Empowered Families as Agents of Change

The session would take on a workshop format, starting off first with a sharing of Empowered Families Initiative by a team member and a beneficiary, exploring the question of what happens when low-income families are enabled and empowered to create change for themselves, with professionals stepping back and playing a more facilitative role?

Detracting from the conventional model of social assistance that is premised largely on needs, Empowered Families Initiative is a developmental initiative based in Singapore that hopes to harness the strengths and abilities of low-income families and invest in their aspirations through grants, savings matching and group support to improve their life circumstances towards better socio-economic position and well-being. As an initiative that is founded on the belief that families have the potential and are in the driver’s seat for change rather than passive recipients of assistance, ‘investing’ in the families’ aspirations would enable them to achieve milestones that encourage them in furthering their aspirations, creating a cycle of possibilities rather than poverty. Underpinning this approach is giving families autonomy to utilise the resources as they see fit to pursue goals that are based on their unique circumstances, based on trust and relationship with the families, yet ensuring accountability from families through monthly progress reports and group meetings. From EFI’s current iteration, families have successfully cleared their arrears, accumulated savings, upskill themselves and develop their own businesses – all of which goes towards improving their quality of lives.

Thereafter, we will be breaking the participants into smaller discussion groups to discuss what resonates with them in their line of work and how to deepen community and families’ ownership in driving their own solutions, for their own flourishing and collective well-being, in their respective work and interest areas.