SSR Seminar Series: Project Hayat: A Whole-of-Society White Paper and Research Agenda for a National Suicide Prevention Strategy
Recording link
Watch the presentation here:
- This is a physical seminar event.
- Registration slots are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first served basis.
- Please register by 14 November 2024. Successful registrants will be informed from 15 November 2024 via email. Unsuccessful registrants will be placed on a waitlist and will be informed via email should a place be made available.
- In the event when you cannot make it after receiving the email confirmation, please let us know as soon as possible via email so that others can get a chance to attend the event.
Seminar Details
In Singapore, suicide remains the leading cause of death for persons aged 10-29 years old. Guided by principles of participatory action research, Project Hayat is a community-led effort, led by a Working Group comprising policymakers, suicide experts, researchers, community workers and helping professionals, religious leaders, corporate leaders, media representatives, and people whose lives have been impacted by suicide. Our comprised four components, including a desk review of case studies of existing suicide prevention strategies, interviews with international experts, focus group discussions with communities affected by suicide, and a public consultation with Singaporeans on suicide prevention. Interviews with international experts highlighted the necessary policy and governance structures for suicide prevention, challenges in implementing strategies, and key focus areas of suicide prevention. Focus groups revealed diverse understandings of suicide, perspectives towards existing efforts to prevent suicide, and gaps in suicide prevention. Our public consultation also gathered Singaporeans’ views on the importance of suicide prevention, our individual roles in preventing suicide, attitudes towards help-seeking if one is suicidal, and one’s capacity to support others who may be thinking of or showing signs of suicide. Drawing on the evidence-based recommendations made by the working group, a framework to SAVE LIVES was developed for Singapore.
Former Nominated MP &
Founder, SG Mental Health Matters
WorkWell Leaders
A Good Space
Hush TeaBar
Assistant Professor
Saw Swee Hock
School of Public Health
National University of Singapore and National University Health System
A Nominated Member of Parliament from 2018 to 2020, Ms Anthea Ong is an experienced board member and board chair backed by a proven track record as a C-level executive of 30 years. An advocate and speaker on mental health, human-centred leadership and social entrepreneurship, she has published widely across mainstream media. Her memoir, 50 Shades of Love, was shortlisted in the 2019 Singapore Book Awards. Her book The NMP Scheme: Are Unelected Voices Still Necessary in Parliament? was launched in 2022, foreworded by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. A creative and dynamic leader, she has founded several impact initiatives, including Hush TeaBar, WorkWell Leaders, SG Mental Health Matters, A Good Space Co-operative and Welcome in My Backyard. Her varied experience, including an ICF Certified Professional Coach, provides valuable perspectives to boards and executive teams. She also initiated the recently-launched Project Hayat White Paper initiative on a national suicide prevention strategy.
Dr Rayner Kay Jin TAN is an Assistant Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and a Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar 2022/2023. His research interests include stigma and health, community engagement, implementation science, and health of vulnerable communities. He is president of Project X Society serving the needs of sex workers, and Director at The Greenhouse, a charity providing substance use recovery services for marginalised groups. He also currently serves as a co-lead at SG Mental Health Matters and Project Hayat, a community-led effort to develop Singapore’s first national suicide prevention strategy.
Founding Member &
Former General Manager
A Good Space Cooperative Ltd
As a person in recovery from a mental health condition, Vincent Ng first became involved in community issues because of his diagnosis. This grew to a passion that led him to be a founding member of A Good Space (AGS), Singapore's first co-operative of social changemakers. He believes that citizens are Singapore's greatest assets to respond to the complex challenges that lie ahead. During his 7 years of service at AGS, including 3 as its General Manager, he helped organise diverse changemakers to create greater social impact by working on collaborative projects such as convening 90 multi-sector stakeholders to tackle the challenges faced by migrant workers and organising a national forum for 300 Polytechnic student leaders to learn about social issues. He enjoys writing about community solutions in his free time at his blog Citizen Changemaker and is also the co-author of Why You Should Fail, a best-selling book about 23 entrepreneurs in Singapore.