The Ripple Effect: The Power of Education in Creating Systems of Change for Social Good
3 December 2024
Why is education important?
At its core, we recognise the answer: personal development, enhanced career prospects, and social mobility.
But what if the power of our education extends beyond our own lives, impacting the lives of others as well?
Dr Maylyn Tan’s passion for education started back in the early 2000s when she embarked on her first teaching stint with ITE. This love for teaching and learning grew as she worked her way up to becoming the founding head of SIM's Faculty Talent unit where she had the opportunity to establish learning approaches and higher education pedagogical framework.
And now, she’s taking her mission one step further: Pioneering a social entrepreneurship course.
“I’ve always been passionate about education as a tool for empowerment, but social entrepreneurship brings a new layer to that,” she put forth.
“It’s not just about knowledge transfer but creating systems of change.”
FROM PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT TO COLLECTIVE TRANSFORMATION
The Specialist Diploma in Social Entrepreneurship (SDSE) is a bespoke programme offered by SIM under the Dr Richard K M Eu – SIM Social Entrepreneurship Centre (RESSEC).
It aims to equip learners with an entrepreneurial mindset and tools needed to identify and address pressing social challenges. The goal is not just to teach business skills but to foster a deep understanding of how those skills can be applied for social good.
As the Programme Leader, Dr Maylyn oversees the entire curriculum, managing faculty, and ensuring that the course delivers on its promise to nurture social entrepreneurs.
“Education is foundational to social entrepreneurship because it equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to identify societal challenges and develop innovative solutions,” she explained. “Social entrepreneurship also demands continuous learning, adaptability, and resilience.”
Over the past two decades, the social service landscape has evolved. While the traditional model focused on charity, beneficiaries, and donors, today, more players in society are contributing to social good.
Businesses are now moving beyond ad-hoc corporate social responsibility (CSR) to align with growing expectations of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. This shift is driven by greater awareness of social issues and the younger generation's desire to give back to society.
The combination of these changes means that the social service sector must also adapt to remain relevant, ensuring it can attract and develop skilled professionals who can effectively utilise and maximise resources from the wider ecosystem.
As such, the SDSE programme hopes to bring together like-minded professionals to address pressing societal needs with a business lens.
Citing an example, Dr Maylyn shared about a course learner who leads a non-profit organisation with over 2000 tech volunteers.
Through the course, they learnt to apply “a business model by framing their service delivery as a consultancy”. This widened their offering and allowed them to scale their impact in supporting non-profits with tech solutions.
Dr Maylyn also provided another story of another student who explored alternative funding strategies beyond government grants to produce books for vulnerable groups and children with disabilities in Singapore.
“These examples demonstrate the transformative power of social entrepreneurship and how participants are already finding innovative ways to expand their impact,” she stressed.
“It reminds me that education, when applied through social entrepreneurship, has the power to shape not just individual lives, but entire communities.”
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK
The advocacy doesn’t just start during the course. Even the programme preparation itself was a result of a purpose-driven mission.
“A majority of our faculty are adjuncts, many of whom are eager to give back to society in their own unique ways,” Dr Maylyn pointed out. “Social entrepreneurship not only enriches the faculty’s teaching experience but also provides an avenue for them to create social impact.”
Together with the faculty members, she also involved stakeholders like social entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders to spare no effort in ensuring the effectiveness of the programme.
Social entrepreneurship demands a hands-on approach, and designing a learning experience that reflects both theoretical frameworks and real-world applicability was complex, Dr Maylyn continued to explain.
To overcome this challenge, the course integrated project-based learning to give students the opportunity to directly work on the actual problems in their organisations.
The demographic diversity in the pioneer batch – consisting of social service professionals, start-up founders, and mid-career switchers embarking on a socially responsible business – created a rich learning environment where different perspectives come together to tackle complex social issues.
In fact, the value of collaboration is a key takeaway for course participants.
Ms Lee Lee Lim, a RESSEC scholarship recipient and co-founder of Collective Perspectives, a social enterprise championing artists with disabilities, is joining forces with another class participant who is an author and book publisher. Together, they are participating in the i’amable Gift Market where persons with disabilities and creatives showcase their artwork and handcrafted perfume series alongside tactile children’s storybooks, designed to make reading inclusive for all.
“I’ve witnessed first-hand how partnerships between educators, businesses, and non-profits can lead to impactful solutions,” Dr Maylyn affirmed.
BUILDING A BETTER TOMORROW
Touching on future plans, Dr Maylyn wants to work on a mini “Shark Tank" session and ongoing bite-sized skills-based learning for future intakes.
“Learners can look forward to an even more personalised learning experience with access to a network of industry experts and funders, as well as expanded opportunities for learning journeys in the region,” she shared.
More information about the course details can be found here. Alternatively, Dr Maylyn will also be hosting a SIM Social Entrepreneurship Programme (Info Session & Webinar) on 14 January 2025 which you can sign up for.
“If you’re passionate about making a difference and believe that business can be a force for good, this course is for you,” she enthused. “It’s not just about learning theory—it’s about rolling up your sleeves and driving real change.”
“We are excited to provide learning opportunities to non-profit and commercial leaders because this course offers the sweet spot towards achieving triple bottom line, either through corporate social venture building strategies or start-up bootstrapping tactics.”
Circling back to her personal belief that education is a catalyst for empowerment, Dr Maylyn concluded, “What drives me is the potential to transform lives through social innovation and the idea that businesses can do good while being profitable. Now, with my pivot in social entrepreneurship, I see an even more direct connection between education and meaningful societal impact.
“I want to be part of that journey and help others to realise the same.”
Click here for more details about the SDSE programme. Alternatively, Dr Maylyn will also be hosting a SIM Social Entrepreneurship Programme (Info Session & Webinar) on 14 January 2025 which you can sign up for.