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About YLP 2025
Organised in conjunction with the ICCS, the Young Leaders Programme (YLP) is a dynamic platform for the emerging local and international leaders to network, ideate and collaborate on initiatives that strengthen social cohesion. The YLP connects young leaders from Southeast Asia and beyond, fostering a vibrant community where ideas are shared, skills are honed, and confidence is built to address social cohesion challenges. YLP harnesses the energy and creativity of youth to drive practical solutions and contribute meaningfully to building a more cohesive and resilient society.
YLP 2025 focused on experiential and interactive learning sessions where youths across the world exchanged unique cultures, shared fresh perspectives, and ideated innovative approaches to foster cohesion and harmony. Through working with select youth alumni as part of the YLP 2025 Working Committee and involving YLP delegates as co-creators of the programme, we also supported youth leadership and their development.
Programme Overview
YLP Day 1: Cultural Exchange
Delegates joined us for a vibrant evening where cultures converged and connected! This unique networking event brought together international delegates for an enriching experience of cultural exchange and showcase.
YLP Day 2: Experiential Learning and Ideation Opportunities
YLP’s experiential learning programmes like interactive theatre and YLP Working Comm-led breakout activities immersed delegates in real-world scenarios, turning theory into practice. Through hands-on activities, delegates gained practical insights and developed critical problem-solving skills.
YLP Day 2: Forum Theatre Experience
To encourage insightful participation and reflections, YLP delegates went through a forum theatre experience, an interactive theatre that allowed the audience to participate in the performance by suggesting changes in the action or even stepping in as actors to alter the course of the story. Delegates were engaged in post-forum theatre reflections facilitated via a civic conversation toolkit.
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YLP Day 2: Breakout Sessions
Volunteer Quest: Expedition of Harmony
Participants were transported into an immersive, narrative-driven environment where they explored the intersectionality of volunteerism, race, and religion through real-world challenges. In this breakout room activity, they solved puzzles, decoded clues, and brainstormed solutions while deepening their understanding of these complex themes. This experience challenged them to think critically, act empathetically, and collaborate effectively to create meaningful change.
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"Act" Against Disunity
In a diverse society like Singapore, maintaining peace and harmony required active effort and understanding. This dynamic engagement immersed participants in evolving scenarios where social harmony was disrupted by racial, religious, or community-based tensions. Participants were assigned roles as key stakeholders—community leaders, government officials, affected individuals, bystanders, and media representatives. As the scenarios unfolded with new developments and escalating challenges, they took strategic actions to de-escalate conflicts, mediate disputes, and implement long-term solutions.
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Grand Challenges: faith in action scenarios for a more resilient tomorrow
In an increasingly diverse yet divided world, interfaith engagement was crucial for building cohesive and resilient multicultural societies. This participant-led scenario-based breakout session empowered participants to take ownership of interfaith dialogue and action. Through interactive discussions, real-world case studies, and scenario-based problem-solving, they explored current and future interfaith challenges—from misinformation and religious discrimination to the ethics of AI and faith. They collaborated to design solutions and committed to tangible actions that fostered inclusion, mutual understanding, and social cohesion.
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Soundscapes of Religions in Singapore Experiential Exhibition
Soundscapes of Religions in Singapore is an experiential exhibition that takes participants through an immersive experience of sounds associated with faith communities in Singapore. The exhibition featured guided tours that incorporated mediation practices, hands-on activity with religious musical instruments, panel explanations on sacred sounds in different religious traditions, and an interactive performance featuring a cultural performance group where participants were welcomed to join in the fun.
Participating partners included:
Dialogue Centre, Singapore
YLP Day 2: Ideation Pitch
A slot was carved out for delegates to transform inspiration into action through our brainstorming session where they collaborated in teams, shared diverse perspectives on fostering harmony, and developed practical, innovative ideas for community engagement and created actionable plans for cultural bridge-building.
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YLP Day 2: Heartlands Experience
Delegates experienced Singapore's multicultural tapestry through curated heritage trails and learning journeys, where they navigated vibrant heartlands to witness how shared spaces fostered community bonds and celebrated our multicultural identity. The YLP Heartlands Experience was held in the evening of 27 June 2025 after the day’s proceedings, with five concurrent sessions.
Wok and Walk: Uncovering Chinatown’s Hidden Tales
Delegates were ready to unlock the secrets of Chinatown. They embarked on an epic adventure to the heart of the district and uncovered its rich multicultural elements, from architectural wonders to hidden food treasures. They took part in a mission to level up their cultural experience by exploring the rich stories of Chinese settlers while immersing themselves in Chinatown’s vibrancy that made it so unique.
HELL-O: To hell and beyond!
Ever wondered what it was like to set foot in Hell’s Nether Realms? Participants left the mortal world behind as they went on an epic expedition to uncover the courts of hell. This mind-bending journey was like no other, as they learned what different cultures believed about the afterlife—from spirit worlds to graphic descriptions of the divine. They rose to the challenge of this underworldly adventure and crossed over to join the experience.
Tekk-a Cultural Trip: Where every corner curries a tale
Participants explored the captivating charm of Little India and powered up their senses with a flavourful cultural expedition, immersing themselves in the bustling atmosphere, exploring charming traditional shops, and savouring authentic local delights. An unforgettable blend of culture, history, and local life unfolded as Little India’s vibrant flavours came to life.
Gelam-orous Art and Culture: The hippest Kampung story in town
Participants embarked on a magical adventure through Kampung Gelam, where traditional heritage met modern vibrancy. They levelled up their cultural adventure by uncovering the beauty and intrigue of Singapore's historic Malay-Muslim quarter, from traditional heritage shophouses to legendary Middle Eastern and Malay flavours.
Kueh-munity Spirit: Sweet Heritage Stories
Participants hopped on a journey through the charming enclaves of Katong and Joo Chiat, where the rich traditions of Straits-born culture came alive. They unlocked the neighbourhood’s hidden treasures by exploring the unique blend of Chinese, Malay, and European influences on traditional crafts and vibrant architectures unique to the Peranakan and Eurasian enclave. They also got the chance to level up their cultural adventure by trying some local kuehs (bite-sized snacks/desserts) while they were there.
YLP Day 3: Applied Learning
This interactive session synthesised insights from the ICCS main conference and YLP sessions. Facilitated by USC-CRCC, this closing workshop helped bridge the gap between knowledge and skillsets gleaned across the whole conference and actual practices, enabling YLP delegates to connect classroom concepts with real-world applications.
Participating partners included:
Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California, United States of America