(StayMasked Collection at Temasek Shophouse)

With the lifting of circuit breaker, we are glad to reopen Temasek Shophouse to our community again. Temasek Shophouse continues to explore new ways of supporting and connecting with our community. This quarter, we have welcomed two social enterprises – Tri-Sector Associates and The Happiness Initiative – as our new co-working partners. We also played a role in supporting the second and third instalment of StayMasked, an initiative by Temasek Foundation under their Stay Prepared initiative.
 
Tri-Sector Associates is a social enterprise dedicated to fostering collaboration across the public, private and social sectors. The enterprise seeks to tackle complex social issues through innovative philanthropy models, social impact investing, and rigorous measurement of outcomes.
 
Undertaking projects both locally and regionally, Tri-Sector Associates works to develop innovative approaches to the most pressing problems faced by vulnerable communities in the Asia-Pacific region. Most recently, they helped to launch the first Social Impact Bond in Hong Kong and the first recyclable philanthropy fund in Singapore. They aim to both support capacity-building of the social sector and alleviate struggles faced by various beneficiary groups. For more information on their work, please visit https://trisector.org/.
 
The Happiness Initiative’s work is centred on translating the science of happiness and well-being into concrete actions people can take. They focus on raising awareness on the science of wellbeing, translating research into programmes and practices that can be easily applied to real life and aim to build a community grounded in the practice of well-being. They conduct programmes for both corporates and schools, and most recently wrapped up Asia’s first ever Happiness Conference. The conference intended to showcase and explore regional perspectives on well-being research and practices, and two of its panel discussions were held at Temasek Shophouse.
 
The Happiness Initiative firmly espouses their belief that “prevention is better than cure”. Given the rise in the number of people reporting struggles with their mental health, The Happiness Initiative is committed to taking a preventive approach towards mental wellness and helping people live a more fulfilling life. For more information on their work, please visit https://happinessinitiative.sg/.
 
Temasek Shophouse is also proud to support three StayMasked distributions, and to welcome members of our community to the Shophouse to collect their masks.
 
Between June and December this year, the Shophouse hosted StayMasked vending machines that were used for the three rounds of national distribution, all of which received overwhelming response from the public. Operating hours at the Shophouse were extended to 9pm daily, in order to better serve the community.
 
Ensuring each individual has easy access to safe reusable masks not only ensures protection for each individual but also ensures protection for the community as a whole. Providing masks that are reusable is much more sustainable as well, and ensures that the steps we take to protect ourselves does minimal damage to the environment. The nation-wide distributions are part of Temasek Foundation’s Stay Prepared initiative to prepare the Singapore community for emergencies.
 
Temasek Foundation’s network of StayMasked vending machines across the country made it convenient, accessible, and safe for all Singaporeans to collect their masks. Temasek Shophouse is glad to host some of these machines at our lobby, and to assist community members as they collect their masks. COVID-19 has taught us all that no one is safe until everyone is safe, and we are thankful to have played a supporting role in helping our community.