singapore | Mr Joseph Eio, Deputy Director, Mental Health & Counselling Services and Children Services |
5 | Member | Meta | Ms Clara Koh, Head of Public Policy, Singapore and ASEAN |
6 | Member | Institute of Mental Health | Dr Lee Cheng, Clinical Director (Population Health) |
7 | Member | MINDSET Care Limited (Jardine MINDSET) | Ms Colyn Chua, Head, MINDSET Singapore |
8 | Member | Samaritans of Singapore | Mr Phua Chun Yat, Chief Operating Officer |
9 | Member | Singapore Association for Mental Health | Ms Ngo Lee Yian, Executive Director |
10 | Member | Singapore Children’s Society | Ms Vivyan Chee, Deputy Director |
11 | Member | SG Enable | Mr Lin Weiting, Assistant Director, Independent Living and Caregiver Support Division |
Organisations in the BTL Collective
(Five new partners are marked with asterisks)
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Annex B – BTL Fest 2023
1) Programme on 8 September 2023 at Jewel Changi Airport
Time | Venue | Programme |
10:00 am onwards | South Gateway Garden & Atrium | Start of workshops, booths and games |
9:30 am – 11:00 am |
Changi Experience Studio | Aromatherapy workshop by Mount Sapola |
11:30 am – 1:00 pm |
Zentangle art workshop by Mama on Palette | |
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm |
Human Library Experience by Resilience Collective | |
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm |
Wellness workshop by Miffy Hop | |
5:45 pm – 5:55 pm |
Cloud9 Piazza | Opening by emcees - Annette Lee and Ian Jeevan |
5:55 pm – 6:15 pm |
Guzheng performance by Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School | |
6:15 pm – 6:25 pm |
Violin performance by Zeph Pak | |
6:30 pm – 6:40 pm | Welcome Address by SPS Eric Chua | |
6:40 pm – 6:55 pm |
Presentation of Token of Appreciation and Group Photo | |
6:55 pm – 7:10 pm |
Dancesport performance by Edgefield Primary School | |
7:10 pm – 7:20 pm |
Ballet performance by My Ballet Studio | |
7:20 pm – 8:30 pm |
Fireside chat | |
8:32 pm – 8:45 pm |
Performance by Annette Lee | |
8:45 pm – 9:00 pm |
Band performance by Commonwealth Secondary School | |
9:00 pm | End of stage performances | |
09:30 pm | South Gateway Garden & Atrium | Start of workshops, booths and games |
2) List of Participating Partners at Jewel Changi Airport
The participating retail partners at Jewel Changi Airport will be rallying support for the BTL Fest and throughout the month of September 2023.
Partners | Description |
ABC Cooking Studio Arteastiq Din Tai Fung Greendot Timberland |
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In addition to the message card, the following partners are offering exclusive discounts and promotions for its customers: | |
Andersen’s of Denmark |
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Earle Swensen’s |
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IRVINS |
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Pu Tien |
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Sourbombe Bakery |
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3) List of Partner Booths
S/N | Partner | Description |
1 | Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) |
Aligned with the World Mental Health Day theme of “Stand Together for Mental Health”, AIC and the community partners are coming together to build awareness and knowledge of mental health, empower visitors with resources and promote self-care to achieve better well-being. Visitors can immerse in a virtual reality experience to better understand persons with mental health issues, build empathy and gain insights into their challenges. They can also learn about signs and symptoms of various mental health conditions and dementia through the E-Learning module and pick up self-care tips to enhance mental well-being. Lastly, visitors can gain insights into their emotions through a live drawing activity where an artist will personalise an art piece based on their feelings. |
2 | Campus PSY |
The Campus PSY booth showcases educational short films on mental health, which includes topics like "Destigmatising a Counselling Session in School / Workplace". Visitors can interactively experience these films, fostering meaningful conversations on mental health matters. Campus PSY volunteers will also facilitate small group discussions. Through these discussions, attendees can delve into important issues surrounding mental health stigma, help-seeking behaviours, peer support, referrals, and community mental health resources in Singapore, which aligns perfectly with this year's theme: “Mental Wellness Begins with All of Us”. |
3 | Limitless |
Visitors will immerse themselves in an eye-opening experience through an interactive visual novel by Limitless. Multiple screens, such as laptops, tablets, and headphones, will be available for visitors to experience "A Day in the life" of a youth struggling with depression. This unique visual novel follows a "choose your own adventure" style, allowing visitors to make choices impacting the youth's day and mental well-being. From struggling to leave the house for school to experiencing social withdrawal and difficulty with friends, the novel offers insights into the day-to-day challenges faced by youth with depression. |
4 | Mindline |
Visitors will receive cards that bring them to various mindfulness exercises on mindline.sg and will be encouraged to sign up for an account on ‘Let’s Talk’ to share what mental health means to them. Visitors will also get a chance to catch a Mili plushie from the mindline.sg claw machine. The Mili plushie also doubles as a stress ball and contains a QR code that brings users to mindline.sg whenever they need self-help resources. |
5 | MINDSET |
The MINDSET booth seeks to reinforce the BTL Fest message of “Mental Wellness Begins with All of Us” via an interactive game of matching cards. Visitors of the booth can learn about the signs and symptoms of various mental health conditions, and help to spread positive mental health messages through the complimentary temporary tattoos provided! |
6 | Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) |
In line with the central theme of "Mental Wellness Begins with All of Us," SAMH presents the booth "Emote Well," inviting visitors to embark on a journey of self-discovery. The booth delves into the realm of enhancing emotional awareness and comprehending how emotions significantly impact overall wellbeing. Through interactive displays and insightful activities, visitors will gain valuable insights into recognising, expressing, and harnessing emotions for a healthier mind. |
7 | Singapore Children’s Society |
"How Have You Bean?" is an interactive engagement booth with five stations. It aims to provide visitors with a platform to learn more about mental health and reflect on their mental health journey to gain more personal insights and self-management strategies. |
8 | SHINE |
At the booth, visitors can participate in activities such as "What we see & What we don't", where they can interpret pictures and compare their interpretations with the actual narrative, allowing them to learn the importance of understanding things beyond how they appear. They can also craft their own "Tokens of Love”, by designing supportive badges to commit to doing something for themselves or others, reinforcing the key message "Be Brave, Be There for Others". |
9 | Temasek Polytechnic |
As part of the experience at the Temasek Polytechnic booth, visitors can enjoy Sand Tray Therapy, a form of expressive therapy that allows individuals to make the unconscious conscious. By using miniatures to construct their own world, visitors can explore and resolve conflicts, remove obstacles, and ultimately gain a deeper acceptance of themselves. |
10 | Beyond the Label (BTL) Exhibition |
The BTL Exhibition aims to educate visitors about various mental health conditions, as well as correct misconceptions. Visitors can also participate in a pebble painting activity, where they can leave encouraging messages on it. The pebbles will be collected to build a pebble walk in the neighbourhood. |
3) List of Partner Booths
S/N | Workshop | Description |
1 | Aromatherapy workshop by Mt. Sapola |
Participants can expect to learn about the benefits of various essential oils and how each one can contribute to managing their mental well-being. |
2 | Zentangle Art workshop by Mama on Palette |
Participants will have the opportunity to relax and connect with themselves through the creation of Zentangle drawings. Zentangle is a relaxing and therapeutic art form that uses a microtip pen to create intricate patterns on a small piece of paper. |
3 | Human Library Experience by Resilience Collective |
The Human Library offers a unique, honest and up-close experience with persons with mental health conditions to engage in authentic sharings, normalise conversations surrounding mental health, and break down barriers to reduce mental health stigma. |
4 | Wellness workshop by Miffy Hop |
Participants will learn different types of exercise that will help to ease their pain and lead a healthy lifestyle for better mental wellness. |
5 | Build the Change Exhibition by the LEGO® Group |
It showcases various LEGO® sets done by child service users from various social service agencies. They were taught to portray their emotions through LEGO® bricks and other creative materials. |
Annex C – BTL Community Events and Workshops
Partner | Duration | What to Expect |
Jewel | 8 to 14 October 2023 |
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Waterway Point | 16 to 22 October 2023 |
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SOS | November 2023 to January 2024 |
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AMKFSC | November 2023 to January 2024 |
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TOUCH | Ongoing |
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TOUCH | Ongoing |
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Annex D – Translation Glossary
English |
Chinese |
Malay |
Tamil |
Beyond the Label (BTL) | “跨越成见,退去标签” | 'Beyond the Label' | 'Beyond the Label' |
Beyond the Label Fest | “跨越成见,退去标签” 活动 | Pesta ‘Beyond the Label’ | 'Beyond the Label' விழா |
Beyond the Label Collective | “跨越成见,退去标签” 联盟 | Kolektif ‘Beyond the Label’ | 'Beyond the Label' கூட்டுத்துக்கள் |
Belle, Beyond the Label Helpbot | “跨越成见,退去标签” 虚拟助手, Belle | Bot bantu ‘Beyond the Label’, Belle | Belle, ‘Beyond the Label' உதவி இயலி |
National Council of Social Service | 国家福利理事会 | Majlis Khidmat Sosial Kebangsaan | தேசியச் சமூகச் சேவை மன்றம் |
TOUCH Community Services | 触爱社会服务 | TOUCH Community Services | TOUCH Community Services |
Ms Tan Li San, Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Social Service |
陈丽珊 执行理事长 国家福利理事会 |
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Mr James Tan, Chief Executive Officer, TOUCH Community Services |
陈锦耀 总裁 触爱社会服务 |
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Ms Andrea Chan, Head of TOUCH Mental Wellness |
陈燕妮 主管 触爱心理健康 |