APACD Singapore SCP Steps Out For Stroke Support Station In Its Third Edition
25th October 2021
Continuing with its sector spotlight, the third cohort of APACD’s Sustainable Communications Programme (SCP) focuses on an important industry that has come into sharp focus in the past 19 months.
Continuing with its sector spotlight, the third cohort of APACD’s Sustainable Communications Programme (SCP) focuses on an important industry that has come into sharp focus in the past 19 months – healthcare while raising awareness of strokes, which continue to strike with impunity even as the pandemic ensues.
Unlike the second cohort, APACD’s Singapore Chapter chose to launch its third SCP cohort virtually earlier this month, in keeping with the safety guidelines in Singapore. In its third edition, the programme continues to bring students majoring in communications from Singapore Management University as mentees with seasoned in-house communication professionals and agency practitioners (Edelman, Golin, & Redhill) as mentors to help solve the communication needs of our social enterprise partner – Stroke Support Station (S3).
Strokes are Singapore’s fourth leading cause of death and with a rapidly ageing population in Singapore, this is expected to rise further. Partnering with S3 is not just a great opportunity to do something meaningful but also the right thing to do for our society. S3 aims to support stroke survivors, their caregivers, volunteers, professionals and the public by driving meaningful programmes, providing support services, and building greater awareness through education and training.
Following the virtual launch, the two multi-disciplinary teams of six SMU student mentees, our three APACD mentors, as well as four of our creative agency partners will come together over the next 90 days to solve for the S3 creative brief – from the first symptoms of stroke to recovery at home.
This is also the first time that two teams will work on the same communication challenge for a single social enterprise. The SCP Cohort 3 SteerCo, led by Marla Arnall, had this to say about the change to the structure of the SCP third cohort, “The SCP SteerCo is always looking at ways to further increase the impact and value of the program. This shift in format means that the social enterprise can benefit from having multiple solutions to choose from that were conceived in an environment of friendly competition. Similarly, the change is good for the students because it affords them an even more realistic experience and platform to launch their career as a communications professional as most clients select strategic communication partners through a competitive process.”
Rebuilding lives with a positive mindset and working to make the lives of stroke survivors as normal as possible is a challenge this cohort is committed to taking on.
Arnab Roy Choudhury, Chair APACD Singapore Chapter, wishing the team a successful launch and journey ahead shared, “The simple doesn’t need to be impossible says one of the pamphlets of S3 and that’s essentially the aim of this SCP cohort. We are grateful to all the participants and partner organisations for agreeing to be a part of this journey. Working together to develop these committed changemakers and future leaders of our industry is special as is contributing meaningfully to a truly noble cause. I am beyond excited for this cohort and what they will all unlock with creativity and panache.”
This initiative is supported by APACD with PRovoke Media as the media partner. To learn more about or volunteer (as mentor or agency lead) for the next round of the Sustainable Communications Programme, please write to info[at]apacd.com. To sign up as an APACD member, click here.
