Debora's story

Outside of her studies as a Grade 12 student in Singapore, Debora Ghosh leads passionately in her role as the President of United Singapore, an inter-school organization that advocates local-foreign integration among youth, and in her role as a Youth Advocate at Onepeople.sg, which promotes racial harmony in Singapore. As a young leader who is keen to innovate and lead change in her community, Debora reflects on the continued impact of attending the SG100 programme.

I had the opportunity to participant in the three day experiential Common Purpose SG100 Young Leaders Programme in 2017. During the programme, we were challenged to think ahead, to broaden our understanding of Singapore, and to address the question, 'What will the legacy of our generation be?'

Now, in my role at United Singapore, I am implementing my idea on integration through sports, which I pitched during the SG100 programme. I am extremely grateful to Common Purpose for giving me the platform to share and gain support for my ideas. Through the programme, I was not only able to understand the importance of design thinking and formulating plans for ideas, but also to enhance my pitching skills. I was able to put these skills to use when my group and I pitched our idea on the final day of the programme. As the Idea Ambassador during the programme, I was pleased to win two sponsors for my proposal. Both of my sponsors were very supportive. In fact, one of them, Mr Kris Sidharta, advised me with my event idea when I became involved with United Singapore; I am very grateful for his assistance!

One of the highlights of the programme was working with other passionate individuals to formulate a detailed presentation and proposal for our idea. With valuable lessons learnt from inspirational speakers and insightful experiences during the programme, we had developed skills that we were able to apply on the final day.

Looking back, I realize that one of the biggest takeaways from the programme was understanding Cultural Intelligence. On the first day, we were split into diverse groups and discussed our views on controversial statements. Through this experience, I understood the importance of considering people’s backgrounds and its effects on their beliefs. Cultural Intelligence allowed me to collaborate more effectively and to engender new ideas and new innovations.

The SG100 Young Leaders Programme allows young, motivated individuals to view issues through a different lens and to develop their leadership skills. I believe that young leaders in Singapore will benefit from attending this programme as they are given the skills and opportunities to implement their ideas and lead change in their communities.

Debora Ghosh is a Neurosurgery Research Intern for John Muir Health. She took part in the SG100 Young Leaders Programme, in 2017.