YSE Series: Youth Action Challenge S2 Alumni Showcase — Friendzone
While many of us now have hundreds of “friends” and “followers” on our social media accounts, we are increasingly cut off from people who perhaps live right next door to us. Technology has made it easy to connect with friends and strangers across the world, but if the data is to be believed, we are more isolated than ever before. To showcase how some startups are using technology to connect people with their neighbours, we met with Grace Ann Chua and Tham Jun Han, Co-Founders of Friendzone — a community-building startup that helps build relationships and generate authentic conversations between neighbours.
In the interview, Grace and Tham shared what happens at a Friendzone event, how they have had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how Friendzone has helped to combat a reverse culture shock for young Singaporeans.
What inspired the idea of Friendzone?
Grace Ann Chua: During our undergraduate studies, we experienced a strong sense of community on campus. You do everything with your peers, from having meals to doing laundry. When we all moved home after graduating, we realised the stark contrast between the community spirit on our college campus vis-a-vis our neighbourhoods. That was the inspiration for the mission of Friendzone, to create friendships between young adults within neighbourhoods.
Can you describe what exactly happens at a Friendzone event?
Tham Jun Han: A typical example of a Friendzone event is our conversation-based neighbourhood gatherings, where young adults in the neighbourhood come down to a block gathering. The idea for these gatherings came from the fact that no relationship is built unless people start talking to each other. During these gatherings, we create asset boards on which the participants can express what they can offer to other neighbours and things that they would like to learn from them. These gatherings are just the starting point for community-building and we continue the conversation on chats and through ideation workshops for continued participation.
How has COVID-19 changed the way Friendzone operates?
Tham Jun Han: The positive aspect of COVID-19 is that it further highlighted awareness around the issue of social isolation, which was a harder argument to make pre-COVID. The issue was made tangible bringing greater acceptance to our solution.
The difficult part was adjusting the model since most of our events were physical. Shifting our programmes online felt strange given that body language is completely lost online. Trying to build the same amount of trust you get offline in the digital space is still difficult for us and adapting to facilitate conversations online has been challenging.
Tell us about your Youth Action Challenge experience.
Tham Jun Han: We were running Friendzone gatherings online for a while and one of our friends who came to the gathering — an expert in the youth mental health scene in Singapore — noted that participating in the Friendzone gatherings can be beneficial for mental well-being. The Youth Action Challenge came up and one of the themes was mental health and well-being. At the Youth Action Challenge, we got to meet mentors from within the mental health scene in Singapore and were able to get deeper insights about the mental health perspective. The most important takeaway was the pitch training which has truly helped us tell a story that people connect with.
What is one piece of advice that you would give other young social entrepreneurs in Singapore?
Grace Ann Chua: I have three. First, “make it personal”. Solve a problem that you either personally face or choose a solution you are really convinced by. That will help to keep you going. It will also help you clarify your values and the reasons why you do certain things.
The second one is “do it with others”. I believe that as an entrepreneur running things alone will just cause you to burn out which is why building a team is important.
The third piece of advice is “find a sustainable business model”. Running a social enterprise means that you have to find ways to earn a profit to continue to grow your company in a sustainable way in line with the values that you have.
What is next for Friendzone?
Grace Ann Chua: Over the last three years, Friendzone has connected over 900 young adults through our sessions. Moving forward, we plan to host more neighbourhood events. We also want to build a strong B2B network and to be more profitable and sustainable. We have been doing this work on the ground for almost three years and we are now sourcing for partners who we can work with for the work to be more sustainable.
Do you have an interesting user story/testimony of Friendzone that you would like to share?
Tham Jun Han: We have young participants who are back in Singapore either because they have just finished studies overseas or had to head back home due to COVID. There is a palpable effect of a reverse culture shock being experienced because of the time away from peers and friends in your country. Attending community gatherings organised by Friendzone has helped them reintegrate and find new friends. This has been a narrative that has been coming up with a number of our participants.
About Youth Action Challenge (YAC)
The YAC provides an opportunity for youth to turn their ideas into reality through curated workshops and guidance from experienced industry professionals. The YAC is a key thrust of the SG Youth Action Plan (SG YAP), organised by the National Youth Council in partnership with UNDP and Citi in Singapore through their Youth Co:Lab initiative.
YAC Season 3 is open for registrations! For more information and to register, visit: https://youthactionplan.sg/YACSeason3/
About Youth Co:Lab
Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more about the Youth Co: Lab, visit: https://www.youthcolab.org/
