Welcome Remarks by Mr Peter Tan, SIF Senior Division Director (Communications and Engagement) at the Impact Media Fellowship Introduction Session

Good afternoon. On behalf of the Singapore International Foundation, or the SIF, welcome to the second edition of the SIF Impact Media Fellowship.

Today marks the start of Impact Media Fellowship 2022, designed to build capacity, and promote exchange among media professionals and newsmakers from around Asia who want to use their platform for social change. I am heartened that we have representatives from many countries, including Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore, joining us this year.

At the SIF, we believe that when people from different parts of the world connect, they gain insights that bridge cultural divides, inspire action, and enable collaborations for good. Journalists like yourself, are among our many valuable partners in strengthening international understanding and sparking action for good.

In this regard, we have engaged with experts in their respective fields to design this Fellowship – focusing on ways the media could enhance their abilities and contribute towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

Last year, the SIF hosted 14 journalists from six countries for the inaugural Fellowship, where they gained insights on how to envision and enable meaningful social change in their communities and beyond. We are also encouraged to learn that many Fellows from the pioneer batch have applied their learnings to their work.

For example, Ms Deborah Wong, a Singaporean Senior Journalist from CNA, applied the principles of solutions-based reporting in her piece on reported on the prolonged Singapore-Malaysia border closure in 2021. She focused on the collaborative efforts done by stranded Malaysians and affected Singaporeans to ease the situation. The report also highlighted a call to action for crowdfunding led by the Malaysian Association in Singapore.

Ms Nguyen Thuy Mien, a Vietnamese Senior Journalist from Thanh Nien, was also inspired to pursue a story on beauty training courses designed to transform the lives of young women in rural parts of Vietnam. Through this story, she aimed to raise awareness of how these women – at risk from human traffickers – were empowered to gain financial independence. You will hear more from some of our alumni shortly.

We have a lot in store for you this year. In the coming week, you will hear from, and engage, with industry experts on topics that we hope will be useful in your course of work. I urge you to take this opportunity to ask questions, expand your skillsets, and broaden your perspectives on what it means to be a catalyst for positive change as a media professional.

At the end of the Fellowship, you will be a part of a growing regional network of media professionals and thought leaders, with access to best practices and opportunities. You will meet likeminded peers from around the region who share similar interests and goals. We also hope to host you for a study visit in Singapore soon, where we can enrichen the Fellowship experience in person.

I wish you a fruitful week ahead. Thank you.