Young Harmony Champions break down barriers in tough conversations on race, religion

Straits Times

3 days ago

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The TL;DR: With Racial Harmony Day activities taking place in July, TLDR looks at the Harmony Champions programme, which teaches students how to discuss sensitive topics like race, skin colour, or religious practices.
Mr Jalen Goh (centre) was one of the facilitators at the YLCha3 Dialogue Event, teaching students how to chat effectively.
When students from different institutions and ethnic backgrounds first gathered for the Harmony Champions programme, many were hesitant to speak up or ask questions.
'We were worried that bringing up sensitive topics like race, skin colour, or religious practices might accidentally offend someone,' said Mr Jalen Goh, 21, who was part of the 2023 cohort.
'Even asking simple questions about why someone wears certain religious attire or how certain festivals are celebrated feels risky. Most of us want to be respectful, but without knowing how to express ourselves appropriately, we often choose to stay silent.'
Mr Goh said he hoped that through the programme, young people would overcome this sense of guardedness.
Launched in 2023, the initiative trains young people to
facilitate dialogues on interracial and interreligious issues. It is organised by Temasek Foundation and Roses of Peace, a non-profit organisation, for students from Institutes of Higher Learning. The three-stage programme takes place over 10 months and is conducted once a year.
Mr Muhammad Hamizan M Jaffri, 27, who graduated from ITE College Central with a Higher Nitec in Events Management in May, recalled an uncomfortable experience in 2022 during a conversation with his friends.
He said one of his friends asked why Malay people usually live on the lower floors of HDB blocks.
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Said Mr Hamizan: 'It felt offensive at first. It sounded like they were linking race with socioeconomic status.'
But as he clarified with that friend, he realised it came from a place of genuine curiosity – the person had simply wondered if it might be a cultural preference.
'It made me confront my own biases. I had to reframe my thinking that not every question is sinister, and it might be an attempt to understand,' he said.
Such difficult conversations are a core part of the training under the Harmony Champions programme.
Participants, known as Harmony Champions, signed up for the three-phase programme via their school portals. To date, the programme has trained 120 students.
Students from Singapore Polytechnic being appointed Harmony Champions by then-President Halimah Yacob during the Roses of Peace celebration on Feb 26, 2023.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROSES OF PEACE
In the first phase, participants visit the Harmony in Diversity Gallery, located at the Ministry of National Development Building, which houses exhibits and interactive features that highlight the common thread among the different religions in Singapore. They also walk the Telok Ayer Heritage Trail to see how different faiths have coexisted since the nation's early years.
The second phase gets the participants to engage in guided conversations about their lived experiences, with the focus on race and religious harmony.
In the final stage, the students pick up essential skills such as facilitation and dialogue techniques, as they prepare to lead conversations on race and religion.
One of the things the participants learn is Star, which stands for suspend judgment, talk sensitively, actively listen, and respect opinions.
Ms Kumar Devadharshini, 22, a student from the Singapore Institute of Technology who attended the programme in 2024, said: 'Listening without judgment and talking about sensitive issues make us more conscious of our own biases and assumptions. I also learnt to read situations and act accordingly.'
Students are also taught to recognise unconscious bias by reviewing real-life scenarios.
One of the main facilitators from Roses of Peace, Ms Fahima Farha, said: 'Many of us assume we're already harmonious, but tensions can exist beneath the surface. That's why it's important to help young people recognise their own biases, learn conversations and dialogue techniques, and even understand how to navigate sensitive issues on social media.'
She said that while Singapore offers many platforms for open discussions on race and religion – from small group dialogues to large public forums -- there are fewer initiatives that equip youths with the skills to lead or engage in these conversations effectively.
'That's the gap that the Harmony Champions programme is trying to bridge,' she added.
After the training, the Harmony Champions gain practical experience by organising mini projects at their schools – such as setting up ethnic game booths or creating quizzes about different cultures – to promote understanding of multiculturalism.
Mr Muhammad Hamizan M Jaffri (right) and his fellow Harmony Champions from ITE College Central organised a five-station roadshow, Rise Above Racism.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROSES OF PEACE
Projects conclude with the distribution of roses – which could be to students or members of the public – with each stalk bearing an interfaith message from a religious leader.
Mr Goh said the training came in handy when he facilitated a dialogue on how to chat effectively at the Young Leaders Cha-Cha-Cha event, where youth from different Asean countries gathered to discuss social cohesion.
He recalled a girl sharing how a joke from her friends – 'We can't see you in the dark' – had hurt her, even though she never told them.
'I first acknowledged how she felt, and then guided the group to reflect on how jokes, even among friends, can unintentionally cause harm,' he said.
'I encouraged her to be honest with her friends and let them know it was hurtful, even if unintentional.'
Mr Goh added: 'To be honest, if I hadn't been trained, I probably wouldn't have thought through my words before speaking. I might've just gone, 'Oh', and tried to awkwardly change the topic.
'The training helped me become aware of my own blind spots and gave me the tools to pause, listen and respond with more thought.'