Launches round–island trail with almost 80 volunteers walking 54km in 12 hours 

06 July 2024 – On 6 July 2024, FamChamps®, a community movement by local charity Focus on the Family Singapore, commemorated its 10th anniversary of empowering and equipping youths to believe in, live out and champion Family. 

Held at Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary), 125 secondary school students were commissioned as Family Champions at FamChamps Awards – a platform that celebrates youths’ achievements in making a difference for Family in their own homes and communities. Joining the award ceremony was Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration. 

In the past 8 months, participants underwent experiential learning and intentional mentoring, which included opportunities for them to practically apply the principles and handles learnt in the FamChamps Camp Experience journey to their family life, as well as share these concepts to equip their communities. 

One notable example is seen from the Family Service Project executed by the participants from Broadrick Secondary School. The team of 5 youth reached over 950 students within their school as they shared insights and tools picked up from FamChamps Camp at assembly talks. They also released a 3-part video series on marriage and parenting via the group’s social media account and rallied their schoolmates to join them in making a positive change in their families. 

Gia Linh Lee, 16, a member of the team and recipient of the Outstanding FamChamps Award, shares one of her takeaways from the FamChamps Camp Experience, “FamChamps taught me that even as a child in the family, I can make the first move to initiate stronger familial relationships. For example, I can start conversations with my parents and plan family outings to explore somewhere new in Singapore. I don’t need to wait for change to happen.” 

Having gone through the experiential FamChamps journey, she believes that youths can be the change they want to see in their families. 

“The next generation will be different,” she affirms. 

Ms Lee joins the over 800-strong FamChamps alumni community formed over 9 batches of youths that have been commissioned as family champions since 2014. 

As FamChamps commemorates its 10th anniversary this year, it also celebrates the maturing of youths who have grown with the cause. 

Elliot Goh, 23, a youth from the pioneer batch of FamChamps and a member of the inaugural FamChamps Council, received the FamChamps Milestone Award (Youth) for his unwavering commitment to promoting and protecting strong families. 

He shared, “After going through the FamChamps programme, I started to see my family in a different light.” 

“My family went through some challenges over the years, but these experiences inspired me to join the FamChamps Council to be a voice for Family,” he added. 

Through leadership development and community service opportunities, Mr Goh testified that he “witnessed firsthand the power of nurturing family relationships.” 

Just as the saying “it takes a village to raise a child” goes, it similarly requires a likeminded community of invested individuals to raise the next generation of family champions. 

Retired ex-principal Mr Peter Tan, 64, was recognised with the FamChamps Milestone Award (Enabler) for his successive years of support to FamChamps and his commitment to promote Family in his spheres of influence. 

When Mr Tan first heard about the FamChamps initiative, not only was he quick to onboard the school he was principal of, but he also shared the vision of FamChamps with other secondary school principals and rallied them to be part of the pioneer FamChamps Camp. 

“The idea of bringing together students from various backgrounds and empowering them to make a positive change in their families and schools resonated deeply with me,” he mused. 

“There is something inherently powerful about the collective narratives and camaraderie that these camps could cultivate. Furthermore, the students were encouraged to give back to the community and share what they had learnt with their peers.” 

Mr Tan believes that by empowering young people to realise their part in nurturing family bonds, FamChamps contributes to their holistic development as responsible individuals. 

At this 10-year milestone, the youth development initiative also celebrated the trailblazing spirit of FamChamps with the FamChamps Legacy Trail – a round-island relay that featured 10 Family Champion stories and spans 10 FamChamps schools. 

Comprising 3 legs where participating alumni and volunteers passed on the baton from one group to the next, the FamChamps Legacy Trail symbolises the collective strength and growing movement of people who champion the cause of Family through the years. 

The 54-kilometre overnight trail began at Zhenghua Secondary School, one of the schools that have been consistently involved in FamChamps programmes. Participants made pitstops at various institutions that have been part of the FamChamps journey, such as Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) and Geylang Methodist School (Secondary). After 12 hours, the FamChamps Legacy Trail came to an end at Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary), where the award ceremony was held. 

Through the Legacy Trail, the FamChamps Community aims to raise $50,000 through collective fundraising effort, where participants created their individual crowdfunding campaign on the Giving.sg platform to rally support and encouragement from their friends and family. 

“We believe that to transform generations, we need to meaningfully engage the emerging families – children and youth who will start to form families in the next 10 years and beyond,” shared Delia Ng, CEO of Focus on the Family Singapore. 

“By equipping them with practical skills in communication and conflict, and mentoring them through the struggles they face, we are ensuring the baton of Family gets passed on for generations to come,” she added. 

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About Focus on the Family Singapore  

Focus on the Family Singapore Limited is a local Christian charity with Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status. Recognising the challenges and disruptions in our increasingly digitised world, we seek to bring families closer by encouraging and equipping youth, married couples, parents and individuals from all backgrounds towards strong and resilient relationships, starting at home. Learn more at www.family.org.sg. 

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Contact 

Faith Wong, Comms & Integrated Media  

Faith.Wong@family.org.sg | 9648 2928 

07 June 2024 – Traditionally, the role of fathers has been perceived as resource provision, with the nurturing and emotional development roles largely left to mothers. However, a 2023 survey by Focus on the Family Singapore revealed that 74% of those surveyed wish for their dads to be more involved in emotional development.¹

Today’s millennial fathers are redefining this dynamic and their legacy, showing a fresh eagerness to actively participate in raising their children.

The impact of building strong familial bonds spans across generations. David Choo, 75, father of 4 sons and grandfather of 14 grandchildren, shared about a tradition his parents started, which he continues to practice with his own family till this day. 

“My parents used to gather the whole family for dinner every Sunday. I found it very meaningful as all the siblings would gather and my parents were very happy and pleased. Hence, even though my four sons have gotten married and have children of their own, everyone continues to come together for a meal every Tuesday evening.”  

This highlights how the concept of legacy weaves a thread through the fabric of time and speaks of the impact we can leave on those who come after us.  

Yet, the significance of leaving a legacy within the context of fatherhood is not merely about the practices left behind. 

“Legacy is about what your kids will remember you for,” said James Ong, 41, a father of four.  

“My hope is that when I pass on, my kids will want to emulate the love and nurturing they experienced from me,” he shared. He was especially touched when his eldest son expressed his desire to be a father when he grows up, seeing it as a testament to his positive influence. 

Despite their enthusiasm, many dads face significant challenges. Rising living costs, demanding work schedules, and the fast-paced nature of modern life often leave fathers exhausted, with little energy or mental capacity to engage meaningfully with their children. 

Jonathan Cho, 37, a father of three, shares his joys in parenting, the difficulties in balancing work and family life, and the emotional struggles that often come with being a working father.   

“We have a lot of dad guilt as well, and often times we think about where we have failed our children or where we could have done better in terms of being around.” 

This Father’s Day, Focus on the Family Singapore is Dad-icated to spotlighting the lasting legacies and importance of fathers, and empowering dads to create stronger bonds and lasting memories with their children. We hope fathers will be encouraged to know that their efforts to connect with their children have a profound impact that extends far beyond the present moment, leaving legacies that will benefit generations to come. 

A strong champion for families and longstanding supporter of Focus on the Family Singapore, Dr Stephen Riady, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OUE Limited, recounts his father’s philosophy of giving back to the community where one has thrived and did well in.²  

As part of the campaign, the local charity has prepared a digital resource, The Busy Dad’s Playbook, to help fathers reduce the mental load of thinking of bonding activities with their children. These activities are arranged by time blocks of as short as 10 minutes to an hour, paired with fun facts and tips.  

A series of digital content featuring short-form videos, lighthearted comics, as well as authentic dad stories with emphasis on work-life balance and the legacies of fathers be available at www.family.org.sg/Dadicated from 7 to 17 June 2024.

“You just show up [for your kids]. And the moment you show up [as a father], something kicks in. It’s still tiring. I’m still often sleep deprived, but I’m happily tired, because I’m giving my life to the ones that I love, the ones that are dependent on me, and it brings me great joy,” Cho muses. 

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¹ Fatherhood and Marriage Aspirations Survey 2023, Focus on the Family Singapore
² https://www.straitstimes.com/business/how-to-succeed-in-life-business-ceo-shares-important-traits-leader-oue  

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About Focus on the Family Singapore 

Focus on the Family Singapore Limited is a local Christian charity with Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status. Recognising the challenges and disruptions in our increasingly digitised world, we seek to bring families closer by encouraging and equipping youth and individuals from all backgrounds towards strong and resilient relationships, starting at home. Learn more at www.family.org.sg. 

Contact 

Natalie Yeo, Communications and Public Relations 

Natalie.Yeo@family.org.sg | 9747 8537 

3 May, 2024 – Being a mother is one of the most unique journeys one can take, filled with experiences that are special and precious. 

There is nothing quite like the feeling of holding your newborn for the first time, the wonder of seeing the world through the eyes of your little explorer, or the delight that comes with witnessing the ways your child is growing. 

At the same time, it comes with inevitable challenges that stretch one’s capacity like never before. On top of the physical exhaustion that mothers often experience, doubt, feelings of inadequacy and discouragement are not unfamiliar to mums. 

Joey Ong, 30, a mother of three young children aged 5, 3 and 1, can certainly relate to experiencing difficult seasons in parenthood – especially when she became a mum for the first time. 

In the early days of motherhood, she used to impatiently seek the next milestone, looking for the momentary relief between sleep regressions and leaps, trying to avoid discomfort where possible. 

She shared, “While things did get better, it most certainly would get worse again.” 

Cycles of improvement and setback left her disappointed and defeated, turbulent and easily triggered by the smallest obstacles. 

But Joey is grateful for the pivotal role her mother has played in shaping her character and attitudes when faced with challenges. 

Witnessing how her mum single-handedly and sacrificially raised her with whatever that she had, Joey attests, “She has shown me what true strength looks like, and often reminded me that when bad things happen to us, we can choose how we want to respond.” 

“While weathering the many storms of parenting, the last thing we need is a spirit of discouragement and defeat. I am learning to trust and enjoy the process, even when things aren’t ‘better’ yet,” she mused. 

Believing that discomfort is a good teacher and an opportunity for growth, she added, “These storms will always pass. No matter how terrible things may look or feel, we have an opportunity to reset every day.” 

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For Mary Heng, 47, a mother of three teenagers, parenting a daughter with special needs adds another dimension to her understanding and journey of trusting the process. 

When her youngest child, Kayleen, was born and officially diagnosed with Down syndrome, her world came crashing down. 

“Guilt came over me as I wondered if I had done something wrong to cause this condition,” she recalled. 

Due to the condition Kayleen has, delayed developmental milestones were inevitable. Many aspects that are seemingly easy to achieve with neuro-typical children require a lot of time and attention in Kayleen’s case. 

Mary shared, “Kayleen has had severe feeding difficulties since she was young and still attends feeding therapy. During the times when she had to rely on the feeding tube to get nutrition, I almost gave up the hope that one day, she would be able to eat the same food as us during mealtimes.”

From persevering through 2-hour long breastfeeding sessions to help Kayleen strengthen her oral muscles for speech development, to spending hours with her at physiotherapy to improve her muscle tone and strength, Mary continues to devote time and effort into her 12-year-old’s growth and progress. 

And she has been able to savour the fruits of her enduring love.  

“Kayleen has shown the family that she is much more than what we ignorantly perceived her to be. With her smiles and coos, she unites our family, and her siblings adore her,” she mused. 

“When her speech improved, she often tells our family how much she loves us and that I’m the ‘best mummy in the whole world.’ During her hospital visits, I often find her talking to the elderly and encouraging them. When she sees a child in need of comfort, she willingly offers a hug and kind words.”

She reflected, “I trust that God makes all things beautiful in its time. Watching Kayleen enjoy the tamagoyaki that I prepared for her, as she shares about her day at school, is indeed a beautiful sight that I’ve been blessed with.” 

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These stories of mothers learning to trust the process in their unique journeys are part of this year’s Mother’s Day campaign by Focus on the Family Singapore, which aims to encourage mothers that all their efforts of sowing into their motherhood journey will bring growth “All in Good Time”. 

The charity has prepared resources for mums to discover the ways they can trust the process in motherhood, through uplifting and practical bite-sized digital content. Mothers will find comfort in reading stories of fellow mums who are on their journey of embracing all that motherhood has for them. These can be readily accessed at www.family.org.sg/AllinGoodTime. 

Family members and communities surrounding mums will also get to play a part in encouraging and affirming mums through the Timeless Bouquet—a digital affirmation card tool—and with a thoughtfully created Instagram story filter.

19 May, 2022 – Focus on the Family Singapore will commemorate its 20th anniversary with a special celebratory dinner themed “Bigger, Deeper and Stronger for Families” on Thursday, 19 May, at Hilton Orchard Singapore. 

Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Mr Heng Swee Keat will grace the event as the Guest of Honour. He will be accompanied by his wife. 

Some 650 partners and supporters of Focus Singapore will be attending the event. The charity hopes to raise $1,000,000 in table sponsorships and pledges to fund its family-centric programmes and campaigns for the year. 

In 2021, Focus Singapore impacted the lives of some 40,000 people with its family-building programmes and campaigns. Looking ahead, the charity organisation aims to go bigger on sexuality education by partnering parents, educators and organisations, deeper in parent-child connections to build mental resilience, and stronger on marriage narratives, preparation programmes and mentoring communities.   

Bigger on sexuality education 

A 2020 survey conducted by Focus Singapore found that a staggering 79% of youths and young adults believe that parents have the primary responsibility to teach them about sex and sexuality. However, only 15% cite parents as their main source of information.  

Sexuality education needs to start at home as values about relationships and marriage have to come from parents themselves. With the growing awareness of the need for parental involvement in guiding youths in the area of sexuality, Focus Singapore plans to augment its current resources on its website with videos and conversation starters to equip parents with the skills to do so.  

Deeper parent-child connections   

Over the past two years, Focus has had to pivot its Family Life Education programmes and events from in-person to online format. To journey with parents in supporting their tweens through the transition to adolescence, Focus has redesigned its signature parent-child event, Date with Dad, into a parent-and-tween experiential programme titled The Select: Mission 1114.  

240 parents and tweens attended the inaugural run of The Select in December 2021, and tried their hand at solving puzzles and cracking codes together, while deepening their relationship through letter-writing and intentional conversations. 

Ms Yvonne Kong-Ho, who attended The Select with her son, said, “It was such a timely bonding experience for us as it was just after my son completed his PSLE and received his results. The most memorable part for me was when we wrote letters to each other. I also gave him a leather belt as a gift and told him, ‘This belt represents my support for you, and you’re never alone.’” 

Stronger marriages 

In a bid to strengthen its programme offerings aimed at nurturing stronger marriages, Focus Singapore will be organising a date night event in August 2022. Targeting younger married couples, Best Date Ever will offer couples a unique experience to reconnect and rediscover the joys or marriage, building their collective resilience to withstand the stressors of life. 

Mrs Joanna Koh-Hoe, CEO of Focus Singapore, said, “It is significant that we mark our twentieth anniversary in a year that Singapore has designated as the Year of Celebrating Families. We’re excited that with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, 650 friends of the Family can now join us in this celebration!” 

“Today’s increasingly volatile and digitally immersed world unfortunately places new and more complex challenges on everyday families. Taking an upstream approach to build on the foundation of strong family values and healthy relationships will ensure our nation continues to thrive for many generations to come.” 

Partnership Dinner: Raising Family Champions 

Focus on the Family Singapore’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is held in appreciation of corporate and community partners that have supported the organisation’s work in helping families thrive. Through the celebratory dinner, the organisation also hopes to share the impact through stories of families equipped and restored over the past 20 years, and enable more stakeholders and partners to catch the vision of building stronger families and resilient children in the years to come.  

Chairman of Focus on the Family Singapore Mr Tony Soh said, “While championing upstream work with families hasn’t been without its challenges, we are thankful to count so many passionate believers of Family among our supporters today. With their partnership and encouragement, we will continue to build on the good work of the past 20 years, and forge ahead to realise our vision of thriving, vibrant and resilient families in Singapore.” 

At the fundraiser, Focus on the Family Singapore will also present its annual Family Champion Awards to commend corporations, communities and individuals who have been exemplary in promoting the interests of families.  

Six recipients will be recognised this year — Far East Organization, People’s Association, Mr Tan Chin Hwee, Dr Stephen Riady, Noel Gifts International Ltd, and Church of our Saviour. 

Focus on the Family Singapore hopes that this recognition will raise greater awareness of the need for family-friendly policies and a culture that celebrates and champions families in Singapore.   

Read our Stewardship Report for 2021 here.