The student-run NUS Pro Bono Group (NUS PBG) recently organised its flagship Pro Bono Awareness Week (PBAW), its first following NUS Law’s move to Kent Ridge at the start of the year.

Guided by its mission ‘to inform, to involve, to inspire’, the programme introduced students from across NUS to the role that pro bono work plays in expanding equitable access to justice. Through talks, activities and learning journeys, both on campus and around Singapore, participants explored how legal knowledge can empower communities.

For the organisers, being based at Kent Ridge has opened the door to a wider and broader university audience, giving them access to new opportunities to engage with more students from diverse walks of life. Faculty Advisor Associate Professor Helena Whalen-Bridge noted that even when NUS Law was located at Bukit Timah, NUS PBG had already been reaching out beyond the law school to share practical legal information with students on topics such as rental agreements and challenges faced by start-ups.

“Being on the main campus creates more opportunities for students from different disciplines to learn about pro bono work and how students from law and other disciplines can contribute to improving access to justice,” said Assoc Prof Whalen-Bridge.

Echoing this, NUS PBG President and Year 2 Law student, Saw Yone Shou, envisioned the event as an avenue to build stronger ties with student clubs and community initiatives across faculties, while engendering opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations that can enrich the group’s pro bono work.

Starting in early February, this year’s edition unfolded over the course of a month, which allowed organisers to host a wider range of activities and engagements.

Discovering pro bono work beyond the classroom

A ‘Pro Bono Awareness Week Carnival’ at University Town kicked off this year’s PBAW where visitors discovered NUS PBG’s initiatives through interactive booths and games.

Students tested their knowledge of financial scams and dispute resolution through a Jeopardy-style game run by NUS FIDReC, a collaboration between NUS Law students and the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre that raises awareness of consumers’ legal rights in financial disputes. Others took part in a fast-paced ping pong trivia game on migrant worker laws led by Project Law & You and Project Building of Bridges, which promote legal awareness and foster community engagement with migrant workers in Singapore.

Visitors also learned about Project Parachute’s efforts to support and promote access to justice for sexual assault survivors, expressing solidarity by creating friendship bracelets with bead colours symbolising support, empowerment and compassion.

“The carnival is a great way to learn about pro bono work in a relaxed setting,” said second year NUS College of Design and Engineering student Yuvaraj Mohan. “The games and booths made complex legal issues easier to understand, and it helped me see how these initiatives support different communities.”

Beyond the carnival, students participated in learning journeys that connected legal principles with real-world contexts.

One highlight was a Chinatown Heritage Tour led by Allen & Gledhill partner Mr Andrew Chan, where participants explored sites linked to Singapore’s wartime past, clan associations and places of worship while discussing the historical roots of pro bono and community support. Mr Chan also reflected on his own pro bono journey, connecting historical insights with contemporary legal practice.

Third-year history student Muhammad Aidil Bin Supoano from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences described the tour as a meaningful experience. “The focus on the cultural, economic and religious everyday captivated me as it brings to fore the hopes and struggles of newly settled communities. It is a good exercise in empathy and humanity which would guide us particularly well in a diverse society,” he shared.

Other learning journeys brought students to places where law intersects with community life.

At the Ministry of Manpower’s Our Migrant Workforce Gallery and migrant worker dormitories, students gained insights into migrant workers contributions and lived experiences, and learned more about the role of law, policy and community engagement in protecting the latter’s rights.

Visits to the Supreme Court and Pro Bono SG branches allowed students to trace the development of Singapore’s legal system from pre-colonial times, as well as observe how locating legal services within familiar community spaces can make legal help more accessible for those in need.