Giving others a leg up with knowledge

SETTING financial goals and objectives; budgeting and prioritising expenses.

These were some of the "modules" that were taught by Barclays' employees in Singapore to a group of about 10 offenders who are about to be released. The Barclays Basic Financial Management skills workshop - which is under the bank's giving-back initiative, Barclays LifeSkills programme - started in April 2019 at the former Lloyd Leas Community Supervision Centre with a team of 35 employees.

The workshop pivoted to a virtual format in the middle of 2021 amid the Covid pandemic to ensure that support was still provided for offenders despite the restrictions. Currently, the sessions have moved to Institution S2 in Selarang Complex where they continue to run for offenders who are placed on community programmes - with social distancing and other safe management measures in place.

Kham Joon Heem, chief operating officer, Singapore, Barclays, said: "One of the issues with offenders who served multiple sentences was that they were not able to manage the hard-earned money they got after getting a job. Hence, they fell back to their old ways of obtaining quick cash...

"Therefore, the employee volunteers from Barclays, Singapore, wanted to break this vicious cycle and shared their proposal on running a basic financial management skills workshop with the Community Reintegration & Rehabilitation Division of Singapore Prison Service for soon-to-be-released offenders."

According to Singapore Prison statistics, about 20 per cent of offenders re-offend within 2 years of release. "This is compounded by the inability to manage the little salary they have earned. Some turn back to a life of crime when the money runs out. Therefore, it is important to equip them with skills training before their release as giving offenders the confidence and skills to manage their hard-earned money after release greatly lessens the chance of re-offending," added Kham. The company, which is recognised as a Champion of Good, has since provided such lessons to more than 300 offenders.

Champions of Good was launched in 2017 as a national recognition initiative under Company of Good. It recognises organisations that are exemplary in doing good and have also been a multiplier by engaging their partners and stakeholders on a collaborative journey. "Barclays has been an avid supporter of Champions of Good since its inception. The recognition is a huge testament to the good work accomplished by all of our key stakeholders", said the COO. She added that the bank can have a meaningful impact on the communities by focusing on the areas that best use its expertise as a financial services organisation.

During the course of the training, Barclays' volunteers realised that the offenders were no different from themselves. One of the volunteers for the initiative, Lim Fang Chien, said: "Many have never done budgeting in their lives and the idea of saving and expenditure was foreign to them." Lim, also the head of Strategic Alliances Capability Development for Singapore, Barclays, added: "I am heartened to be able to hear from the offenders on how the session has helped them rebuild their confidence and better prepare them for reintegration into the society."

Another Champion of Good, Singtel, has been supporting integrated cyber wellness and digital parenting platform, Help123, since its inception.

First launched in July 2017, Singtel's Help123 initiative is a strategic partnership with National Council of Social Services (NCSS) that offers a one-stop service to children and youth. TOUCH Community Services was also approached as a partner for their expertise in cyber wellness education. Singtel has invested over S$1 million in the platform thus far.

The growth of smart devices, coupled with the pervasiveness of social media and Internet, is concomitant with challenges such as increased instances of cyber bullying and digital addiction to mobile devices.

Key findings from DQ Institute's 2020 Child Online Safety Index (COSI) also showed that 60 per cent of 8-12-year-old children faced cyber risks which include cyber bullying and risky content, and highlighted that 52 per cent of Singaporean are likely to be at risk for cyber bullying. Aileen Tan, group chief people and sustainability officer, Singtel, said: "Advocating digital inclusion and cyber wellness has been a key focus of Singtel's community sustainability efforts since 2013. Along with the many advantages the Internet brings to our daily lives, there are risks as well...

"Covid-19 has led to an unprecedented rise in screen time and reliance on digital devices to keep children learning, entertained and connected. But not all of them have the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to navigate the digital world safely. Through programmes such as Help123, we seek to help children develop healthy habits and parents better understand and protect their children from online risks."

Due to the nature of work that both NCSS and TOUCH do, they possess the relevant knowledge on such issues faced by youths and the challenges faced by parents and caregivers. Singtel first partnered TOUCH in 2013 to launch notAnoobie, Singapore's first cyber wellness mobile app designed to help parents better understand and protect their children from online risks. "As a pioneer in cyber wellness education in Singapore, Singtel recognised that TOUCH was well-positioned to contribute to this resource app platform," said Tan.

After notAnoobie, both firms further entrenched their partnership with Help123. To better support parents during the peak Covid period in 2020, TOUCH brought parenting support and cyber wellness education into families' homes. Therefore, a series of free parenting webinars ranging from topics such as screentime for children, pornography, to building a positive digital family culture was launched. These webinars are ongoing and they have reached over 10,500 parents and children. "ICT (information and communication technologies) capabilities and expertise, product technology and innovation can make a positive and lasting impact. This includes helping communities, especially the vulnerable groups in society, to reap the full benefits of digitalisation."

Additionally, doing good for the community also garners returns for the company. "Research has shown that a focus on sustainability drives long-term value for all stakeholders, increasing customer loyalty as they want to be associated with brands that do good."

Tan said: "Our long-term success doesn't rest on just business performance but how we create positive change in our society - consumers expect the brands they trust to be a force for good. Championing sustainability and building an inclusive digital future also drive our employee engagement as staff members feel that they are part of a company that is making a positive impact on society."

She added that the Champions of Good recognition has provided Singtel opportunities to share its experience with the community and influence peers to give more strategically. "We hope that getting this recognition will encourage more like-minded partners to join us in the journey to support digital enablement and cultivate a safer online space for all."

• Applications for Champions of Good 2022 are now open. Apply now or nominate a deserving organisation to be recognised as an exemplary leader and multiplier of good at companyofgood.sg/champions