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Octava Foundation Scholarship (Singapore Institute of Technology)

Octava Foundation Scholarship (Singapore Institute of Technology)

Octava Foundation Scholarship (Singapore Institute of Technology)

 

Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is Singapore’s university of applied learning. It aims to be a leader in innovative university education by integrating learning, industry and community as part of its unique pedagogy. Partnering world-class universities, SIT offers applied degree programmes targeted at growth sectors of the economy. SIT also aims to cultivate in its students four distinctive traits, or the SIT-DNA, which will prepare them to be ‘thinking tinkerers’, who are ‘able to learn, unlearn and relearn’, be ‘catalysts for transformation’ and finally, become ‘grounded in the community’.

 

Established in 2019, the Octava Foundation Scholarship will nurture and inspire academically talented Singaporean undergraduates at SIT who have demonstrated leadership qualities, empowering them to realise their fullest potential through a quality university education.Preference will be given to financially disadvantaged students. Each Scholarship is tenable for the entire course of studies, as long as the recipient continues to fulfill the eligibility criteria of the Scholarship.

 

Recipients will receive $7,500 per academic year which can be used for educational expenses such as tuition fees, course materials, expenses relating to approved regional as well as global study trips organised by SIT. Recipients may accept other scholarships concurrently.

 

To find out more about Singapore Institute of Technology, please click here.

Octava Foundation Study Award (Singapore Management University)

Octava Foundation Study Award (Singapore Management University)

Octava Foundation Study Award (Singapore Management University)

 

Established in 2017, the Octava Foundation Study Award aims to motivate as well as provide financial assistance to full-time undergraduate students at the Singapore Management University.

 

The study award is open to Singaporean undergraduates enrolled in any degree programme and in their second year of study. They should exhibit leadership skills and be actively involved in the university’s co-curricular activities and community service.

 

Recipients will receive $6,000 that can be used to subsidise their annual tuition fees and that may be awarded concurrently with other cash bursaries, subject to the fulfilment of the stipulated eligibility criteria.

 

To find out more about Singapore Management University (SMU), please click here.

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Institute of Technical Education)

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Institute of Technical Education)

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Institute of Technical Education)

 

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is a principal provider of post-secondary career and technical education in Singapore. Each year, some 15,000 new students enrol in ITE’s wide range of courses in Applied & Health Sciences, Business & Services, Design & Media, Electronics & Info-Comm Technology, Engineering, and Hospitality. An education from ITE provides graduates with good jobs and career advancement opportunities, as well as progression to further education and training.

 

The Octava Foundation Study Awards aims to motivate students at ITE from low-income families and provide practical help to them by supporting them through their two-year education and training at ITE. Recipients will each receive a monthly award of $300 to cover their daily and schooling-related expenses.

 

To find out more about ITE, please click here.

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Republic Polytechnic)

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Republic Polytechnic)

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Republic Polytechnic)

 

The Republic Polytechnic Education Fund (RPEF) is an entity under Republic Polytechnic (RP) and is a registered Institution of Public Character (IPC) since November 2003. Donations from organisations and individuals support RPEF’s commitment in providing funding for our students through programmes such as scholarships, bursaries, book prizes, and other financial assistance schemes.

 

Beginning in 2019, the Octava Foundation Bursary Award will be administered via RPEF. With Octava Foundation’s generous contributions, financially-needy students from RP will receive assistance from the bursary. This funding will empower the students and give them a chance to enjoy a holistic and worry-free learning experience in school.

 

To find out more about Republic Polytechnic, please click here.

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Singapore University of Social Sciences)

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Singapore University of Social Sciences)

Octava Foundation Study Awards (Singapore University of Social Sciences)

 

In 2019, the Octava Foundation Study Awards was established in Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to support students pursuing the Bachelor of Social Work programme. As the university for lifelong learning, SUSS aims to develop students who are professionally competent, socially conscious and lifelong learners with a heart to impact lives.

 

The SR Nathan School of Human Development, where our Social Work programme resides, is dedicated to the applied learning of addressing relevant community needs. With the emphasis of this social concern, SUSS strives to guide students to become positive agents to improve the lives of the individuals, families and communities they serve.

 

The study awards will support two SUSS’ students per cohort whose per capita income falls below $1,000. A total of eight students will be supported each year, and will receive $3,000 each which can be used to subsidise their annual tuition fees. The study awards are awarded annually and will be renewed if recipients maintain their academic rigour and remain within the stipulated per capita income cap.

 

To find out more about SUSS, please click here.

School of Concepts’ RISE programme

School of Concepts’ RISE programme

School of Concepts’ RISE programme

 

School of Concepts’ RISE programme aims to empower children through literacy. RISE stands for Rebuilding Interests and Sowing Empowerment – the programme aims to rebuild the fundamentals of learning by first equipping young learners with a firm foundation in literacy through the SoC approach, an early literacy programme by the School of Concepts (SoC).

 

Octava Foundation’s funding gives 150 marginalised children monthly the opportunity to level the playing field by equipping them with strong communication and comprehension skills through SoC’s early literacy programme.

 

The programme has proven to be highly effective in equipping marginalised children with strong literacy skills, many of whom come from non-native English-speaking environments and lack the language immersion. Once equipped with abilities to read, write and comprehend, graduates of the programmes naturally progress on to become confident learners with a thirst for knowledge. Often, the empowered young learners become agents of change – they motivate their parents to move the family out of vicious cycles they are commonly caught in.

 

The programme has and continues to empower children from the Ministry of Social and Family Services’s Fostering Department, Singapore Anglican Community Services, Pertapis Children’s Home and Beyond Social Services.

 

To find out more about School of Concepts, please click here.

TP-Octava Foundation Scholarship (Temasek Polytechnic)

TP-Octava Foundation Scholarship (Temasek Polytechnic)

TP-Octava Foundation Scholarship (Temasek Polytechnic)

 

Established in 2017, the TP-Octava Foundation Scholarship is available to Singaporean students from lower income families who are enrolled in the Diploma course at Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Informatics and IT. Recipients of the scholarship need not serve a bond.

 

They must earn a GPA of at least 3.0 to qualify for the scholarship, which provides $3,000 in financial support towards the recipient’s educational expenses at Temasek Polytechnic.

 

Octava Foundation Scholarships are awarded each year and can be renewed if recipients maintain their academic rigour and remain within the stipulated per capita income cap.

 

To find out more about Temasek Polytechnic, please click here.

Vocational and Soft Skills Programme (VaSSP)

Vocational and Soft Skills Programme (VaSSP)

Vocational and Soft Skills Programme (VaSSP)

 

The Vocational and Soft Skills Programme (VaSSP) was spearheaded by YMCA Project Bridge in July 2011. It aims to equip out-of-school youth and youth-at-risk between 14 to 21 years old with specific vocational skills that youth can put to use in a job immediately. It consists of core training up to 1 month of soft skills training and teambuilding activities, vocational training of 1 to 2 months in selected field and lastly ending with placement into employment or reintegrated back to school for higher educations.

 

To find out more about YMCA and the VaSSP, please click here.

Autism Spectrum Screening Programme

Autism Spectrum Screening Programme

Autism Spectrum Screening Programme

 

Commencing in October 2020, the Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Programme will be implemented at Primary Care Clinics (PCC) within the NUHS cluster, for children between the ages of 17 to 20 months old. The enhanced screening for ASD will be performed for these children at their 18-month old developmental assessment visits. The objective of this programme is to determine the viability of systematic screening of children in Singapore for the presence of ASD at an earlier age. Octava Foundation hopes that through screening at an earlier age, identified children can receive early intervention for ASD, and thereby optimising outcomes (improved social and linguistic development) and improving the quality of their lives.

 

Octava Foundation’s support for this programme is made through NUHS Fund Limited (NFL), a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) and a registered charity with IPC status. The charity was set up by the National University Health System (NUHS) to promote medical research and development and to provide health related services for the benefit of the community in Singapore.

 

To find out more about NUHS Fund Limited, please click here.

CROSSROAD and Teck Ghee Youth Rangers programmes (Care Corner Singapore)

CROSSROAD and Teck Ghee Youth Rangers programmes (Care Corner Singapore)

CROSSROAD and Teck Ghee Youth Rangers programmes (Care Corner Singapore)

 

Octava Foundation has been the sole sponsor of the Teck Ghee Youth Rangers since 2016 and a co-sponsor of Care Corner Singapore’s CROSSROAD Youth Rangers programme since 2017.

 

Care Corner Singapore is a registered charity that has been serving the needs of the community since 1981, focusing on the vulnerable and disadvantaged. It offers programmes and services through 32 social service centres located across Singapore, and has helped infants as young as two months and seniors over 90 years of age.

 

One such programme is the Youth Rangers initiative, which is designed to help youths gain the skills and leadership qualities they need to excel in life. Through workshops, mentorship, and outdoor activities, the programme aims to provide these youths with the knowledge to manage their relationships and form positive social connections.

 

The Youth Rangers programme has guided vulnerable youths away from delinquency and nurtured them into caring leaders, who themselves have given back to the local community by befriending frail seniors and enriching the lives of children.

 

To find out more about Care Corner Singapore, please click here.

Dare to Dream Grant

Dare to Dream Grant

Dare to Dream Grant

 

Please read more about the Dare to Dream Grant here.

E2 Emergency Fund

E2 Emergency Fund

E2 Emergency Fund

 

Please read more about the E2 Emergency Fund here.

KidsExcel @ Spright

KidsExcel @ Spright

KidsExcel @ Spright

 

COVID-19 has highlighted the learning resource gulf between children from families of different economic strata. To maintain the effectiveness of education as a social leveller, we need to ensure that all children are given the same access to educational resources and learning support, to help them catch up to their peers.

 

KidsExcel @ Spright is an after-school enrichment programme conducted at Spright Academy in Ang Mo Kio for beneficiaries of AMKFSC. The programme comprise Sports and Academic enrichment programmes.

 

To cope with Social Distancing measures implemented, KidsExcel lessons will be conducted online, using learning devices (tablets) given to each child. Lessons are conducted live by trained tutors in small groups, with plenty of interactive opportunities to maintain the participative nature of classes.

 

Beyond academic development, KidsExcel’s pedagogy emphasizes on developing healthy values such as confidence, resilience and empathy to nurture positive learning attitudes in school. This is aligned with AMKFSC’s strategy of including socio-emotional development into its student-care programmes.

 

In addition to helping struggling pupils pass their PSLE, we hope to anchor a positive, resilient mindset in our children to overcome future challenges both in school and at home. We want to empower pupils to break away from the circumstances that impede their potential growth.

 

To find out more about KidsExcel and Spright Academy for beneficiaries of AMKFSC, please click on the following links:

Learning Initiatives for Employment (LIFT) Community Impact Fund

Learning Initiatives for Employment (LIFT) Community Impact Fund

Learning Initiatives for Employment (LIFT) Community Impact Fund

 

Octava Foundation is a founding donor to the Learning Initiatives for Employment (LIFT) Community Impact Fund, which provides marginalised individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds with social support and skills training for a sustainable livelihood.

 

The LIFT fund aims to address social exclusion from the country’s workforce by providing support, employability training and job coaching for marginalised groups, including youth-at-risks who are seeking employment within the food and beverage (F&B) and coffee industry. Partnering with both social enterprises and social service agencies, LIFT is a unique programme that will allow the participants to learn and work in a supportive ecosystem – giving them the best possible chance of sustaining employment in the open market.

 

To find out more about Learning Initiatives for Employment (LIFT), please click here.

Octava Foundation Industry Certification Sponsorship (Temasek Polytechnic)

Octava Foundation Industry Certification Sponsorship (Temasek Polytechnic)

Octava Foundation Industry Certification Sponsorship (Temasek Polytechnic)

 

In 2018, we funded the Octava Foundation Industry Certification Sponsorship at Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Informatics and IT, which supports underprivileged students to undertake the “International Introduction to Securities and Investment” (IISI) professional certification. This complements their education at Temasek Polytechnic and boosts their employability upon graduation.

 

To find out more about Temasek Polytechnic, please click here.

Octava Foundation’s Culinary Scholarship in Support of HCSA Academy

Octava Foundation’s Culinary Scholarship in Support of HCSA Academy

Octava Foundation’s Culinary Scholarship in Support of HCSA Academy

 

HCSA Academy Culinary Training Centre is one of the signature programmes of HCSA Community Services, a charitable organization started in 1996.

 

The Academy offers a six-week course based on the Food Services skills framework by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), culminating in the highly coveted WSQ Higher Certificate in Food Services (Culinary Arts).

 

It follows a skill-training adult pedagogy with hands-on learning of the craft in the Academy kitchen, with job placements facilitated upon successful completion.

 

The Academy together with Octava, aims to equip 30 vulnerable individuals, particularly those under 30 years, with the professional skills required to secure stable employment in the F&B industry, giving them a new lease of life and a level playing field to support themselves and their families.

 

To find out more about HCSA Academy, please click here.

Presbyterian Community Services (PCS)

Presbyterian Community Services (PCS)

Presbyterian Community Services (PCS)

 

Presbyterian Community Services (PCS) is a social service agency registered with the Commissioner of Charities and a member of the National Council of Social Service. They currently have 27 centres spanning across the island.

 

PCS is one of the foremost providers of pre-school education and has a wide range of services such as infant care, childcare, special needs, special needs school, residential home for teenage girls, youth-at-risk programme, eldercare services, emergency relief scheme and other services to meet the multi-generational needs of the population.

 

PCS is an appointed partner operator for children services and centre of specialisation in integrated childcare for children with special needs. PCS is also a foundation member of St. Luke’s Hospital.

 

In 2017, PCS, together with Grace Orchard School (GOS), embarked on a pilot project to train girls from GOS to be Teacher Childcare Aides.  This project has won the MOE-NCSS Innovation Award in 2018. With the positive outcome and good feedback received from this pilot project, PCS went further to plan for a scale up of this training to reach out to the Post-18 group of girls who have left special schools and are employable, to offer them a new training / vocational pathway – Educarer Aide Training (ECAT). PCS believes that with the structured training, the girls will be well-equipped for the early childhood care tasks, enabling them to work and contribute meaningfully at the childcare centres.

 

To find out more about Presbyterian Community Services, please click here.

Principal Enterprise, 1000 Enterprises for Children-In-Need fundraising programme (Singapore Children’s Society)

Principal Enterprise, 1000 Enterprises for Children-In-Need fundraising programme (Singapore Children’s Society)

Principal Enterprise, 1000 Enterprises for Children-In-Need fundraising programme (Singapore Children’s Society)

 

In 2017, Octava Foundation was a Principal Enterprise under the 1000 Enterprises for Children-in-Need (1000E) fundraising programme. The initiative aims to encourage small, medium, and large companies to engage in corporate philanthropy by donating to Singapore Children’s Society.

 

Established in 1952, the society is a registered charity that aims to protect and nurture children, youths, and families in need. In particular, it reaches out to those from dysfunctional families and have been abused and neglected.

 

In 2017, Singapore Children’s Society engaged with more than 65,000 children, youths, and families in need through 69 programmes that ran across 11 service centres islandwide.

 

As Principal Enterprise of the 1000E initiative, Octava Foundation’s financial contributions supported various programmes designed to aid in the development and care of children. With access to education, counselling, academic guidance, food, and shelter, these vulnerable children would be able to cope better with their challenging environment and work towards achieving their dreams and aspirations.

 

To find out more about Singapore Children’s Society, please click here.

Short-Term Financial Support (STFS) Programme (Trybe)

Short-Term Financial Support (STFS) Programme (Trybe)

Short-Term Financial Support (STFS) Programme (Trybe)

 

Established in 1995, Trybe is a registered charity that has pledged to walk alongside Singapore’s youth and strongly believes that “every youth is a success story”.

 

Trybe conducts developmental programmes, preventive services for at-risk youths, as well as rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation programmes to help transform and support youth probationers and first-time drug offenders.

 

Octava Foundation, since 2017, has been a sponsor of Trybe’s Short-Term Financial Support (STFS) Programme, which aims to provide basic financial support to needy youths and enable them to pursue career or educational aspirations whilst they wait for longer-term financial support–which can take eight weeks—to be made available to their family.

 

To find out more about Trybe, please click here.

Singapore Youth Impact Collective (Community Foundation of Singapore)

Singapore Youth Impact Collective (Community Foundation of Singapore)

Singapore Youth Impact Collective (Community Foundation of Singapore)

 

Singapore Youth Impact Collective is the first initiative in Singapore to use the collective impact model to empower disadvantaged youths in their transition from their classroom to corporate lives.

 

TOUCH Community Service’s A.P.T.I.T.U.D.E and SHINE Children and Youth’s YOUTH FORTE programmes will receive almost $1 million in funding from Changi Foundation, Credit Suisse and Octava Foundation. The sixth Collective member, the Community Foundation of Singapore, will be the coordinating backbone organisation.

 

The Collective aims to empower 230 youths to be work-ready.

 

#SGYouthCollective

 

To find out more about Singapore Youth Impact Collective, please click here.

Vietnam – The OneSky Approach For Children of Migrants

Vietnam – The OneSky Approach For Children of Migrants

Vietnam – The OneSky Approach For Children of Migrants

 

For most low-salaried working parents in Vietnam, the best option for childcare has long been home-based daycare providers. Often overcrowded, under-resourced, with poor facilities and little training – horror-stories regularly appear in the Vietnamese media.

 

OneSky aims to improve quality of care and educational outcomes for the young children of factory workers in Vietnam’s industrial zones. They operate a Early Learning Center located in Da Nang’s Hoa Khanh Industrial Park, providing early learning programs for children as well as parenting skills and early child development, responsive care and nurture training for adults.

 

The ELC currently serves 250 children a year with 55 teachers and 6 trainers managed by a local team. In addition to providing direct service, the center functions as a base for daycare provider training, parenting skills training, and the development of an e-learning platform dedicated to supporting the professional development of child care givers throughout the country.

 

Octava Foundation in partnership with Lorinet Foundation is supporting OneSky to pilot Home Based Care providers’ training, parenting classes, and online learning platform over the next 3 years to ensure that the curriculum, training methods and program structure are all perfected for optimum benefit of child outcomes and ease of replication.

 

80 home-based daycare providers in Da Nang had completed the OneSky 20-week training program by early 2019, reaching a total of 2,595 children and another 240 home based daycare providers are scheduled to complete the program by 2020.

 

Based on the success of the ELC and Da Nang training program, the Vietnamese government has requested OneSky to scale the training to Vietnam’s burgeoning industrial zones in 4 additional priority provinces over the next 3 years.

 

To find out more about OneSky, please click here.

VietSeeds Foundation

VietSeeds Foundation

VietSeeds Foundation

 

VietSeeds is a non-profit organization committed to bringing equal access to college education for ALL students in Vietnam, regardless of socio-economics, geography, or background. They call themselves VietSeeds because their graduates are the seeds who are breaking the cycle of poverty within their own families to change their lives, serving their communities, providing a new generation of employees and leaders from diverse backgrounds, and accelerating positive change.

 

VietSeeds invests in high potential, underprivileged students who have demonstrated a deep commitment to education and strength of character in overcoming tremendous odds of poverty, hardship and neglect. They help each student realize his or her full potential by providing the scholarships, training and mentoring they need to succeed throughout their college years and beyond.

 

Octava Foundation has sponsored scholarships for 5 students with Vietseeds, and has supported a number of Vietseeds scholars with emergency grants as they faced financial difficulties during the Covid pandemic.

 

For more information about Vietseeds, please click on this link.