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LUMEN | PROGRAMMES
PRISM
By Cai Lize , Vanessa Ku , Peng Lihong , Yong Zheng Yew , Noah Joel Lopez , Tristan Lim , Gareth Wang
Championing worthwhile causes in the community
PRISM is a student-led initiative established in February 2015 , with the objective of promoting social entrepreneurship among students in the Senior section of SJI . The name ‘ PRISM ’ was chosen because it is similar to the simple yet transformative crystal , which can change a single ray of white light into a spectrum of beautifully brilliant colours .
The club strives to transform the lives of the less fortunate in Singapore through ordinary youths , who are willing to look beyond themselves and put others first in order to serve the wider community . Started with five founding members , PRISM has grown steadily to 80 members today . PRISM ’ s mission is to inspire , educate and create sustainable social change in the community and this is guided by the values of SJI - Faith , Service and Community . Each year , the student leaders of PRISM will implement programmes and activities to fulfil the club ’ s mission .
Implemented programmes and activities enable PRISM to achieve its goals through a twopronged strategy . One is to raise funds by participating in meaningful social entrepreneurship competitions and the other is to partner various voluntary welfare organizations such as the Bone Marrow Donor Programme ( BMDP ) to help them further their social cause . The senior members of PRISM help to mentor and train the new members each year hence ensuring continuity in terms of education and talent management .
Towards this end , PRISM has been actively participating in various competitions . In 2016 , PRISM continued to make a positive impact on society . Members participated in several highimpact social entrepreneurship competitions and collaborated with the BMDP in a balloon light-up performance at its 11th International Donor Registry Conference .
Key Events in 2016
Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes
Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes ( YFC ) funded by the Citi Foundation and organized by YMCA Singapore aims to promote social entrepreneurship among the youths in Singapore . In 2016 , nine teams from PRISM participated in the programme and raised $ 47,722 for their chosen Voluntary Welfare Organizations ( VWOs ).
With the $ 1,600 seed funding and guidance from their VWOs , teachers , seniors and mentors , each team developed a viable and creative business strategy to raise social awareness and maximise returns from their seed money to benefit their VWO .
Plans ranged from street sales along Orchard Road , charity runs at East Coast Park , photo booths with guide dogs to a concert under the stars , sale of drinks at various events , fun fairs to selling customised merchandise like tote bags . All these occurred over a six-month period from April to September . The top team , in terms of the amount of money generated , was Team IGNITE , comprising Li Zijian ( JC 102 ), Mark Wee ( JC 103 ), Peng Lihong ( JC 103 ) and Joelle Tan ( JC 110 ). They raised over $ 12,000 for the Riding For Disabled Association ( RDA ) Singapore while also managing a remarkable public outreach of 22,300 people . They organized seven street sales , ran a booth at the RDA carnival and actively sought donations from local firms . As a result , Team Ignite is able to sponsor a therapy horse for an entire year , potentially benefitting many disabled people who are receiving hippotherapy . All four team members agreed that what mattered most was their shared experience . Li Hong added , “ The end point is truly exciting for all of us , but at the end of the day when we look back at our journey , what we will always remember is the exhausting yet exceptionally meaningful process .”